The old washing machine that had been washing clothes for nearly 18 years finally decided it could wash no more and has since been replaced by a brand new, “High Efficiency” washer that apparently requires less water and soap to get our clothes cleaner. I try to be as open minded as I can but there have been some noticeable differences from what we were used to and I’m not 100% sure they will be easy to digest.
For starters, Mr. High Efficiency is asking for a different kind of soap than what we have been using. That, in itself, is a bit unnerving. Switching laundry soap is never fun and can wreak havoc with a person’s skin but I’ve learned it’s not kidding around. We just wanted to use up the soap we had on hand before making a switch but that wasn’t okay. Apparently, in an effort to retaliate, it decided not to rinse “our” existing soap out of our clothes. It claims it has to focus on it’s water saving feature. The water saved would be the water our old washer used to rinse the soap out of our clothes and I have two matching rashes around my ankles right now due to the fact that my socks now have a concentrated amount of soap residue left on them. The rash is bright red and features the design that is knit into the cuff of my socks. I’m not impressed.
The next thing I’m not liking is how weird it sounds. It starts and stops and starts and stops and starts and stops. I’ve already decided not to do laundry when I have PMS.
I watched a You Tube video on “Getting to know your High Efficiency Washer.” It explained how to load your clothes and add your detergent and then it went on to say that it cleans your clothes by rubbing them together. That old fashioned method of a bunch of water and an agitator that would beat the crap out of them wasn’t good enough I guess. It also tried to tell me that due to the fact that it spins the load so fast, you might actually notice dry spots on some of your thinner items suggesting it could possibly spin them dry. Do you buy that? Me neither. The dry spots you may notice on some of your clothes are dry because the microscopic bit of water used to “clean” them didn’t hit them!!!!
I realize water is a precious commodity. I realize how easy it is to take it for granted due to the fact that it has always been there, at our disposal and I suppose I should be happy our washer is just trying to help by using less of it. I guess we’ll see how things go when we get the new soap it’s asking for and maybe, just maybe things will roll along a little smoother from here on out. I know me and my ankles are more than ready!
In the mean time, I’m learning the words “High Efficiency” are code words used to describe something you are probably not going to like no matter how open minded you try to be. These two words, when used together, mean that something you dearly love and something you have grown accustomed to have been changed so drastically that life, as you know it, will never be the same. They’re snazzy words that reach out and grab you and convince you that you are doing something great for the environment and that you will save more money than you ever dreamed possible and that you, yes you, are a HERO!
In reality, you’re not a hero. You’re not going to save a ton of money because the new soap you are buying will most likely cost three times as much as the stuff you used to buy and what money is left over from your new lower water bill will be spent on the case of hydro-cortisone cream you will need to alleviate the rash on your itchy ankles!
(Oh no! What’s this? I knew I shouldn’t have put on a “clean” bra this morning!)