Tag Archive | Washing machines

Retiring and The Niece

The one thing that protects our washing machine from countless Baby Z bashing is our hoover. The small robot Hoover was promoted to Guard Dog status once we figured out this little gem. A new relationship flourished between the washing machine and hoover from these foundations (mostly one of silence and standing still in one place) and laundry peace was restored.

Baby Z mostly hovered around the protector and protectee whilst he calculated his next move. Fear of the dust sucking appliance was the only thing coming between him and his friend. But fear of a dust sucking appliance was his Everest.

Then one day…(last week), this…

Oh bloody hell. His new obsession is now the poor Guard Dog. He can spend hours just switching it on and then laughing as it bounces into walls as it warily and obediently carries on hoovering. His fear is no more. He will even mock it by mimicking it. Nooooooo! We need something he is scared of to guard our appliances.

Then it came to me.

My niece.

In Baby Z’s world, my (almost) 3 year old niece is like the Godfather. He is in awe of her, completely respects anything she does and can’t really understand what she is saying. She is his mentor and the one he wants to be like. In return she will praise him with a loud “Goog BOY Baby Jaja!!” when he does something good and loves him because he is family. He would follow around till the end of any mission (usually nap time) and she will provide pieces of golden wisdom including “eat properly Jaja!!”. It’s the perfect balance of love, protection and, most importantly, obedience.

I wonder if my brother will let me borrow her to protect stuff in our kitchen.

And the Hoover? The Guard Dog is now in a protection programme which mostly consists of sitting on the window sill.

Sharing The Love

May1

When Baby Z developed an obsession with our washing machine I hoped it was a quick phase and maybe he would quickly go onto his next white goods appliance.

To the detriment of my nerves, he seems to have expanded this Friendevous to every washing machine we now encounter. Going to other people’s houses is now something that I’m starting to dread.

It all starts off very innocently. A wide eyed ultra cute looking Baby Z follows the host into the kitchen where, completely unaware, they have gone to make a brew / drink / toddler snack.

“Ahh he’s so cute… Is he coming to help?”. (Hmmmm, yeah, just you wait…)

Hawk eyed, he will flutter his eye lashes giving the illusion he is simply “helping and exploring”. The cuteness deludes the host into a smiley little bubble whilst they go about their hosting. Quick as a flash Baby Z will go an attach himself to the washing machine and start his little routine. First, the stroking, which I think is his way of saying hello. Next, the door pulling. This can vary in time depending on how strong the door is. And lastly, the killer move, the swiping of laundry from inside the machine and RUNNING OFF with it!

So far I have had to return 2 vests, 1 dress and 1 pair of boxers. Other peoples underwear. Complete with embarrassed face (mine) and a manic “Muhahahaha” type laugh (Baby Z).

Thankfully, even despite the boxers, he hasn’t nabbed anything too embarrassing. Yet. I do have visions of him pulling out very very old granny pants from our own laundry though and darting into a room filled with guests and displaying them for all to see by or, even worse, chucking it into someone lap.

*Shudder*

How Do I Know Which Is The Best Washing Machine For Me

Dec22

This is a guest post from the lovely Jenny from Appliances Online. Some of you may already be lucky enough know her as one of the Fairy Hobmothers. This post is a little guide to knowing what to look out for when buying a new washing machines.

‘How do I know which is the best washing machine for me?’

Give me strength; I can’t deal with all the washing machine jargon anymore! I just want a washing machine that will get my family’s clothes clean! Ours has been on the blink for an age and it’s finally clapped out.

So, what do I do?

I don’t have time to traipse round the shops calculating the difference in energy usage between 2 washing. They all look exactly the same to me!

I’m a busy mum with 2 kids and a just want the best washing machine for me. One that won’t cost the earth to run and will get the job done quickly.

That was me just one week ago, but a lot has changed since then.

My friend has opened my eyes to the world of washing machines and now I’m going to do the same for you.

She told me that the first thing you need to figure out is what size drum you need. If you’ve got 4 or more in the house, you’ll need an 8kg machine at least. It may be obvious, but more people create more washing, so I’d add an extra kg on for every extra couple of people in your household. Believe it or not, some machines can get as big as 12kg, so there’s definitely one big enough for everyone.

Once that’s sorted, you need to tackle the dreaded wash programmes. I’ll admit I probably only use one or two of the umpteen programmes on my machine, but there are actually loads that are really useful! Here’s my jargon busting guide…

Quick Wash – Only for lightly soiled stuff, so no heavy stains, sick or grease!

Eco Wash – Think of it like a car doing 30mph and one doing 100mph. The eco wash is slower but it uses less petrol and will save you money in the long run.

Deliactes/Wool Wash – Uses less spin and lower temperatures to keep the shape and quality of your clothes.

Sports/Outdoor Wash – Ideal for breathable or waterproof fabrics as it won’t strip the waterproof coating from fabrics.

Dark/Jeans Wash – Fewer spins and lower temperatures to keep the colour in your darks.

Anti-Allergy/Sensitive Wash – Uses more rinses and increased water to get rid of all traces of
detergent.

Simple right? So why must they make it so difficult? The trick is not to let them confuse you, just think logically and look for the cycles that you know you will use.

After the programmes, you may want to consider the energy efficiency rating. In short, the higher the rating, the more energy efficient the appliance. The more energy efficient the appliance, the less it’ll cost you to run in the long term. This is well worth thinking about if you’re considering spending a little extra on the appliance to save you cash in the long run.

After that, colour, style and fit type are all relative. Go wild and get a black one if you dare .