when your doing laundry...

[vintagesearch]

Hi members?

Ok so on laundry day do you guys and gals stay around the laundry room or area pending for the washer and dryer?or, do you load it up and go and return when you remember it (or time it)?

Me, i load it up and leave i come back when its done. i usually forget too that the washer is running! sometimes not always i usually load it up just glance at the settings before i walk away and usually take the dogs out, go online etc. and comeback 30-50 minutes later and its done. between i always use the dispenser for FS our washer never goes off balance then again i know how to load it blah blah, so how about you all?

 

[dj-gabriele]

I keep an eye on my washing machine as it quite often doesn't balance at all, I otherwise can end up with a machine stuck at the first rinse balancing for 20 minutes untill I move this or that item... and so goes for the other rinses.
When it eventually finishes I'm usually there adding one (or two) additional rinses and fabric softener.
I put less detergent than specified on the label of whatever I decide to use but by the last rinse there's still cloudy water! I can't bear a washer that use 40 litres of water for a 5 kg load! Former one used 60 and it rinsed so much better!

 

[laundromat]

I sit or stand there until my washer stops completely. Sometimes,while doing my whites,I will unplug the unit and let the whites soak for anywhere from 2 to 5 hours. Then,I go and drain the old washwater out and procede to a new hot wash/warm rinse cycle.I put fresh detergent in and stay and watch. Then,I either hang the clothes on my line or throw them in the dryer.i mostly hang my wash out. They smell better and don't shrink.

 

[maytagbear]

I don't stand by

my washer and dryer, but I also don't leave the house when they are running, which I think is a reasonable course of action.

As for sometimes forgetting a load in the washer or dryer? Depends on how distracted/distractable I am that day!

Lawrence/Maytagbear

 

[chuffle]

Pretty much set it and forget it...

Well...not really. I start the laundry, and go and do something else, knowing that the buzzer on the washer and dryer will alert me to a load that is finished.

Of course, once loads start coming out of the dryer, I am in the kitchen folding and ironing (the washer and dryer are in the bathroom, off of the kitchen). I like to have everything laundered, dried, folded, ironed, hung up, and put away by noon on Mondays. Good weather shoots that all to heck however, as I line dry, and that takes longer.

Once things are in the dryer, I stay around the house. If I need to run out, a trip into town, for instance, I stop the dryer.

Joe

 

[pulsator]

I always watch! At the very least until the rinse fill! Even if I have stuff I need to do, I'm stuck there until the rinse fill because a lot of my machines either don't have a softener dispenser, have a really crappy one (**AHEM** Neptune), or their softener dispensers don't hold enough softener! And of course, if I have a new toy, I'm there until the tub comes to a complete and final stop!

 

[vintagesearch]

ohh ok that sounds cool not me, im far more consumed with my ps3 psp and online nonsense stuff and cleaning up after the dogs...but, maybe if we had a HE toploader or frontloader it may be something worth watching for some time.....

 

[autowasherfreak]

A Little of Both

My washer and dryer are in the basement, sometimes I will stay down there with a book or magazine, but in the winter it's to cold, so I usually start it and go back upstairs to tend with other housework--vacuuming, dusting, mopping and so forth.

I never leave the house with the washer, dryer, or dishwasher running unless I go outside for a little while when it nice outside.

The end of cycle alarms on my Frigidaire set suck. I can't hear them at all on the first floor unless their is dead silence in the room, which is very rare.

Now the story would be totally different if I had a top load washer, I would be downstairs watching it continually just as a I did when I was a kid when we had our first Whirlpool in 1972/73.

 

[moonvalleycacti]

Depends whose washing laundry

If i wash clothes, i try to at Night (after 11 pm)..I usualy put the stuff in the washer on Normal wash, warm water and 2nd rinse, which is about 66 minutes.. Using all and borax in the wash and downy free and clear for towels, clothes and the like..Substitue Persil for dark colored clothes and comforters and sheets, and use Gains Apple Mango Tango with Persil on comforters and sheets and some times on the towels (but then they dont absorb as well)

 

[moonvalleycacti]

The at night thing comes from my grams and mom, who firmly believe in using high use electricity items later on at night.. This includes Dishwashers, Dryers, Washers and Water Heaters

 

[jeffg]

One of the advantages of a toploader is, they're fast and there's not a lot of time to kill. Most loads in our Speed Queen take 25-30 minutes, and if we want to do anything special (add softener, a warm water rinse etc) it requires staying close to the washer.

 

[turquoisedude]

I keep an eye on them...

