I Need Clean Clothes

I realize that I am spoiled. I know this. I accept this. I grew up in America. For most of my life, I had only to ask for something, and I would get it. And I realize that life in America, for the most part, is easier than anywhere else in the world. I am spoiled.

But I have to say, it is WAY too difficult to wash clothes at my house. We had our first trial run with laundry on Friday night. See what you think about the process we went through:

0. Turn on the generator just to have the power to run the washing machine. (We needed to charge up the batteries for the house anyway, so this isn’t technically a part of the process.)
1. Turn on the water from the spigot above the washing machine… in the bathroom.
2. Though trial-and-error, push enough buttons (which all play music, by the way) to select how many spin cycles, rinses, and how much soaking time you desire… assuming the generator will run that long.
3. Press “Start” and see that the washer is filling … VERY slowly.
4. Five minutes later, realize that the washer has less than 2 inches of water in it. Decide to fill the washer by hand… using a 10 gallon bucket. Be grateful for the open shower stall in the laundry room/bathroom.
5. Add 4 buckets of water and hear the washing machine playing a tune. Assume this means that there’s enough water to wash clothes. Washing cycle actually begins.
6. Go to check on the washer 30 minutes later and realize the drain in the floor where the water is supposed to go has overflowed. Try to decide what to do with all the dirt and water in the bathroom floor. Move drainage hose into the shower stall, hoping that will catch the water better. Again, grateful for the shower in the laundry room.
7. The rest of the wash cycle appears to proceed as “normal,” so you go across the street to visit with friends. You return home and the washer has stopped, so you go to hang the wet clothes on the clothesline in the backyard. As it is dark, you take an electric lantern with you so you can halfway see what you’re doing.
8. Realize that there is still 3 inches of water in the bottom of the washing machine. After investigation and a phone call, you see that the drain hose is tied up on the wall. You untie the hose and the water drains into the shower. Again, VERY grateful for the shower in the laundry room.
9. Considering the moderate success, you decide to try another load. You push more random musical buttons and begin dumping buckets of water into the machine… only to watch them drain immediately into the shower. Arrgggh!
10. You decide to re-tie the drainage hose back on the wall while the washer is filling. The washer begins to hold water, and you add detergent and dirty clothes.
11. You check on the washer 10 minutes or so later and arrive just in time to catch the beginning of the first drain. You quickly untie the hose and position it in the shower. The rinse cycle begins, and you go back to the book you’re reading in intervals.
12. 10 minutes later, you realize the water is still running. You check on the machine, and there is almost no water in it… it’s all literally going down the drain. You decide to re-tie the hose (again!) and bucket-fill the washer (again).
13. About 15 minutes later, you hear a strange sound coming from the generator outside. You realize you’re getting ready to run out of gas. Sure enough, 5 seconds later, the house goes dark.
14. You decide to drain the remaining rinse water and give up. You can hang them up to dry in the morning.
15. In the morning, you take the dry clothes off the line and realize that the clothesline is rusty… and now so are your clothes.

I think next time, I’ll just do my laundry by hand!