Wash Day

Took the huge king size comforter to the Laundromat for it's bi-annual cleaning in the huge commercial machine today.  I took the little girls ( dachshunds) with me so we could walk a couple miles while I waited for it to get done.  The weather was perfect in the low 50's.  We did the first mile around the city and then hit the park for the last mile.  Wonderful!  Why is it that some of the machines never work correctly at the Laundromat?  It's a crap shoot when you pick out one.  Is there a special tactic to use?  Is it like gambling?  If you wipe your fingers across the washer door in a sweeping motion will it help the machine run better?   You see people in the casino doing that to the slot machines.  There were some men in there so I didn't really want to look like a retard running my fingers across the washer door when I put the quarters in, so I just took my chances.   I looked at the soap dispenser when the washer started.  When you put the soap in the correct place (according to the directions) it never left the compartment.  It just sat there with the rest of the powdered soap everyone else put in there.  Yuck!  I bet some man looks in there and thinks "hey, there is already soap in there, cool!" and never puts soap in his clothes.  I quickly found out you have to put your soap in the "pre soak" compartment.  Being the AR person I am I looked in all the big machines and it was the same.  Old soap in the soap dispensers and the pre soak compartment was clean as a whistle. 

My theory about soap was proven when this poor kid (male) put his greasy clothes in the "greaser" machine.  It never washed them, they sat spinning around for an hour, in the machine.  He came back a couple of times and stood there puzzled.  Being the AR person I am had already checked out what was going on in my boredom and saw the water was just running and running through the pre soak compartment and nothing was happening to the clothes.  I told him something was really wrong with the machine.  He cranked on the handle trying to get the door open and the machine to stop.   I assured him the internal locking system was on and he could twist the handle off and the door would not open.  He looked so sad, I lent him my phone and he called the emergency number for problems. 

Imagine our surprise when he got voice mail.  No one in their right mind would answer the phone from the Laundromat.  They might have to talk to someone.  Better to screen irate customers via voice mail   He finally got a call that someone would be there soon to help.  I suggested he rewash his clothes at the other Laundromat in town because even if they were wet they could be full of soap.  He said he usually puts a little soap in both dispensers to make sure there is plenty inside the washer.  I showed him how only one compartment works.  Wow!  He was glad he has been "putting a little in each compartment." after seeing that.   I didn't have the heart to tell him his clothes probably were not getting very clean with a tiny amount of soap.   Especially greasy ones.  He stared into the little window on the door and remarked his gloves looked a little better so maybe they were clean.  I dashed his hopes with my nurses logic about how it was stuck on "wash" and soap on skin can cause rashes if you wear it long enough.  Better to be safe than sorry by rewashing.  The mother in me wanted to say "imagine your junk sitting in soapy cloth all day" that can't be healthy.  Your kids someday could be born with flippers from exposure to all those chemicals.  BUT, I didn't say that, I just thought it. 

Well I am glad I don't have to do that more than 2-3 times a year.  You would be reading about me in the paper when I went all psycho about the soap dispensers not actually dispensing the soap!  I like to get what I pay for, and getting cheated out of a proper wash cycle does not work for me.

Happy Crafting........I am headed to the craft room right now.