The Other Half of Life Across the Pond.....Mundane Daily Tasks.....Laundry

Unfortunately, while it does still feel like I'm on holiday because I have not yet started working, we are still forced to attend to the everyday, mundane tasks of daily living while we're living here.  That did not change.  So when we're not off visiting castles, I "get" to keep up with laundry and other household chores.

Doing laundry here is a bit different than doing laundry at home.  In Raleigh, I could pretty much get all of our laundry done in a day, maybe two, except for letting a few of our shirts and pants air dry.  If I was efficient and actually folded clothes as they came out of the dryer, everything would be put away and I'd have empty laundry hampers at the end of the day.

Here we have a washing machine but no dryer.  Everything has to air dry.  And depending on your flat and the weather, it could take a few days for it all to dry.  It was a rude awakening when I did my first load of laundry and found that out.  Fortunately, and due to some dampness in our flat, we elected to buy a dehumidifier that helps clothes dry much more quickly.  Although I've made the executive decision to allow the clothes to dry for a day or so on their own and then turn on the dehumidifier to finish the process.  (Energy costs are very high in the UK so I'm trying to conserve when I can.)

The short one came with the flat - I bought a second so that I could do two loads in a day instead of just one.

Our new best friend - the dehumidifier.

And, not only is the washing machine quite a bit smaller than mine at home, but it takes about a hour and a half to go through one cycle verses the 30 minutes it took at home.  What is that thing doing to my clothes?  Or what is my washing machine in Raleigh NOT doing to my clothes?  Not sure which is the better question.

Our washing machine is in the kitchen - cleverly camouflaged to look like a cabinet.

So needless to say - there will NEVER be a time when our laundry baskets are empty here.  Instead I do a load or two every few days in an attempt to keep up with it.  And a lot of strategic planning has to be done to make sure that if there is something specific I need (e.g. pants [aka - underwear]) that I do laundry before the last pair is in use.  Fortunately we haven't had this dilemma yet.

It also helps that because of my slight OCD tendencies, I like to separate clothes as they go so I can easily tell what loads need to be done.  It's okay to make fun of my 4 laundry hampers.  But I know you're secretly jealous of my genius.  Now if only I could get Brandie to construct my flipping hamper (patent not pending but don't steal my idea!)

What do I miss the most though?  Soft clothes.  Towels especially.  Because everything air dries, it's also a bit crunchy when you put it on/use it.  Obviously you could iron everything to loosen it up before wearing, but who likes to iron that much (other than Aunt Benja)?  I do know people who iron their pants (see reference above) but I have not yet become one of those people.

I sometimes ask myself if I'll take any of these cultural differences home with me to the US when the time comes and I go back and forth with this one.  But in the end I'm sure the dryer will make a smooth transition back into my life.  Because - really - who doesn't love a clean, fluffy, soft, warm towel to wrap up in?

Love you & miss you,
Aubs, Luke and Luther