Strange Behavior With Appliances!

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whirlcool

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You all may have remembered me talking about my sister who uses an entire bio ball cup full of Persil in her Kenmore HE2. Sends the washer into constant suds lock and her clothing is as stiff as a board when they come out of the dryer.
Well, I am up here in the Northern burb's of Chicago and now that I am here, I just can't believe the way her family is with their appliances!
They have a huge house here in Lake Forest, IL, (Think Home Alone house) and they recently remodeled the kitchen with new appliances, almost Miele everything except the washer and dryer.
Well I have witnessed the following:

1. The don't use the Miele dishwasher at all. They wash everything by hand. The reason: They don't want to "use up" the dishwasher as they may want to sell the house some day.

2. My sister claims that the garbage disposal was installed on the "wrong side" of the sink. It's on the right side. I have never seen one installed on the left. She hasn't used it "because I don't know how".

3. They have the Miele built in Expresso maker, they won't use it for the same reason.

4. She keeps the door on the washer closed when not in use. I told her about the possibilities of mold, and to leave the door open when not in use. The boot on the washer still has a ton of water in it, she said she shouldn't have to wipe it out. Once more I reminded her of mold issues, and she said the machine is 6 months old and if it doesn't have mold by now, it never will.

5. They have a HDTV, but watch everything on non HD channels. Her husband said he doesn't want to use up all the HD in the set!

6. The hot water tank is set so low, it almost is too cold to take a shower with. I haven't even asked about that one. I can imagine what is growing in that tank!

I now stay out of the kitchen. I am afraid to look to see what other kind of craziness goes on in this house! Is there some kind of "Basic Appliance 101" school I can send these idiots to? How these two make it thru life on a day to day basis is beyond me.
Has anyone ever seen such behavior?
 
"Use up" a dishwasher or coffemachine?Use up HD in the television?(I guess I have long used up mine??my HD set is now about 4yrs old)the closed lid on the washer is definetly inviting mold and other interesting "cultures" maybe even penecillan?If its someone eleses household-don't think you can change their "habits" no matter how strange.You can tell they are not members of "Applianceville"Maybe inviting them to join Applianceville may change their appliance use habits?Oh well-if you stay with them you will have to boil water for your shower!
 
I tried to show my sister, who usually is a reasonable person this website. She just thinks that the way they are using (or should I say not using) their appliances is just fine. She isn't interested learning any other way! I have mostly given up here and you are right, since we ARE guests in her and her husbands home I shouldn't say too much. She actually thinks I am the one who is nuts. I go back to work on Thursday and my wife is going home tomorrow. Texas! Yeah!
 
You've taken a stab at enlightening them and it didn't work. Just run away home to the safety of Texas as fast as you can! LOL!
 
My sister...

Does not use here KA dishwasher. She believes it cost too much to use it, therefore, washes everything by hand. She has the same model that I do(KA Superba). When she remodeled her kitchen, she bought this dishwasher to replace another KA Superba that got minimal use.

I believe that it costs more to wash dishes by hand than by a dishwasher.

She also has a timer on her electric water heater. Yes at times, the water is not hot enough depending on the time of day.
 
HOLY COW!

I used to think that washing by hand was less expensive, but I don't believe that anymore.
Even with my old KA that uses 15 gallons of water a cycle, I still think its cheaper to use the DW, and the dishes are cleaner.

Every place I have ever lived(except this house)has had the disposal in the left side of the sink. This house has it in the right, and it took some getting used to, mainly because I was used using the left side of the sink more. I don't believe it makes a difference which side its installed in...

My mom is kinda funny about appliances too. I did the dishes at her house on Christmas day, and she was bordering on freaking out that I was using her disposal, telling me to be careful not to put too much down because I'll wear it out, or maybe clog the drain. YIKES!! MOm's disposal is in ISE, not TOL, but not a Badger either. It should be able to eat some ham scraps and some broccoli stems...

I keep my water heater set at 140...
 
LoL...

I had to get Grams over putting pots and pans in the dishwasher... She never used to put alot in her's.. But i have gotten her used to loading just about everything in there and letting it rip..

Although she stuffs the washer to maximum capitcy now as well..

But not to use something, just so you won't use it up? Doesn't she at least understand that if they sell the house, then whomever buys it will probably remodel said kitchen, etc...

Just be nice and run back home
 
There's not much you can do; Once people develop habits, it's hard to change them. If they're happy not using their appliances correctly--or at all--just try to ignore it. My sister washes her dishes then puts them in the DW. I barely even scrape mine. Suffice to say we both just shut up and let it be, LOL. I don't tell her what to do in her house and she doesn't tell me what to do in mine.
 
Fear and greed are GREAT motivators, people LOVE to worry.

~Doesn't she at least understand that if they sell the house, then whomever buys it will probably remodel said kitchen, etc...

