My new washing machine

Yes, a new washing machine!



There she is, in all her glory. I have never personalized a machine or even a car before. This washing machine may just produce that adoration in me.

I suppose it helps to know a few things. First, I am motivated in huge ways by environmental issues. Being green is important to me. Second, California is in the middle of a drought. And third, I never thought I'd get to have a front-loading washing machine.

However, last Sunday morning our washing machine stopped working. Saturday night I started a load of diapers. That means I first did a prewash, then started them soaking. On Sunday morning I tried to spin out the water and start the wash... nothing happened. I tried a different cycle, same thing. I could get it to fill with more water (by changing the load size) and agitate, but it wouldn't drain.

A few mechanically-minded friends told us it was likely gone. We started doing the quick research into what we could get to replace it.

Now, because our machine wasn't very old (it was a hand-me-down, so relatively new to us, but probably about 10 years old), I hadn't really researched machines at all. I did know that I wanted a front-loading machine, due to the much better energy efficiency, along with greatly reduced water usage. I assumed, though, they were way out of the price range at which the church would want to allocate to replace it.

I was surprised, and excited, to see that wasn't true! So our new friend joined our home. We had to wait until Friday for delivery and installation, but we've now done 3 loads and all is good.

Since laundry is a constant part of our life, it helps to make it a little more fun (and a little more environmentally responsible).