1996 Whirlpool Ultimate Care II 8 cycle 2 speed washer
1990 Whirlpool Heavy Duty gas dryer (base model)
2019 GE portable dishwasher TOL
2005 Whirlpool Powerclean direct feed portable dishwasher TOL
What are your dream machines yet to be found?
The first is a 1989 Maytag Washer with the long stroke transmission, two speed fully loaded model. Second on line would be a 2007 SQ set with the gray control panels and ocean blue lettering with the iconic Speed Queen badge on the upper front side left corner of the cabinet on the machines. My third dream washer would be a 2 speed Kitchenaid Superba with the turquoise two piece surgilator.
What are your earliest and favorite appliance memories?
The first washer I ever saw and had growing up was the 1 and only machine that launched a lifetime of appliance related interests and fascination's. It was a very rare Whirlpool direct drive knockoff, it’s so rare that there has never been even one video of one like it on YouTube or anywhere on the internet it was very exclusive. It was a 1996 Roper Direct Drive top of the line model, super capacity tub with the iconic light colored turquoise dual action agitator and it had that real tall fabric softener dispenser on it in the matching turquoise color. It had a gorgeous jet black control panel with very nice shiny chrome trim lining the panel, it was a true beauty and I still remember how awesome it sounded because it had the older style transmission that sounded incredible in those older direct drives. My grandparents purchased it in 1996 in Vegas, they moved less than a year later to Michigan with my parents and my sisters into a big ranch style home that they all would settle into together, so the Roper was rehomed and settled into its permanent location with them at the new house in Michigan. Three years later in 2000, a true laundry legend was born in the household! I remember that I would dance to the rhythm of the washer while it would agitate, my grandma and my mom would hold me up to the washer to watch it agitate or I would use my stool to get high enough to watch it. I had a specific dance for the low speed agitation which was hilarious, and I remember those neutral drain sounds on that Roper were a taste of heaven. Tragedy struck after the Roper had lived in this home for ten years, it sprung a very large leak and when I came home from school one day as a seventh grader I was greeted by a new 2007 Whirlpool DD sitting in the Ropers spot, and I was told that earlier that day the Roper sprung a big leak and they had to get a new machine immediately. I never got to say farewell to that Roper and I miss it immensely still to this day. My grandma removed the fabric softener cup from the roper for me to keep so I would have a part of that machine still, as she knew how much I adored that machine and unfortunately it got thrown out over the years after I grew up and cleaned out my room. After 3 years of having a new direct drive (which I absolutely loved still) my grandparents got tricked by some sickening ABC warehouse salesman into buying a brand new WP Cabrio set. I came home one day and they were in the basement, I was absolutely mortified by this purchase and words can’t describe how upset I was this ignorant decision ruined my laundry life for the next 13 years, all I wanted was my direct drive back. There was absolutely no reason to get that set, the washer was three years old running perfect and the dryer we had was only 12 years old about at that time and was fine as well so those ended up getting sold privately. Laundry day became a miserable chore after my grandparents bought those atrocious so called machines.
