Things I Miss About America Part 1: Washing Machines and Dryers

So, because everyone keeps asking and because i've been here 5 months now and feel that I can start talking about it, i've decided to do a series of blogs on the things I miss about the states. Also, because Bobby tells me we need to blog more so that more people read the blog (doesn't really make sense to me, but whatever). This series of posts may also seem odd considering the fact that the place I lived before London was rural Uganda, so really how can I complain? But being in London almost makes it harder. In Uganda you expect to not be able to find good cookies in a grocery store, but in London? I've been surprised by the number of differences two countries so similar (the US and the UK) can have.

Anyways, here we go.


Things I miss about America, Part I: Washing Machines and Dryers

Don't get me wrong, we do have a washing machine and dryer, (Let me correct myself, we have a washing machine/dryer, it's one unit) but maybe after a little description you'll understand why i've come to loathe it.

1. The Machine itself is TINY. To begin with, this devil of a machine can carry a load about the size of my head. I can fit approximately 3 t-shirts and 1 pair of pants (or, as the brits would say, trousers) in at any time. What does this mean? We do a load of laundry almost every day. Yesterday (Sunday) I did two loads. This may not seem like a big deal to you, but if you keep reading you'll see why having to do this amount of laundry has start to drive me crazy. Now, as I write this I realize that this point of view is very American of me. As an American, I want things bigger and I want household chores to be easier. But really, if you're going to have a washer/dryer anyways, why not make one that holds a decent size load?

This is pretty much what our washer/dryer looks like. Now, imagine putting your hand over the glass circle and it taking up the entire space. That's the size you're dealing with. The opening doesn't get any wider once you open the door (like American washers do) the entire thing is the size of that glass circle and it only has a depth of about a foot. So yeah, like I said, tiny.

2. It takes FOREVER. This is, perhaps, the most annoying aspect of this machine. One load of laundry takes approximately 5 hours. I am not exaggerating here, it really does take 5 hours. The wash cycle alone takes about 3.5 and the dryer about 2 (at which point the clothes usually still aren't dry and you have to stick them back in for another hour or so). I really miss my American 30 minute wash cycle. What does this mean? Because of #1 you have to do many loads of laundry, but you can only usually do one load per day because of a combination of #2 and.....

3. It's loud as crap. Sometimes, I think an airplane is taking off in our flat, but no, it's just the dryer going. This is annoying not only because well, loud things are generally annoying, but also because we can't do laundry at night. This would be a nice way to combat "reasons I hate the washing machine" numbers 1 and 2, but alas, we are stuck with doing loads only during the day and only when we're not trying to do something that requires any form of concentration.

4. Everything comes out HORRIBLY wrinkly. I said that #2 was the most annoying thing about the washing machine, but this is by far more annoying. Why? Because I have to iron EVERYTHING. Yesterday I spent the afternoon ironing my jeans (really, who irons jeans?) and, if bobby let me, I would iron his undershirts. If you think this is strange, I don't think you quite understand the level of wrinkliness that this machine produces. I don't know if its because it's just so darn tiny or because it doesn't use any fancy products (like dryer-sheets), but my jeans come out looking like someone tied them into a series of tiny knots and let them sit like that for about a year. Ironing everything is completely necessary, which is why we've come to rely on dry cleaners much more, despite their ridiculous prices. It's worth $6 to me to not try to get all of those wrinkles out of bobby's dress pants.

So there are, I think, some very good reasons as to why I hate our washer/dryer and miss the amazing laundry world in America where a load of laundry doesn't take you all day. One day we'll return to that world but, until then, bobby and I will become very good at wearing things over and over again.