Everyone must use a washing machine at some point in life–although some men are twenty-six, living at home, and have a mother who interacts with the washer. If your mother does your laundry, I say “Bravo!” because, let’s face it, doing laundry is a chore. If you’re the rare person who loves the scent of laundry and you even buy scents that remind you of wash day, don’t admit it. Let them wonder why you smell strongly of dryer sheets!
A true story
Most people believe that washing machines are relatively easy to use: you shove the clothes in, close the door, pour some laundry detergent or pods into the machine, select the setting on the dial, then–magically–your clothes are clean. Unless you’ve got a machine that eats or mangles things…
I recently placed my all-time favourite hoodie into the washer. After pouring a cap of lavender-scented suds into the machine, I lapsed into a momentary reverie about how wonderfully soft and sweet-smelling my hoodie would be in just a short time. Although I realized there was a loose string on the side when I put it into the washer, I really didn’t give it a moment’s notice. This hoodie is an expensive brand and it’s worn like iron for about a year.
I was startled by the sound of “vroom, grrrz, vroom” from the washer and, naturally, tried to open the lid. We have one of those newer programmable washers that play music when the wash load is complete, so I was unprepared for the cacophony! Soon, I’d ended the wash cycle early and saw the string was now unraveled and only fifty percent of my hoodie remained. The fabric was virtually unweaving itself in the washer and the soft lining was now part of the wash drum…
The hoodie was ruined and the washing machine faults were unknown. I realized that I’d lost my favorite hoodie and simultaneously broken the washer…I started to worry about what my mother would say when she realized that the washing machine is broken but devised a plan. I cleaned out the washer drum quite thoroughly and placed my destroyed hoodie in the garbage. I thought, no one will know that I somehow managed to destroy my favourite piece of clothing and the washing machine at once. I deviously thought that, perhaps, my mum would believe that probable cause was hers. She’d therefore need to call the kitchen appliance repair company and I’d never, ever do laundry myself again!
What happened next
The Higher Power was obviously watching and, before my mother went to work the next morning, she knocked and asked if I’d kindly do a load of towels. She left the laundry basket outside my door with a note about what cycle to use, how much bleach, etc. Yes, it was unusual for her to ask me to do laundry–she’d never asked me to do any before.
I got out of bed a few minutes after I heard her car leave the driveway…how was I going to get the towels clean? What was I going to do?
It was time to act like a grown-up. After all, I’m 26.
I went to my mobile and typed in “appliance service centre” and a firm named Service Force appeared. They offer assistance online or by phone. Quite soon, a service agent was chatting with me about what to do about the faulty washing machine. A repair visit was scheduled right away and, before I knew it, the repair man appeared at our door.
Thankfully, the Washing Machine Gods were appeased and the washer was fixed. When my mother returned home from work, all the previously nasty towels were clean and fresh.
Conclusion
I left the stack of folded towels in kitchen for my mother to see and, to my surprised, she laughed and said, “I know you’ll NEVER EVER do laundry again, right?”
No, I won’t… but if you do, remember to clip loose threads before turning on the washing machine!
