It’s not cheap to use a laundromat. (Image: Kathryn Reeed)
A washing machine full of water when the spin cycle has finished is never a good thing.
I kept trying things, but my feeble attempts only put more water into the contraption. The spin cycle clearly was not working.
I reached out to people in Chico to see if anyone had a washing machine expert they liked. No, was the response. But a couple of my tennis guys said I might be able to fix it myself and one sent YouTube videos.
I had already looked at a couple videos. One had the machine outside, with the person saying this was the best option so water didn’t get all over the house. Our machine is oversized, so a bit unwieldy. Unlikely that I could move it on my own.
It takes a few quarters to dry a load of laundry. (Image: Kathryn Reed)
Before I even tried to fix it I had to empty the washer. Mom and I did a bucket brigade of sorts to drain the machine, with the plants outside getting a dose of gray water.
I knew I needed to get under it to try to solve the problem. But I was super apprehensive about doing anything inside and knew getting outside was going to be problematic. Mom didn’t want me trying to move the thing.
Since it was the weekend and this wasn’t an emergency I was not going to pay inflated prices for a repair person to come out.
So, off I went to the laundromat with my wet clothes. Sheets and towels mostly, so heavy wet stuff.
It had been a while since I was in a laundromat. How do people afford them? It cost $6.50 to wash my load in an oversized machine. What I had would not fit in a regular machine. This seemed like an exorbitant amount of money. It didn’t include detergent or drying.
During the cycle I was able to get some work done, and help a very needy older gentleman who didn’t seem to know the first thing about washing. And later I learned didn’t understand how to operate a dryer.
I wonder what those who study human behavior would have to say about the people who use a laundromat. That could be interesting.
I’m just glad mine was a one time (knock on wood) visit.
The repair dude came out later in the week. He tilted the machine against the wall. Why hadn’t I thought of that? He didn’t get the gasket on correctly at first, causing some water to get on the floor. No biggie. I asked if what he did was something I could fix on my own if/when there is a next time. He said it can be tricky. Fingers crossed I won’t ever need to know if I’m capable or not.
The verdict? Gunk was in the drain spout. I was hoping repair dude was going to find my missing sock.
Instead of using a dryer, try spreading clean laundry outside to dry in a place not visible by your neighbors. The fresh air smell is so wonderful. And this is a ¨green¨¨ thing – no added carbons in the air. Of course this works only if the day is warm and sunny.
I had the same experience (shock) when I had to use the larger machine at a the laundromat for my King Sized comforter that wouldn’t fit in my washer or dryer. At those prices you could pay off a washing machine in no time at all.
Mostly the people I saw there were college students and a couple single guys. I could have taken my comforter home and spread it outside to dry as someone suggested but I was in a hurry!! 🤷🏼♀️
I’m glad everything is fixed, at least for the time being.
Your story reminds me of an experience I had on our recent fall vacation to Colorado. I was in a laundromat when I had the opportunity to help a man quite a bit younger than I am. (For starters, there were no quarter machines, so patrons had to go to another specific business to get them. It went on from there.) I was having some difficulty understanding the man and asked him what his language was. He was a bit insulted and said “English.” It turned out that he was originally from India and now lives in New Zealand. We had a great conversation!