Or you put in a TOL uber-appliance for you and take it when you leave. Simply replace with a MOL somewhat average thingy and proudly say "It's new" when it's time to sell.

Waht kills me in general is that people who have NO IDEA how anything actually works jump to conclusions and form habits, and as we can see often riduculous. And in the true sense of the word, worthy of ridicule.
 
About a year after I was born (in 1959), my Dad bought my Mom an automatic washer (the much-referenced 1960 Kenmore Model 80). They kept the wringer washer, and for a couple of years my Mom would wash in the VisiMatic, then put the wringed clothes into the automatic and set it for the Rinse & Spin cycle. Eventually she came to trust the automatic to do the job on its own. Some mindsets and habits are just plain hard to break.

Surprisingly, one machine she took to immediately was the dishwasher. They had one of those Westinghouse mid-50s pull-out built-in models and she loved it. They had the DW for several years before I was born.
 
People are funny..our neighbors back west moved into their then new house like us about the same time. 12 years later and she hadn't used the dishwasher once claiming they don't clean dishes as well as by hand.

My dad was reluctant to buy a vacuum cleaner with a motorized brushroll. That stemmed from his long dead mother back in the UK claiming that they damaged the rugs. Nor would he even buy a car with power steering/brakes until he had no choice. His last non power steering or power brakes car was a 70 Mercury and he had to special order it. He claimed it just wasn't safe if something went wrong with the pumps. He was actually quite a minimalist in everything. The last house they bought which mom still lives in didn't have a dw and he wouldn't have one although mom wanted one so she said he could do the dishes and he did for about 25 years. Kitchen was redone with dw within a year of his passing...lol.. and also the garage door opener he wouldn't have was put in.
 
Chemical valley? *LOL*

My great-aunt got rid of an early 60's 24 inch(60cm) Kenmore washer that she had not used in decades because the great-uncle preferred to use the dryers at the laundromat instead of line drying. Again, morbid fear of damp clothing.

Within a year of his passing, there was a brand new Comb-o-Matic front-loading washer-dryer (110v, Made in italy) in her kitchen. Her dryer was a vented model. All she had to do was open her huge kitchen window and it pointed right out.

Can you guess who ended up with the Classic washer? C'etait MOI! :-)

BTW my mother informs me that the dear old girl used to make my mother as a teenager re-rinse the stuff in the bathtub AFTER it had been washed, and it was wrung out by hand and hung to dry.

Doesn't look like the one in the link, but oh-well included the linkie anyway!


http://www.splendide.com/
 
I asked my sister and her husband why they went with such TOL appliances if they weren't going to use them. Their response? "It's for investment!, You can sell a house with expensive appliances for more money! And if they have never been used, you can get even more money!".

Toggles, it looks like you were right on the money, so to speak.
 
To be honest, I LIKE washing day-to-day dishes by hand, and I don't use the dishwasher if it's quicker for me to do 'em by hand, but that's because I'm a small household....

Clothing is another story. I can't remember the last time I hand-washed anything....I've also never used a disposal, and shy away from them in the houses of others....

I consider bleach, detergent, and softener dispensers useless and more work to maintain than they are worth (my sister disputes me on this!)
 
I use every thing for what it was intended for... Although, i refuse to use powderd soaps doing laundry, unless i have to or it's somthing special (like persil, but you can get liquid form of that or fresh start)...

Wait... I never have used the Jet Dry gizmo in the dishwasher.. Also i could and have lived with out ice makers, i hardly use ice in stuff...

I use a garbage disposer every day.. I always buy TOL or near TOL units, with 3/4 hp... I have actually upgraded the disposer in the one place i rented when theres broke ( i cooked it in a month)....

I also want a Trash Compactor...Hardly any one has a use for these, but i do.. I love the idea of smahing everything up into a big square bag to haul outside..

I love washing dishes, but i still want my d.w

I also would usualy buy a BOL dryer..Like my Maytag.. I only use the timed settings.. If i have anything fu fu, than i would hang dry it.. Besides, the new F.L it only takes a load 20 min. to dry in there..
 
day to day

I always have some stuff to wash by hand every day, usually my coffee maker, coffee mug, and silverware.
I always run out of spoons before the DW is full.
I usually run my DW every 4-5 days, depending on what I cook...
 
I so rarely wash anything by hand that I don't even keep dishwashing liquid in the house. The notion of washing things in a sinkful of medium-warm water laced with raw meat juices (from utensils, cutting boards, mixing bowls) gives me the willies.

However, as with poorly washed laundry, I'm not aware a lot of people are made sick by hand-washed dishes. People have been washing underwear in warm water and drying them on racks in basements for years and I've not heard of anyone getting a disease from it. I grew up with all my clothes washed in suds-saved, cooled-down water using a minimum amount of detergent, then line dried (except for the dead of winter) and never had a problem.