I am still getting used to the '66 Inglis set, so I tend to watch them for at least part of the cycle. I just can't resist watching the washer tub all lit up - beleive or not I had never seen a washer with that feature 'till I got mine.

I haven't started using it much, but I intend to watch the '56 GE front-loader in the kitchen! Who could resist a front-loader with a window??

 

[kenmoreguy64]

As a friend I has told me, I "hover"

I have always been highly amused and entertained by watching the washer, but recently until I found AW, I'd set te machine and more or less go about other stuff, but be aware most of the time of what it was doing.

As luck of the draw, four of the machines I've used in the last few years are large capacity and have only 3 water levels, the medium often being too low, and high being too high. My solution is to set the level switch on high until the water reaches the desired level, then switch it to medium. I have to hang around the machine to do that again in rinse. I am also always listening for a well-balanced spin, so between both of those, I am usually very nearby the washer if not right there at it watching.

 

[newwave1]

Depending on the time i have and which machine i'm using

In my house my washer in the kitchen next to the lounge and i wander in and out to keep an eye and i like to see the rinses *my fav part* If i'm in the garage where my older machines are, i love to see from start to finish, i take all my essentials with me, sit in my chair, listen to music. Great fun. Its my fav hobby so why not enjoy it? Unless i've things to do in which case i'll set one of the machine i'm not too fussed over an leave it to it!

Darren

 

[DADoES]

When I get a new/different machine, I watch intently until I'm familiar with how it all works, the various cycles & options. Then I may watch occasionally, but otherwise just keep an "ear" out that things are going as they should.

 

[dogboy44]

I like to watch

The our washer and dryer both have front windows, it is kind of hypnotic. I will check on them from time to time.

 

[toggleswitch2]

~I sit or stand there until my washer stops completely. Sometimes,while doing my whites,I will unplug the unit and let the whites soak for anywhere from 2 to 5 hours. Then,I go and drain the old washwater out and procede to a new hot wash/warm rinse cycle.I put fresh detergent in and stay and watch.

Detergents can only hold soil in suspension for about 30 minutes. After that amount of time the dirt from the armpits and the inseam areas is merely redeposited over the entire gament, rather than leaving it concentrated in the source areas.

If soaking is desired it is probably best to do a quickie pre-wash first in cold to cool water (as warmer water sets protein stains) and THEN do a soak.

As you mentioned a good spin and then full wash with fresh detergent un-does the "damage" (soil re-deposition)done by an extended soak.

 

[chestermikeuk]

Laundry..

Usually stick a load in before breakfast and then at the next tea break transfer to dryer or washing line!!! would love to "Watch it Wash" more often but always run out of time lately!!!!

Unless I`m testing a repaired oldie or have fellow washerholics visiting!!!Even then they baulk at me putting everything in the MaytAsko for a final rinse & spin...which I do then watch...Lol

 

[mayguy]

I will not allow my partner to do the laundry.. I do them all on my day off from work. (Mondays and Tuesdays)

Monday is when I do the wash, and I am home the whole time I do it. While it's washing, I'll be doing other household chores, then come back and do the next load when it's done.

 

[xraytech]

I typically do not set and watch the wash. I do watch it start to fill as I add the detergent and then add the clothes laid in evenly and in a certain order. Once the washer is filled I go about my dusting and vacuuming and also cooking stuff for me to take for lunch(I am the envy of all my co- workers for the 3-4 course lunch I take every day) between loads and as they are dry I fold clothes on the coffee table in the living room while watching re-runs of Mama's Family or All In The Family and Iron my scrubs and lab coats in the kitchen(I still use an old TAB soda bottle with a sprinkler to dampen my clothes and roll up and pres and heavy starch to obtain a perfect wrinkleless uniform with crisp double pleated slacks with my old GE steam iron.I tend to be very old school and set in my ways even at such an early age.

I never ever leave the house or go to bed with the washer or dryer on because grandma set the fear of God into me about the chance of there being a fire.

As much as I would love to set and watch the entire wash cycle I would never get the cooking, cleaning, and ironing done

 

[autowasherfreak]

I started a load of wash the other day, and I usually watch it for a few minutes. Well this day I must have been very tired, I started to fall asleep standing up while watching the clothes tumbling away in my Frigidaire.

 

[frigilux]

Front-load washer: Set it, walk away.

Top-load washer: I like to watch through the first few minutes of agitation, then I'm off.

 

[thomasortega]

Always in front of the machines.

I always use all 8 at the same time

I don't like to use the softener dispensers because the brazillian softeners are too thick, three of my machines don't have dispenses and also I'm usually chatting on msn with some AW colleagues or my Orkut community's colleagues.

