Washer Woes and Dryer Debacles

Some of you saw on Instagram that we recently got a new dryer. Well...that was a long time coming, I tell ya. :) You see, we've been married over 20 years and we've never had to buy a washer and dryer. When we got married in 1990, my grandmother graciously offered to give us her old washer and dryer so we had something to use until we got a new set of our own. Sounds great, right? Well, her washer and dryer were purchased in 1968. That was before I was even born, ya'll!! But, we went ahead and took her up on the offer to use her 22 year old Maytag (copper colored) washer and dryer. She still had the original receipts and everything. I'm pretty sure "copper" was even before they had the "avocado green" and "harvest gold" colors of the 70's. It's basically dark brown.

Back then, our washer and dryer were in the garage, so we didn't really care what they looked like and the plan was to use them for "a few years" until we decided what kind we wanted to buy. That "few years" turned into TEN YEARS!!! Can you believe that? By that time, the washer and dryer were 32 YEARS OLD!!! They were still working pretty well and a washer and dryer were just things that kept getting put on the back burner of a long list of things to buy. Kudos to Maytag, by the way. :)

So, when we had this house built in 2000, my step dad offered to give us his old Kenmore washer and dryer. I was ecstatic because this set was white and not copper. :) Oh, the joys of having a white washer and dryer! Our laundry room in this house is inside and right off the kitchen, so I really wanted something a little "prettier" in there. :) My step dad's set was purchased in 1991, so they were already 9 years old when we got them, but I didn't care. They worked and they were white, and that was all that mattered to me. 

Fast forward a little and the white washer and dryer weren't doing such a good job anymore. The washer finally broke in 2009, so we replaced it with a NEW one. Our first new washer since we'd been married! You may wonder why we didn't just go ahead and replace the dryer at the same time. Well, the washer chose to break the very week we were having hardwood floors, kitchen counters, and new carpet installed, so we felt like we'd already spent enough that week and decided to keep using the old dryer at that time. :) 

For the last couple of years, our old dryer just wasn't drying things very well. I had to put the setting on "high heat" so things wouldn't be damp when they came out. (I think this was why my son's jeans were wearing out so quickly, because of all the extra heat) It also took a couple of cycles to actually dry the clothes. Every time the buzzer went off, I'd check and sure enough, everything was still damp. It was taking about an hour and a half or more to dry a load of clothes. Crazy.

I finally just decided we needed a new one. I mean, I deserved it, right? By now, my dryer was 22 years old! So I went online and found what I wanted and we went that weekend and ordered it. Yay! And no, I didn't get a "fancy" set. I have one son in college and another one will be there soon, remember? All my money goes to tuition, books, and fees right now. :)

When we bought our new washer, my hubby asked what kinds of bells and whistles I wanted on it. This was my answer:

1. Small, Medium, and Large load settings

2. Cold, Warm, and Hot water settings

3. Delicate and Normal wash settings

Same thing when we ordered the dryer:

1. Low, Medium, and High heat settings

2. An End of Cycle buzzer

3. Automatic Dry and No Heat Settings

Can you say "Low Maintenance?" LOL! I didn't want or need the fancy ones (but they sure are pretty!) I just needed a basic set, so that's what we got. We went with Whirlpool because I remembered Consumer Reports saying that brand did well in all the appliance categories. Remember we bought the washer in 2009, but they had already discontinued the matching dryer, so we got a different one (but still Whirlpool) and they really don't look that different to me. 

Now, I finally have a new washer and dryer!!! I love them and my clothes dry in record time now! Here are some pics. :) To see my laundry room tour (with the old dryer) click 

HERE

So happy to have a new set! We had to swap the washer and dryer location when we got the new ones. The dryer used to be on the right. 

Here's a closer look at the new dryer. These are cell phone pics, so they're not that great.

It's almost fun to do laundry now!

One more look.

Here's the other side of the laundry room. I keep punch dispensers, platters, cupcake carousels,  cake and pie carriers, etc. over here. 

I added this coat rack a few years ago and it's been really handy to have in here. 

Just for fun, here's the old dryer on the right. See how it's white on the very top part? It used to be faux wood grain! I painted over it a few years ago. :) 

Two quick things...Don't forget to check back next week for my Favorite Things Part Two post. In the meantime you can check out my first Favorite Things post HERE.  

Also, do y'all know Richella from IMPARTING GRACE? I love her blog! I wanted to let y'all know about her Grace At Home party she hosts each Thursday. All kinds of posts are welcome and I find new blogs to follow every week. Here is a link to the most recent GRACE AT HOME PARTY. You should really check it out each Thursday and link up your posts! :)

Hope you have a great week!