Laundry Day - Tiny House Style

On Tuesday UPS delivered my washing machine I ordered last week from Home Depot.  The driver was amazed the box really had a washing machine inside.  It took twenty minutes to get it out of the box and set it up for the first time plus peruse the instruction booklet.  Then I just had to run a load of laundry.  It works fantastically!  Just like a full size washing machine. 

On Wednesday I went to Target and purchased a compact all metal drying rack for $21.99.  For a brief moment I thought it might be too expensive until I remembered how much an actual dryer cost and that put it right in proper perspective.  Not to mention operating expenses.  I have purchased at least four wooden drying racks in my lifetime and I didn't want another one.  After awhile they wobble and splinter.  Who needs that? 

What I love about this drying rack is that it is the right size to set in our bathtub to dry clothes this winter and it folds neatly and compactly for storage.  I can hang it on a hook or set it in the tub with our laundry basket.  While the weather is warm I have it set up on our concrete slab. 

Just hook it up to the sink and position the drain.

In order to keep up on our laundry I'll need to wash a load at least every other day.  I also have to wash early in the morning or late evening because you can't run the washer and the AC at the same time or you risk blowing a fuse or tripping the breaker. 

It is a pulsator style of washer, so no center agitator and it runs really quietly.  I was further impressed that during the spin cycle it doesn't even shake the trailer.  I thought for sure it would. 

Just put in the soap and start adding water.  Then toss in your clothes.

This basket holds the perfect amount for a load in this washer.

I can use my homemade laundry detergent (1/2 a coffee scoop), no problem and a little liquid fabric softener is added to the rinse cycle.  It takes about thirty five minutes to run a load of clothes and about five minutes to hang them up to dry.  Pretty fast process, if you ask me. 

Not only do we use less soap and water to wash a load of clothes but the energy guide says the average annual operating cost, using water heated in a gas hot water heater, is a mere $14 per year.  I wash our dark clothes in cold water, which is pretty much the majority of our laundry.  Plus we don’t use a dryer so I'm pretty happy about this. 

Now we no longer consume gasoline to drive twelve miles to the nearest Laundromat.  We will no longer need to use their giant commercial washers and dryers.  Occasionally I will use a friends eco-friendly front loader to wash blankets but I'll probably bring them home to dry after they are washed.  Just another way we are minimizing our impact on this earth.



Gratuitous kitty cat shot.
She loves to watch the washer run.