Favorite Laundry Experiences...Sights, Sounds, Smells...

[westytoploader]

Reading Jon's reply to the "Pet Peeve" thread made me want to start another thread about your favorite laundry experiences. Here are mine...

1. The Unimatic's near-silent pulsation and the rhythmic "spanking" of the water by the 2-ring agitator.

2. The snapping of solenoids!

3. Hearing and watching a solid tub spin the water out.

4. The hum of the motor starting up, followed by "click-click-CLUNK" of a BD machine as agitation begins.

5. The smell of vintage detergent and liquid FS, as well as Fresh Start and Regular Tide w/Bleach.

6. Wash-ins and Conventions...Convention 2005 will live on!

7. The smell emitting from the motor of a Unimatic as it's ramping up to 1140 RPM.

8. Hearing a GE Filter-Flo's clutch click into position as it starts agitating in high speed.

9. Watching a vintage Westinghouse TL.

10. Pulling warm clothes out of the dryer.

11. Frigidaire 1-18...need I say more? ;-)

I know there's a lot more too!!

--Austin

 

[compactc9]

There is nothing like warm clothes out of the dryer on a cold wintery day. I also just like the humming sound that washers and dryers make, I find it very calming. The splashing and purring of a washer washing can make me sleepy. My mom used to put me by the running washer to get me to sleep when i was very small. Just thinking about it brings back warm and fuzzy memories.

 

[mattywashboy]

i like

-watching white cotton get washed in hot soapy suds
-watching the fast final spin on a front loader
-smelling laundry straight out of the dryer
-watching clothes in the dryer
-the sound and feel of the timer on the washer, the twist and the pull.
- the end of cycle buzz
the sound of an old t/loader's BANG before and after spinning
-the gentle sound of the agitator clicking back and forth.
- the sight of a laundry floor covered in laundry, it means theres lotsa fun ahead today!
-standing on my balcony and seeing the lines of clothes in each garden going forever and ever into the horizon.

*calming sigh*, now i'm stress free after just thinking about those things

 

[parunner58]

-The smell of original Tide from the 60's & 70's
-The smell of Orginal Downey for the 60's & 70's
-Watching any front loader with a window.
-The neat sound of a F/L ramping up for the final high speed spin.
-Laundry dried outside
-Playing with my mom's GE Filter FLo dispensal and mini basket
-Watching my grandmother's Lady Kenmore and the suds return system.
-Watching my other grandmother's Bendix Duomatic

 

[hoover1060]

1. First wash in my brand new Amana washer, back in Nebraska in 1998. A poor college student at the time, I felt like I had won the lottery getting that machine.
2. The sound of my mom's Maytag A608 as it started to spin/drain.
3. The "ding" of the bell on the matching Maytag dryer when it was done.
4. The smell of vintage Cheer.
5. The smell of my laundry room when the washer is done with its cycle.
6. Watching any front loader go through a cycle. I sit and watch like it was TV!

 

[toggleswitch]

YAY #4 above!

The sound of the gas solenoid snapping open and closed on moms Maytag 1697 dryer. (DG306?)

Or the sound of my aunt's RCA whirlpool of approx the same era. The "Chatterbox" sparker used to ignite the burner wsa SO COOL. The infinite heat settings and the auto-dry (thermostatic) were SO UPSCALE TO ME THEN!

 

[peterh770]

Hot water and classic Oxidol.

 

[foraloysius]

1. The smell of vintage Dixan;

2. The spin cycle of my mother's 1966 Bosch frontloader, straight up to 760rpm;

3. The sounds of the solenoids in the Miele laundromat of a friend's father;

4. A few of my washers running at the same time;

5. Sleeping between sheets that have been dried outside;

6. Walking from machine to machine on a convention or wash-in.

 

[knitwits1975]

I like the sounds of my Whirlpool direct drive (Kirkland Signature). Especially the neutral drain, and then the start of the final spin with the spray rinse. Why does Whirlpool put the the spray rinse at the final spin anyway when all the others do it the first spin? I also really like the cold water filling sound and frankly think they should they should make a sound spa featuring it. It's very soothing.

 

[powerfin64]

watching and listening to the Lady K and maytag highlander fill for wash/rinse, listening to the sloshing sounds of the Gyrator/vari-flex fins going at it, hearing the neutral/spin drains with the pump's at full tilt, seeing and hearing the spin-spray rinses, watching the tub clutch's kick in after a spin cycle...
whats more to say?

Rich

 

[partscounterman]

Convention 05

Washer, Dishwasher and Vacuum Cleaner Overload! The fascinating collection of small appliances and literature. The sparkling group of people who met there.

Can we do it again? Soon?

David

 

[agiflow]

That is one sound or should i say two sounds i like from the DD KM- The neutral drain as air is starting to be sucked through the pump and the spin spray rinses. Not quite a belt drive, but still fun anyway.

Pat

 

[jaxsunst]

I love the sound of Belt Driven WP/KM. It really sounds like it is doing something.

 

[westytoploader]

I can't believe I forgot this one...the snapping of a Mallory timer! The Baby Bendix and WO-65-2 have them of course! Once you hear that "KERSHK" as the escapement rapidly springs loose you'll never get it out of your head!

Needless to say I heard a lot of "KERSHKs" at the Convention!

 

[spiralactivator]

Lucky 7

1. Bright white socks, freshly washed with bleach so they're REALLY clean

2. Doing a two weeks worth of towels as a single load in Mom's giant Whirlpool

3. Picking that hamster-sized lintball out of a FilterFlo basket

4. Clean, dryer-fresh sheets and blankets on a cold day

5. Adding softener as the washer fills to rinse

6. Hanging out laundry on warm days (with both springy clothespins and the other kind)

7. Having all the laundry folded and ready to be put away...only to become a seat for the cat, who likes the smell of softener

 

[hooverac216]

watching bubbles pour out of my twin tub lid and pour all over the floor

 

[frigilux]

Smell: Hot wash water with 1960's Tide being pumped into the suds-saver laundry tub by our 1960 Kenmore. It filled the whole downstairs...

Sound: The wig-wag sound of said washer during the neutral drain. The solenoid clunk signalling the dispensing of bleach during the last 4 minutes of a wash cycle.

 

[tomturbomatic]

Pet Sounds and Aromas

Old Cheer, Oxidol, Tide, Dash, AD, Cascade, original Sta-Puf & Final Touch

The fragrance in new washers and dishwashers in the 50s and 60s

Filtrator Fragrance

The steady beat of a Maytag conventional washer agitating and the slapping/surging of the water, especially when the agitation is first started, before the clothes are added

Frigidaire agitation before the space capsule agitator and the fast ramp up to spin speed in the Unimatics

The surging as the pump pressure and volume increase during fill in the KitchenAid 15 thru 18 series

The rumble of the water going up in the Coffeemaster and the final noise when it all returns.

The ERK when the slowing tub in a Unimatic stops and bounces backward a bit.

The sound produced by the fast rotation of the BIG BLUE WASH ARM in my KDS-14, the flutter of the diaphragm in her fill valve which makes a long-lasting rude noise and the clicking when her drain valve opens.

 

[Cybrvanr]

I don't know about you , but I've always enjoyed the sound of the filter slipping down onto the agitator. Anouther sound that I've alays liked it the sound of the older seventies vintage dryers. Even when these units are off, bumping them will make the dryer emit an interesting "springy" type noise, that I guess is the heating elements vibrating