@awk Seriously. The months last year this arm pit of the nation had none life was a real PITA - especially since there was no well, stream, pond or river in the backyard.
@mehcuda67 They had water, it just wasn’t always clean enough to make a positive difference. And soapmaking goes back a very long way, possibly into prehistoric times. It’s documented as early as 2800BCE. Ample clean water, paper towels and modern detergents and degreasers? You’re dead right, definitely not so much.
@tweezak Tried that, still had to do the laundry, dishes, and most of the cooking and cleaning myself. I’m the virtual wife now (we aren’t married, and like it that way), and I still do all of those, but my current partner at least pitches in on part of it, does his own laundry reliably, and does more than half of the cooking.
Once in a while, we joke about me being his trophy wife, based solely on my fitting the stereotype of being slender and able to look good in a fancy dress. I’ll accept that.
I definitely answered too quickly. Washing machine door latch broke and I had to go to the Laundromat to get ready for a Disney trip… It cost me well over $100 to get caught up on a week’s worth of laundry plus a few loads to get our summery stuff washed. In home laundry is definitely the winner there
@guyfromhawthorn And as should be expected, the pinnacle of reliability for washers and dryers seems to have been reached somewhere between 1960 and 1980 depending on the brand. Bells and whistles that often just add cost and ways to fail without adding real utility, sometimes even reducing utility, have been heaped upon the modern units to an immoderate extent, but durability has actually degraded. Part of that is because the fragile bells and whistles often can’t be repaired to work when the electronic bits fail and are no longer available - but my dead-simple no-electronics 1975 Maytag washer and 1977 Kenmore dryer are both still well supported.
@chienfou@guyfromhawthorn@werehatrack I do hate those big new computerized front-loading machines! I’m still using the old Whirlpool washer and dryer we got decades ago. I fixed them both using Youtube videos. Washer wasn’t draining and I replaced the switch; dryer needed a new belt (ooof, that was really hard for a short person like me in the cramped dirty little space that it’s in!) I was so pleased with myself though because I never learned these things from anyone else, so I felt like I’d triumphed in a way.
Ben’s appliances & junk channel, like Technology Connextras, is actually more education rather than review – despite the clickbait titles – so a lot of data (“brand X does it this way”, “brand Y does it that way”; without saying which is better).
In this video case, they break down (1.) why laundry machines are so convenient, (2.) why they no longer are convenient (unless you’re buying the industrial model).
The video, in a nutshell, “buy industrial model”, and “these brands are more servicable if you are a DIY”. For an actual review video, this is very specific:
High capacity, measuing work time, measuring power consumption, and even a tear-down, but the video is not a real recommendation, more of an introduction to the future of home laundry technology.
For reference, a Technology Connextras example:
Soap isn’t modern, but it’s pretty important.
LIQUID soap, something I use for my dishes, clothes, toilet (plumbing!), shower (hot water!), and of course my hands and face.
Disposable tissue paper (be it for my nose or my butt) is great (and hygenic!)
A working electric grid is nice too. Between an air-purifyer, space heater, or spoilage-preventing refrigerator:
LIQUID soap, something I use for my … toilet (plumbing!)
I just learned about this! I have a low-flow toilet in one bathroom that clogs easily. After reading around online, I tried pouring in half a cup of liquid laundry soap, letting it sit 30 minutes, then repeatedly pouring in a bunch of hot water and flushing. IT WORKED! So glad to know about that.
magic eraser
Cranberry juice
The Help.
running water
@awk Seriously. The months last year this arm pit of the nation had none life was a real PITA - especially since there was no well, stream, pond or river in the backyard.
@awk @Kidsandliz Came here to say water, detergent and paper towels. Stuff that our semi-distant forebears could have only imagined.
@mehcuda67 They had water, it just wasn’t always clean enough to make a positive difference. And soapmaking goes back a very long way, possibly into prehistoric times. It’s documented as early as 2800BCE. Ample clean water, paper towels and modern detergents and degreasers? You’re dead right, definitely not so much.
Ozone layer
@pmarin We’re going to find out if we can live without it!
wife
@tweezak Tried that, still had to do the laundry, dishes, and most of the cooking and cleaning myself. I’m the virtual wife now (we aren’t married, and like it that way), and I still do all of those, but my current partner at least pitches in on part of it, does his own laundry reliably, and does more than half of the cooking.
Once in a while, we joke about me being his trophy wife, based solely on my fitting the stereotype of being slender and able to look good in a fancy dress. I’ll accept that.
Wow, we are really spoiled.
Paper towels.
Indoor plumbing
Where’s the “All of the above” answer? Cause that’s what I need.
I definitely answered too quickly. Washing machine door latch broke and I had to go to the Laundromat to get ready for a Disney trip… It cost me well over $100 to get caught up on a week’s worth of laundry plus a few loads to get our summery stuff washed. In home laundry is definitely the winner there
@guyfromhawthorn And as should be expected, the pinnacle of reliability for washers and dryers seems to have been reached somewhere between 1960 and 1980 depending on the brand. Bells and whistles that often just add cost and ways to fail without adding real utility, sometimes even reducing utility, have been heaped upon the modern units to an immoderate extent, but durability has actually degraded. Part of that is because the fragile bells and whistles often can’t be repaired to work when the electronic bits fail and are no longer available - but my dead-simple no-electronics 1975 Maytag washer and 1977 Kenmore dryer are both still well supported.
@guyfromhawthorn @werehatrack
/image maytag repairman
@chienfou @guyfromhawthorn @werehatrack I do hate those big new computerized front-loading machines! I’m still using the old Whirlpool washer and dryer we got decades ago. I fixed them both using Youtube videos. Washer wasn’t draining and I replaced the switch; dryer needed a new belt (ooof, that was really hard for a short person like me in the cramped dirty little space that it’s in!) I was so pleased with myself though because I never learned these things from anyone else, so I felt like I’d triumphed in a way.
@guyfromhawthorn @werehatrack @Kyeh
Ben’s appliances & junk channel, like Technology Connextras, is actually more education rather than review – despite the clickbait titles – so a lot of data (“brand X does it this way”, “brand Y does it that way”; without saying which is better).
In this video case, they break down (1.) why laundry machines are so convenient, (2.) why they no longer are convenient (unless you’re buying the industrial model).
The video, in a nutshell, “buy industrial model”, and “these brands are more servicable if you are a DIY”. For an actual review video, this is very specific:
High capacity, measuing work time, measuring power consumption, and even a tear-down, but the video is not a real recommendation, more of an introduction to the future of home laundry technology.
For reference, a Technology Connextras example:
Soap isn’t modern, but it’s pretty important.
LIQUID soap, something I use for my dishes, clothes, toilet (plumbing!), shower (hot water!), and of course my hands and face.
Disposable tissue paper (be it for my nose or my butt) is great (and hygenic!)
A working electric grid is nice too. Between an air-purifyer, space heater, or spoilage-preventing refrigerator:
@pakopako
I just learned about this! I have a low-flow toilet in one bathroom that clogs easily. After reading around online, I tried pouring in half a cup of liquid laundry soap, letting it sit 30 minutes, then repeatedly pouring in a bunch of hot water and flushing. IT WORKED! So glad to know about that.