Hanging Laundry

A few weeks ago my washing machine was acting up. Thanks to the smell of burning rubber I determined that the belt needed to be replaced. As luck would have it, I did have a spare belt in the laundry room. Feeling overly confident in my seemingly effortless washing machine repair, I threw a load of laundry in to wash. Soon after leaving the laundry room there was an apparent squeaking sound eminating from the washer downstairs. I trekked back to the laundry room and determined that something else must be going on with the washer. Oh, I should probably mention that the machine is now 12 years old, but on the other hand it is a Maytag! At this point I decided to call dear old Dad to take a look at it. This guy is a mere genious in my book. He can fix anything. Okay so maybe not anything, as I soon learned. With my hope in receiving a free service call from Dad banished by a professional service call costing me $240 in parts and labor. I was confident that the Maytag would remain a loyal appliance. I was very confident in my decision to repair the machine, especially after the repairman told me that Maytags can last 25 years. Harry the repairman finished installing the parts, collected his check and thanked me for the business. As you may assume I was excited to wash laundry at this point. One week without the machine cost me $4 per load at The Lost Sock laundrymat. Luckily I was still able to dry the laundry at home! As Harry the repairmanclosed the door to leave I ran upstairs to get the laundry. As I closed the machine cover and set the timer I sighed with relief. I then returned to the kitchen where I proceeded to prepare dinner when soon after I could hear a faint sound coming from downstairs. No, I though, not the washer! I quickly headed back to the basement only to discover that the air was filled with a dark gray smoke. The entire basement was filled. I could barely find my way to the washer. Holding my breath I quickly turned the machine off and proceeded to locate some fans. I returned to the kitchen after setting up the newly created exhaust system and called Harry's Repair. Of course when you have an emergeny you always get the VOICEMAIL. I left a message and waited, and waited for a call. The following morning I called again, leaving another message. Later that day I did receive a call back and was told that the machine could not be repaired. Luckily, I was refunded my $240 less a sevice call charge of $45. This was a great relief, knowing that I needed that money towards a new machine. This disappointing turn of events lead me to research washing machines. I was determined to spend as little as possible on a new machine so I pulled up the Dracut Appliance web site to begin my search. I found a machine that was inexpensive, no bells and whistles but it would clean the laundry and at this point that was my only goal. A few days later I visited Dracut Appliance and told the salesman that I wanted the least expensive machine - that was, until I noticed the Energystar sign that was posted on some models. This called to mind a time in the spring when my accountant asked if I had purchased any EnergySta rated appliances. Apparently there was a tax deduction available if I had made such a purchase. I then questioned the salesman about the Energystar deal. He told me that there was a $75 rebate available from the electric company with the purchase of these machines. Now you're singing a different tune, I thought. So I proceeded to investigate the Energystar rated equipment. Unfortunately they were all very expensive front loaders, except for one machine that stood alone. A Fisher and Paykel, high efficiency top loader. Initially I think I was attracted to the digital, computerized display but the more I learned about the machine, the more intense my fascination became. I bought it. I actually spent double the money I intended to spend but in the long run it's worth it. This machine has a high speed spin that reduces the drying time by 50 percent. How could I not be impressed? I have been using the machine for a couple of weeks and I still am amzed at how great it is. Another great feature is it's mechanical design, but you can check that out at their website: http://www.fisherpaykel.com/