Rub a Dub Dub, Spinning my Tub.

It wasn’t long ago I wrote about my early childhood memories of Laundry Day.   Nor does it seem that much time has passed since I spent endless quality time with a top load two-speed wash machine and a quantity of diapers and kids clothes.

Mind you, I didn’t complain about the bottomless diaper pail and kids hamper. Stories from my mom about wash boards and heating water on a wood stove (or even over a camp fire) convinced me I was blessed with what I had.

Our house was built in the seventies – when architects and contractors decided that you could squeeze a hot water heater, a wash machine and a dryer into a closet and call it a utility room.  For years we listened to the daily wash cycle while we conversed around the table or watched Television.

We eventually turned the closet into my computer desk and cupboards and moved the laundry into the garage.  Then, two years ago we bought the front load washer and dryer, each sitting atop a storage drawer.
IMG_0168  
Here it is in the corner of our garage.  The hot water heater is hidden from view in this photo, behind the dryer.  If you look carefully you can see my car reflecting in the wash machine. 

Oh yeah.  There’s a sink and a bunch of other things sitting around as well.  I won’t win any awards for organization and neatness.

I had a few complaints about the washer.  Then, I got help from an unlikely source!  Our moved to Colorado friends, Mike & Kim, just happened to hear someone complaining about tub odor on a call in television show.   The caller was advised to towel dry the seal of the wash machine door after each use. Apparently that water just puddled in the space and putrefied.  I have a towel set aside for just that purpose, and it has made an amazing difference.


Janice @ Pritz Family chose the laundry theme for this weeks Fun Monday.  So spin yourself on over there and come clean!

Comments

bichonpawz said…
Beautiful new washer and dryer Pamela! And I bet you don't miss hearing it every time you are sitting around the table conversing!
Jan said…
The odor thing hasn't happened to us, maybe they've fixed the seal problem! If it happens, I'll know what to do.
Anonymous said…
I just bought a front loader. I need to get myself a door towel. Until I get one I guess I'll just use The Boyfriend's bath towel. (Don't even get me started on how I hate having my washing machine in my bathroom! I have plans to build a laundry 'cupboard', just like the one you got rid of!)
Peter said…
I don't click the door shut properly Pamela, its closed but not locked and I don't get any odours from iPlod at all, but I do get those STIFF towels!!!!!
Sayre said…
I am green with envy of your sink! I think my clothes might be in better shape if I had a sink in there to pre-soak a few things (that boy of mine sure gets dirty!). Our other sinks just aren't convenient or even built to handle that kind of washing... Your area looks pretty nice to me - mine's so dark!
Gattina said…
It's so funny for me to read that some of you Americans have front loading machines now and I found the once I have seen everywhere in the States so nice because of the top loading ! I found it so much better, but they didn't exist neither in Belgium nor in Germany or Italy. Now I see them from time to time in specialized shops, but they are very very expensive !
Jan n Jer said…
Another front load...guess I am behind the times. I remember the days of washing cloth diapers n hanging them on the line to dry..no wonder both my kids had diaper rash. Hope by the time I purchase my 1st front load, they will have all the little problems solved and will be greatly improved. Your not the only person complaining about the odor n mold buildup.
joanygee said…
If I think back to childhood, right back as far as memory takes me...
Laundry was done by hand using a posser in a copper tub. Last time I saw one was in a museum of local life and industry...
We also had a mangle to press water out of the clothes. Oh the smell of carbolic soap!
Hooray from modern programmable machines!
Intense Guy said…
My parents had the washer and dryer in the basement - they lived in a rancher (a single floor, long and skinny house) and the bedrooms were at the end opposite of the stairs down into the basement.

So my dad designed a plywood "chute" in the hallway linen closet next to the bedrooms - and I can always remember dropping my dirty clothes down the chute. If things got hung up, say by a soggy bath towel - it would come out suddenly with a violent sounding KERPLOP! More than once I get the bejeebers scared out of me while playing in the basement!
eastcoastlife said…
I'm still using a washing board and handwashing my laundry. :P

I own a top loading washing machine but I use it to wash curtains and bedsheets only. I still enjoy stomping on them. :P
grammy said…
We are indeed blessed to have such an easy Laundry day...Love the looks of your new ones and how nice that you got them out of the closet...
I had read about the smell to and heard of mold growing...good idea to dry it every time.
Anonymous said…
Thanks for stopping by my playground. I appreciate it. I have never smelled that odor before. Maybe my nose isn't up to snuff...pardon the pun LOL My how washing machines have changed over the years. Have a great Monday :)
Molly said…
We had one of the washers that stored water in the door space, and mold grew on the seal. When the washer broke down, the new washer that we purchased is a top-loader.
karisma said…
Interesting. We have been thinking of getting a front loader. I went for a top loader last time as the front ones were too small for our needs. I have had a few people tell me not to get one as they are troublesome. But i hear they are far more energy efficient. Ah decisions decisions!
darkfoam said…
at my great aunt's in germany i remember my aunt taking the sopping wet clothes out of the washing machine and putting it through the hand cranked laundry wringer ..
and then they were always hung up to damp dry before each piece of clothing was ironed (including socks and undies)
Living Life said…
I have the same odor problem with my front load. I have had it for over 6 years. I usually just leave the door open to air out.

I am seeing alot of laundry rooms in garages.
Unknown said…
Great tip, I'll have to try it. :) My parents had the same tiny utility - actually they didn't have one until they turned a tiny bathroom into a room with a washer, dryer, and water heater, lol.
Kila said…
My friends I live with have a front loading washer, and I noticed that about the seal--water gets in there and doesn't dry.

Is your garage heated? We wouldn't be able to do that in Wisconsin (have the washer and dryer in the garage), but it's common here in Florida, since there are no basements. In Wisconsin, my washer and dryer were down in the dark, cold basement--hated that!
Nikki said…
Do a rinse with vinegar to help with the smell. Then leave the door open a bit to air it out. Also helps if you open the detergent drawer too afterwards.

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