First Load of Laundry

I have had one experience with a European washing machine and dryer. That was when I visited my friend, Marcy, in London. That was a disaster! We ended up running for a train with wet clothes and towels hanging from our bags. Moving here, I promised myself that I wouldn't make the same mistake. I'd actually learn how to operate the machines....

A few days ago, Sava, our cleaning lady, gave me a laundry lesson. She showed me twice on the washer and twice on the dryer. We even set the settings where she thought I would most likely need them. Since all the directions are in Italian, I was happy to be tutored. Sava and one of my directors (he and his family had this apartment last year) explained I needed to wait at least 5 minutes after the wash is complete before opening the door....

Last night, I attempted my first load of laundry. I foolishly began this process at about 9:00 pm. The wash alone takes over an hour to cycle through. It stops, then goes, stops, then goes... Very annoying. After it officially stopped, I waited the prescribed 5 minutes. Then, I slowly opened the door. Water came trickling out. I quickly closed the door and decided to wait 10 minutes longer. After 10 minutes I opened the door and water spilled out. "Well, I thought to myself, I need to get the water out somehow!" I grabbed a bucket, towel, mop and sponge. I opened the door and caught the water as it cascaded down into the bucket. Then, I wrung out each piece of clothing before I threw it into the dryer. It was a great arm workout! Then, I mopped up the left over water in the washing machine. I was exhausted.

I emptied the dryer pan and let the dryer run for an hour. When I checked its progress, I found a pile of wet, steamy clothes. Since it was near midnight, I set up a drying rack (thank God I have one) in my living room and dried everything the old fashioned way.

This morning, I grabbed Sava and had her show me AGAIN how to use the washer. Apparently, the spin cycle does not begin automatically. You have to twist the button and run it. Mental note, laundry is an all day process that is best begun at 6:00 am! Crazy! Seriously, if anyone knows a single man with an engineering degree AND a personality, send him my way!!