Author Topic: Say goodbye to the laundromat and save $$$  (Read 9157 times)

Perpetual_Student

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Say goodbye to the laundromat and save $$$
« on: July 22, 2012, 10:57:58 PM »
I'm a little reluctant to pimp products as solutions to our problems (NOT a mustachian way to do things, it feels) but I do know you can find these on Craigslist from time to time.  Use your judgment.

A few years ago, I bought one of these: http://www.amazon.com/Haier-HLP21N-Pulsator-1-Cubic-Foot-Portable/dp/B002UYSHMM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1343018683&sr=8-1&keywords=haier+washer

It's a small washer that takes up about 18" x 18" of floorspace.  Someone creative could build a little enclosure or top and make it usable flat space in a kitchen.  I kept it in a corner of the kitchen when I lived downtown, and now it sits in our relatively huge closet.

It'll fit almost the same amount as you can run in a standard washer, and it does a good job.

At my old apartment, we had washers in the basement.  I was in a third-floor walkup with extra-tall ceilings on each floor, so lugging my laundry up and down from the basement was a pain.  I have always preferred to hang my wet laundry instead of drying it, and lugging a couple baskets of wet clothes to the third floor was annoying.

To wash a load cost me $1.25 when I lived there.  Where I live now, it's only $0.75 a load, but still more than I care to pay.  I do maybe 5 mini-loads weekly, which includes my clothes, our towels, cloth napkins, dishrags, sheets (LOTS of sheets...Cal King bed).  That's probably 4 normal loads in a normal washer.

At my old place, that would be $260/year.  At my new place, that's $156/year.  I have had my washer for about three years now, half there and half here, so in total I have saved approximately $540.  When I bought the washer it was on sale for about $200, which means I have saved myself about $340 over three years.

It's cute, effective, and easy-to-use.  Some friends of mine bought one and a matching apartment dryer after they saw mine and have LOVED them.  You don't need special hookups - you just hook it all up to the sink.  Very easy.  And it's no more work than you're already doing, and perhaps less.  Instead of going to a laundromat and wasting that time, you can putter around the house and get things done.

The only thing is that you have to be aware when you hook it up.  Mr. PS, who is unbelievably ADHD and breaks a lot of shit, did not put the drain hose in the sink once and flooded our closet.  The business beneath us and my landlady were both PISSED.  So he's not allowed to use it anymore.

Do any of you apartment dwellers have a great laundry system?

arebelspy

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Re: Say goodbye to the laundromat and save $$$
« Reply #1 on: July 22, 2012, 11:15:50 PM »
Thanks for the link.

We had a tiny dishwasher that reminds me of that.  It sat on the counter and the hose connected to the kitchen sink, and then drained into the sink.  It held about four place settings.

After about two years it stopped cleaning the dishes as well, so we basically had to hand wash them anyways before putting them in, so we sold it and wash by hand again.

But this is tempting...
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grantmeaname

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Re: Say goodbye to the laundromat and save $$$
« Reply #2 on: July 23, 2012, 07:14:27 AM »
Jacob from ERE used a plunger and keg bucket IIRC, but I can't seem to find it on his site (my goo-fu is failing me). Perhaps it's only in his book, or perhaps I'm misremembering and that was someone else.

Grigory

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Re: Say goodbye to the laundromat and save $$$
« Reply #3 on: July 23, 2012, 09:10:41 PM »
When I bought the washer it was on sale for about $200, which means I have saved myself about $340 over three years.

...

The only thing is that you have to be aware when you hook it up.  Mr. PS, who is unbelievably ADHD and breaks a lot of shit, did not put the drain hose in the sink once and flooded our closet.  The business beneath us and my landlady were both PISSED.  So he's not allowed to use it anymore.
So let me see - you can save about $113 per year, but the smallest mistake (not putting the drain hose in the sink) can piss off the people that rent you your apartment and cause damage to your neighbors, not to mention your closet and its contents. That does not sound very Mustachian. O_o If you lived in a trailer (like Jacob once did), came up with an airtight foolproof system and wouldn't endanger anyone else, that would be one thing. This, on the other hand, is penny wise and pound foolish. :(

D-T

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Re: Say goodbye to the laundromat and save $$$
« Reply #4 on: July 24, 2012, 07:28:08 PM »
I've thought about something like that for our apartment, but I've always been too afraid of tiny leaks and giant floods alike it happening to your husband reaffirms that worry of mine!