No matter what machine I use, after it's done, I always spin at the Electrolux Ecoturbo (AKA Frigidaire Affinity)

The only load I don't watch is the last dryer load.

My loads usually are:

Whites - Electrolux Ecoturbo
Light colors - Electrolux LE750
Dark colors - Electrolux LT60
Blacks - Enxuta Sollo
Towels - Electrolux LQ11
Jeans - Newmaq Atlanta (semi-automatic I bought when Joh ws here.
My mom's lingerie - Brastemp Eggo (Eco egg)
Delicates - Brastemp eggo or Enxuta Sollo
mops, cleaning towels or kitchen towels (of course not together) - Chinese Mini Twin tub
Bed sheets - Eletrolux ecoturbo or Electrolux LE750
Duvets - Electrolux Ecoturbo or Electrolux LQ11
Sneakers - Electrolux LQ11 using the sneakers accessory

it takes up to 2 hours to do everything, considering I have to fill the machines one by one because my gas instant water heater is the smallest model available and it gives only 8 liters/minute of almost boiling water.

 

[qsd-dan]

I hang around to listen for the cycle changes. I custom tailor my own cycles on the Maytag using the entire timer dial and need to be within earshot to make the necessary adjustments.

Maytag procedure:

Add clothes

Add detergent and Oxiboost in center of agitator and select "Regular" cycle.

Listen for machine to start agitating and carefully watch for any under/overloading for a minute or two. If all is good, I take care of other chores within ear shot.

After the first spin is nearly completed, advance timer to "Permanent Press" cycle and choose rinse water temp. Add fabric softener.

Let clothes agitate for 5 min for "Extra Large" load setting (4 min for "Large" 3 minutes for "Medium" never have used “Small”).

Advance timer to the beginning of the "Spin" cycle portion of the "Delicate" cycle.

"Regular" cycle is now only 1 click away and the process begins again.

 

[whitekingd]

SHIT!!

I start the machine filling, then add detergent, then load the clothes. THEN, go grab a BEER and stand there and watch the DAMN thing the rest of the cycle. That's wash day for me! FUN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[oldwasherguy]

I always watch my Maytag in action

1972 A606

 

[revvinkevin]

Well........

When I only had my Frigidaire FL set, I would "generally" start it and walk away, on a few rare occasions I would sometimes watch it.

NOW..... that I have a "collection" and I am using those more often then the "primary set", will stay there and watch or change settings, or start a load in one machine and finish it in another!

 

[ptcruiser51]

Laundry Room

is across the street from me in my complex. Seven new Maytag commercial machines, $1.50/load but they hold quite a bit. Our miserable landlord has the valves adjusted on the machines so only a trickle of hot water comes in if you set it for "hot", if you set it for permanent press or anything else, you're getting an ice-cold wash, my friend. I used to stand like an idiot waiting 20 minutes for the hot to fill, then change the cycle to permanent press (cool-down) to at leat get some semblance of a second rinse. One day it dawned on me: "Hey, I sell these damned things! I should be able to remedy this!" Next visit I bring my vise-grips, hit the shut-off on the wall, disconnect the hot-water hose, fill the washer(s), reconnect hose, DONE! I usually do 3 loads at a time, go back across the street and set the timer for 20 minutes and do chores. Come back and put sheets, towels, pants and sox in the dryer (those industrial dryers are murder on everything else). Take everything across the street and hang on fold-out dryer or hangers on bathroom shower curtain rod. Go back when timer sounds, which gives me time to pull sheets out and fold while everything else is on cool-down. Finished. Then later I iron when hanging stuff is just a trace damp.

Anyone remember that old Eddie Murphy routine from SNL?

"Kill My Landlord!"
"Kill My Landlord!"
"C-I-L-L. My Landlord!"

 

[autowasherfreak]

For those of you that have multiple machines, do you ever have problems deciding which washer to use? If I had a collection like Roberts and others. When laundry day came around, I would probably just stand there in the middle of laundry room thinking about which machine to use until I got a headache. LOL.

If I had a top loader nothing would get done on laundry day. I would stand there through the whole cycle watching it's every move. I did this when I was a kid. Mom would always yell down to me what are you doing, and I would reply watching the washer. She would always reply back, it's automatic, and doesn't need you.

 

[xraytech]

Jim,
If I had a large collection of washers like Robert it would be easy for me to decide on wash day, I would do the same as my vacuum collection and have a set schedule of which machine gets used that day and follow the schedule written on my calendar, yes I really am that OCD to have a schedule of what machine to use and on what day because we dont want to go out of order.

Sam