Laundry Day Minus One

Well, tomorrow is a milestone day in the Elf family household. Our new washer and dryer will arrive. Those of you who have actually seen my home will know that our washer and dryer are in the garage, not the kitchen, which would then make you wonder just what the hell a new washer/dryer combo has to do with a kitchen blog.

The answer is: Not much really. We've needed a new dryer for a while now and our washer, while adequate, was nothing special. While shopping for kitchen appliances I noticed how cool some of the front-load washers looked. Again, anyone who knows me is aware that I would never spend an extra penny on anything just because it looks cool. Case in point: I drive an Aztek.

What I did notice beyond the coolness was that many of the front-load washers qualified for $250 rebates from the LA DWP because of their low energy and water consumption. So given a choice between a $500 standard washer or a $1000 washer that I could get for $750 after rebate that would also use less electricity and water and also do a better job cleaning clothes, I was sold. Hell, we're already taking out a loan to pay for the kitchen, so why not add a little more to the loan and upgrade? There were other rebates available on the washer and dryer as well, plus the dealer was running a 2-for-1 special on those (surprisingly expensive) pedestals that raise the washer and dryer up so you don't have to bend over and wrench your back to get that last remaining sock. Add on top of that the fact that the manufacturers rebate was about to expire and the DWP offer may not last forever either, plus the chance of the price going up after the new year, and we figured we'd better just buy the dammed things and be done with it.

Also slightly annoying is that we'll have to use different detergent. Regular detergents get too sudsy in front-loading washers, so we'll have to buy "HE" ("high efficiency") detergent from now on, and I don't think they carry that at Costco just yet, though I hope they will soon. (Update: A co-worker informs me that there is indeed a Kirkland-brand HE detergent. How did I miss it when I looked?)

If anyone is really that interested in the appliances themselves, here's the WASHER and here's the DRYER.

So anyway, they'll both be delivered on Saturday, and whole new era in laundry will begin.

Of course, what we really need is something that will get the kids to start a load of laundry without being prompted and before their dangerously overflowing hampers have to be declared an eco-hazard by the EPA. Actually, I think I have another one of my brilliant invention ideas. How about selling a clothes hamper that emits an annoying noise if it gets to the point where it's so stuffed that the lid can't close? It can be a siren or a recording prompting the owner to "DO YOUR LAUNDRY NOW!" that can play continuously or intermittently until the problem is addressed and the lid can close. It could have a feature similar to an alarm clock snooze button for those times when you can't just go do laundry immediately. This sounds like a novelty gift idea since nobody would ever buy it for themselves, but I can see people buying it for friends. It's no stupider an idea than the Chia Pet, right?