Out With the Old . . . and the Older

When my mother had passed away, and my dad was moving into a retirement residence, my sister and her kids came to help organize the house and gather up things that we/they wanted to keep. We  cleaned and organized and decided what to keep and found out who wanted what. We were washing items when the washing machine stopped working. I contacted Sears and explained that my parents had purchased a replacement warranty, and we needed a Sears repairperson. She came, examined the washer, and said that the broken part wasn’t available any more. “And?” I said. And she said that they would replace the washer. Wow.

When David and I moved into the house, a few weeks later, we kept the brand-new washer, but used our own dryer in place of my parents’ dryer, because ours was a newer model. Not new, but newer. And those are the laundry appliances that we’ve been using since then. Both the washer and dryer have been working well, but I’ve been thinking that, at some point, maybe soon, something’s going to give up. (We did buy that dryer when Kevin was in college, and he is 48.) They’re not really broken; they still wash and dry. But it seemed like a good idea to think about new appliances.

When Kevin and April (and Peter) came for Memorial Day weekend, I asked April to come with me to look at washers and dryers. We spent a couple of hours (I think) looking at different varieties and brands. It’s only David and I doing laundry, so we don’t need big machines with super/duper options. After looking at lots of machines, I made a choice. And then we spent another half hour or so doing all the paperwork. The employee said, “Not delivery this coming Thursday, but the next Thursday,” and I agreed. She also said that a helping agency like GoodWill or Salvation Army might take the old appliances to refurbish for resale.

The old appliances, waiting for the Salvation Army pick-up team.

When I contacted Salvation Army, the woman asked if the appliances were still working. I said, “I did laundry in them yesterday.” I was told that the first date that the old appliances could be picked up would be July 7. Really? Yes, really. There’s a backlog. We have room in the garage, so I agreed. And, then they called back quickly and said, they’d had a cancellation. New date? June 21. So, as I write this, there are still old appliances sitting in the garage. For a few more days.

Because our dryer (and Mother’s dryers before me) were gas, that meant that a plumber would have to come and disconnect the gas line before the dryer could be removed. And, after the appliances were delivered, the plumber would have to come back to attach the new dryer to the existing gas line. So I called our plumber. His dad was my parents’ plumber and now the son is our plumber. He came, and, not only did he disconnect the old dryer, he replaced some parts, like nozzles and handles, laughing a little at the age of the out-dated pieces. We made a plan for the reconnecting.

The appliances arrived on the scheduled date. I called the plumber and said the appliances were being installed and, whenever he had some time, he could come on over. The guys removed the old appliances from the laundry room and set them in the garage. They brought in the nice, shiny new washer and dryer. They plugged them in, and attached the washers hoses to the faucets. And, while they were putting the boxes and packing material in their truck, the plumber arrived.

He attached the gas line and the duct, and TA-DAH! I could do laundry, except that these new appliances are somewhat more complicated than the other ones. I spent a loooong time reading the instruction books. I didn’t do any laundry until the next day.

There are lots of cycles and options. And, while the laundry room does have an overhead light in it, I still am having a struggle reading the instruction panels. I went to Target yesterday and bought a  battery-operated lamp to keep out there to be able to see all those options. It’s working great.

I’ve now done several loads, and I love my new washroom appliances!

I keep files of instructions for everything we’ve purchased over the years. A few days ago, I looked through them and located the instruction booklets for the old washer and dryer. I was about to throw them away when I thought I should put them in those old appliances that are going to Salvation Army in a few days, in case the employees who are going to refurbish them might need them. I took them out to the garage. I lifted the washer’s lid and tossed the booklet in. Then, I opened the dryer to do the same thing, and discovered to my dismay/horror, that there were damp clothes in there. That’s how excited I was about getting the new appliances! I left WET CLOTHES in the dryer.

To my great amazement, they didn’t seem smelly. They didn’t look moldy. But, I did re-wash them (in the nice, new washer) and dried them and put them away.

Soak me in your laundry and I’ll come out clean, scrub me and I’ll have a snow-white life.

Psalm 51:7 (The Message Translation)