Repatriation Blues, and Shopping for a Washer and Dryer


Lately I'm experiencing a weird mix of emotions. On the one hand, I'm sad not to be going back to Europe, and to the European lifestyle that I loved so dearly, and which made me so much healthier and fitter than I am at present. But on the other hand, I feel like we've won the Spokane lottery. It's so exciting to have Coco going to our neighborhood school and equally exciting that we found such a perfect little house in the exact neighborhood we had our hearts set on all those years ago back in Zurich when we imagined eventually winding up in Spokane. The life we find ourselves in right now is exactly the life I had envisioned for us as Coco started kindergarten. So even though repatriating has been harder, more painful and more difficult that literally anything else I've ever done in my life, I feel a great sense of satisfaction and accomplishment. Maybe this was how it was meant to turn out all along.

If you've been reading this blog for any amount of time, you may have noticed my preoccupation with laundry. Or maybe I've done a good job of hiding it? Either way, for the last two years, laundry has been a major source of stress, anxiety and general dissatisfaction for me. Our last little house was so cute, so comfortable and so wonderful in so many ways. But it had one major drawback: basement apartment. The entire time we lived there, we had neighbors underneath us and although the split was done well and we had separate entrances that were on opposite sides of the house, it was way too close for comfort. The worst part by far was the shared laundry. We dealt with gag-inducing smells, general laundry machine abuse and, the worst by far, poo being put through the washer and dryer - multiple times! It makes me cringe to even recall the horror.

Initially, when I saw that our new house had washer and dryer hookups, but didn't come with machines, I was a little bit disappointed. But then I realized that that meant no more dealing with machines that run, but don't actually work due to being overloaded or otherwise destroyed by the carelessness of others! And it also occurred to me that I would get to buy my very own, brand new, sparkly, clean, pristine washer and dryer - with a wool cycle! - and life would never be disgusting or smelly or nasty again. At least on the laundry front.

So, despite the recommendations from others to get used machines on Craigslist or go to the laundromat once a week, I am diving headfirst into comparing, price checking and obsessing over washers and dryers. So far my list of musts: Wool cycle (already said that;), front loader (because yeah), white exteriors, matching set, sanitary or allergy cycle, and water and electricity saving. Do you have a washer and dryer you love or hate? Tell me all about it!

(Photo via tankaromhus/Instagram)

Comments

  1. I am a Spokane native living in NYC and I like your blog! I've seen machines at Lowe's, etc. that are marked down for having a ding. Sears Outlets are also good for that and may be worth a road trip if you found a great set with a big discount.

    I also have to say that I thought of you on a recent trip. We found a cheap flight to Zurich and then went on to Spain and Italy. We had most of the day to hang out in Zurich (after leaving our packs at ZRH) and I was stunned by the insistent bad service we received. I thought that there might be efficiency, even if people were short with us, but they were both unhelpful and mean. I only speak about people in actual customer service roles (the CS desk at ZRH who would not help us get an access code to free wifi when our e boarding tickets wouldn't scan; the lady at the Infopoint at the train station who insisted there were NO Catholics and NO Catholic Churches at all in Zurich, try another canton). It was actually hilarious and I remembered your comment about no CS in Zurich.

    Non-CS people were delightful. We made it to Mass at the Jesuit house at the University and the priest did Mass in both English and German and then gave us a tour and tips on what to see in Zurich. So, I am not going to dismiss Zurich, but take it with a big grain of salt. Made me appreciate Spain and Italy so much more.

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    1. You really have to experience to horrible customer service in Switzerland to believe it! :) I'm glad you had a good visit. And thank you for the w/d tips. I've already looked into the ding and dent center!

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  2. Oh my goodness your laundry horror stories sound... Horrible. Can you explain the laundry thing to me? I've only been an adult really in Germany and here even when you rent a cheapo apartment, you bring your own washer dryer. Why don't Americans do that when they don't like the communal laundry situation? In my now husband and my first place we had the washer in the bathroom and the hose had to be thrown into the bathtub before running it 😂. Still so much better than the basement machines! That washer moved with us to three different apartments. Why don't Americans do that??

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    1. I'm not sure there's one answer - it's probably a lot of things. The main thing is that there are no hookups. Apartments and rentals typically aren't plumbed for washers. Dryers run on 220v electricity so you have to have a special, gigantic three prong outlet installed. So that's the main reason? Usually there is communal laundry or you have to go to a laundromat. I think landlords don't want water damage so they don't allow it (!!!) along with water beds and aquaria. Finally, American washers and dryers tend to be so large, so it would be hard to have one anywhere in most rentals. Rentals just sort of suck in general and many many many don't have dishwashers even! Crappy. ;)

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  3. We've bought machines from those refurbishing places with pretty good luck for a decent price, first one was actually in Spokane Valley. I'd rather go that route than finding one off CL you know nothing about. We recently upgraded to an LG front loader and dryer and I'm really happy with it. We waited for a black Friday sale and got a much better deal.

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    1. Oooh, great idea. Black Friday is a thought. Thanks, Marianne!

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  4. We bought our first home last December and I've found the reviews on thesweethome.com to be absolutely essential when it comes to purchasing home appliances and so much more. I'm obsessed. We have bought so many of their recommended items and have zero regrets. We haven't had to purchase a new washer/dryer but I've read their reviews because we considered starting fresh: http://thesweethome.com/reviews/the-best-washer-and-dryer/ Hope this helps!

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    1. Perfect! I never know if I can trust reviews on sites. ;)

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  5. We've been very happy with LG, both the product and customer service. I'd say 4.5 cf is plenty of room. I love, love the steam/wrinkle care cycles, so definitely look for that. The washers now have a magnet mechanism to prevent complete closure of door between cycles to prevent mildew, but I prefer to leave mine wide open. And once installation is complete, I'd double check that it was done properly because our installers inserted the drainage hose way too deep in the standpipe, which is a disaster waiting to happen in terms of mildew growth. Also, the LG technician that came to our house said that most people use way too much detergent, which causes buildup in the inner parts, which can worsen/expedite mildew growth. Only really need a portion of what Tide has marked on their caps. I've especially liked Excelsior detergent. It only requires 1 tablespoon of detergent per load!! Happy appliance shopping. I was thrilled when we finished training, got a real paycheck, and moved into a permanent house...all I cared about was getting a badass washer and dryer. Also, the dryers these days will blow you away...so quick to dry!

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    1. Oh, and I used to think the pedestals were not worth it, but I've changed my mind. I mean, if you're going for it, go all the way.

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    2. I'm with you on the pedestals! While housesitting this summer there were pedestals and they're pretty rad. :)

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  6. We have just repatriated from NL to Canada and I really miss the euro style washer and having it right upstairs not down in a basement. No hand wash setting is the worst. Before we moved overseas we had a Whirlpool Duet front loading washer with sanitary and handwash settings and loved it. Laundry is such a huge family chore and having a setup you like can make it so much more pleasant and easy. The one thing I am enjoying on our otherwise crummy machine in our rental is how fast it is compared to machines in Europe.

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