Having said that, I still bleach the hell out of my whites and wash dishes with a big dose of Cascade in 140-degree water. I guess we all have our mildly neurotic issues.
 
Don't worry, it was a small load , so i did it by hand.

Honey at our age a girl's hands are forever under water what with dishes, diapers and d**ches.

~I always run out of spoons before the DW is full.
I usually run my DW every 4-5 days, depending on what I cook...

I got myself some Corelle dishes that lie nice and flat and are thin. Servce for 16. I don't run out of dishes or silverware even if it's over a week to run a DW load.

In general I don't like odd (non-matching) pieces in the kitchen. So I've got all my neurosies lined up and in order. I insist that they help each other rather than fight each-other.

Anyhoo, I also have mutiple sets of Farberware percolator "guts" {basket, stem and cover) from defunct percolators that were off to the krusher. This way I throw them in the DW and don't have to wash them by hand.

http://www.cooking.com/products/shprodli_di.asp?BrandNo=936&DeptNo=9000&SubClassNo=9789
 
LOL and now that Corelle has a stoneware style suitable for formal dining (their schpiel, not mine), If I ever get a place big enough for a china cabinet I can get a set of "good" china. *LOL*
 
~The notion of washing things in a sinkful of medium-warm water laced with raw meat juices (from utensils, cutting boards, mixing bowls) gives me the willies.

May I suggest:

Microwave your sponge (with lots of water and liquid detergent in it) to disinfect it before (or after) each use.Wash the sink frequently with cleanser that has bleach in it. One can even hand wash those yukyy items with some bleachy cleanser to be sure. Better yet use paper towels instead of a sponge to wash items that have been potentially contaminated.

Personally I crucify on-the-spot anyone who even attempts to use my kitchen sponge on the floor even "for a second". I am not a huge fan of anyone who places their child's @$$ on my couter-tops (workbench) either. Just take a dump in my pots; it's quicker. UGH!

Good old-fashined bleach. To me a safer idea then other disinfecting chemicals.

For our international friends:
The PIC (people-in-charge) changed the law to allow meat proceesing plants to rinse fecal matter off of meats rather than rejecting the piece. We in he USA are therefore a bit pre-occupied with such things as salmonella, etc. in connection with raw meats.
 
I"m a one guty household. It may take me 10 days to fill up the dishwasher sometimes. I refuse to wash anyting by hand!!! When I was at my sisters, I guaged by the coffee mugs and cups, it had been 15 days since she had run her dishwasher!! Oxydol, it's faster for me to throw the stuff into the dishwasher than go through washing it all by hand each day and also having to wait to get hot water to the kitchen sink.
 
Lawd

We never buy anything that we do not plan to use. One does want to take reasonably good care of what they have plunked down hard earned dollars for. Always use your appliances, especially now days, before parts are NLA.
 
I use institutional disinfectant (the yellow stuff in the gallon jugs that you mix in a spray bottle) on my counters, sink and workbench. I spray 'n' clean before I start food prep, immediately after dealing with raw meat/eggs and as a last step in cleanup. I refuse to have a sponge or rag around for multiple uses.

OK, I live alone and even on days when I have no dinner guests, I still manage to run the DW at LEAST once. Granted it isn't always completely full, but I've never, ever gone more than 2 days without running the thing. How on Earth do you go four or five days? That's inconceivable in my household. Note: I never eat in restaurants or get take out when I'm at home. I've lived here 20 years and I've gotten take out from the Chinese place 3 times. I ordered pizzas once to feed my moving crew 4-1/2 years ago. I cook all my own meals; I love to cook. I find it calming and centering after a stressful day at work. That probably makes a difference. My city friends eat out and get take out much more frequently.
 
Regardless of whether you have an automatic dishwasher, this is the handiest item you could possibly install in your kitchen. You can use it for a few dishes or a lot, whether you do yours all by hand or are supplementing a machine. No standing water to get gunky and splash all over, and you can use hotter water since you don't have to have your hands completely immersed in it the whole time. I love mine!

http://dishmaster-faucet.com/
 
"My city friends eat out and get take out much more frequently."

I think I fall into that category! I've noticed I seem to order in Chinese, pizza, McDonald's, etc. far more than most of the folks here seem to....

App, I know what you mean and it amazes me! This is my sister's argument, even when she's alone....
 
I used to throw lotsa dinner parties. Oddly the lesbians down the street used to love to attend. They eat out a lot apparently. The one hates to cook and the other has no talent for it.
 
Almost all of the lesbians i know don't cook more han pasta roni or that kinda crap...

Eddie (nick name) and Chrystal used to come and eat alot at my place until they broke up.. Also April and Samantha did as well, but they moved... Valleri still comes by on occasion
 
Almost every family I know uses their dishwashers as drying racks. Nobody I know owns a garbage disposal (we have the Green Bin or composter instead), and the dryer is sitting in the basement collecting dust. I guess it's just part of our culture!
 

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