So for now, we'll continue to use our buildings machines which luckily is right next to my unit until we buy a home in a few years.

Perpetual_Student

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Re: Say goodbye to the laundromat and save $$$
« Reply #5 on: July 25, 2012, 03:40:56 PM »
For those who are worried about leaks and such, you can always put the washer into the tub or shower for peace of mind.  Additionally, you can tape or tie the two hoses (faucet inlet and sink drain) together so that if you are hooking it to a faucet, it's automatically draining.  There are plenty of workarounds to avoid the type of moron mistake that my sweet Mr. PS made once.  I have a cool landlady, fortunately.  Getting a good landlord/lady is one of the most Mustachian things you can do when renting, because a bad management company or a slumlord will cost you in gray hairs and cash in the long run.

arebelspy, we also have a small countertop dishwasher like the one you mention.  Putting a cup of vinegar or lemonade mix through every once in a while helps to keep it clean and blasting away at those dishes.  I love it so much!  When I have my laundry machine scrubbing away and my dishwasher swishing my dishes, I'm a happy camper - the chores are doing themselves and I get to do other chores, or study, or relax.

I never run the machines when I am not present to watch them, or overnight when I am asleep.  As soon as they are done I depressurize the hoses and disconnect them.  Thoughtfulness and care go a long way with these things.


kisserofsinners

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Re: Say goodbye to the laundromat and save $$$
« Reply #6 on: July 25, 2012, 03:49:02 PM »
Jacob from ERE used a plunger and keg bucket IIRC, but I can't seem to find it on his site (my goo-fu is failing me). Perhaps it's only in his book, or perhaps I'm misremembering and that was someone else.

2nded
My family used the plunger and 5gal bucket in the tub for years as a kid. 50 pumps/load to wash then again with fresh water to rinse.

Perpetual_Student

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Re: Say goodbye to the laundromat and save $$$
« Reply #7 on: July 25, 2012, 07:49:18 PM »
Jacob from ERE used a plunger and keg bucket IIRC, but I can't seem to find it on his site (my goo-fu is failing me). Perhaps it's only in his book, or perhaps I'm misremembering and that was someone else.

2nded
My family used the plunger and 5gal bucket in the tub for years as a kid. 50 pumps/load to wash then again with fresh water to rinse.

I'd be down with this except for the wringing.  I hang my clothes on hangers all spaced out on my closet rod to dry.  I don't want them dripping into the carpet and it's hard to get clothes that dry with just hand-wringing.  Any tips?

englyn

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Re: Say goodbye to the laundromat and save $$$
« Reply #8 on: July 25, 2012, 08:03:53 PM »
On a fold-up rack in the bathtub or shower until they stop dripping.

kisserofsinners

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Re: Say goodbye to the laundromat and save $$$
« Reply #9 on: July 26, 2012, 10:13:39 AM »
My family would use two people, one on each side to wring. My mom is a small lady and we were 8 and 9 at the time. The little team of tiny people worked together. :)

For drying, is there a way to use your shower? Either with a temp rod hung however it works, or the door/curtain rod?

shadowmoss

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Re: Say goodbye to the laundromat and save $$$
« Reply #10 on: July 26, 2012, 12:43:46 PM »
I have a small electric washer, about the size of a 5 gal. bucket.  I also have a small spinner, since all the washer does is agitate.  If I had to give one up, I would go with the plunger and bucket for a washer and keep the spinner.  A centrifugal high-speed (although small, size of the washer) gets the vast majority of the water out so that my clothes dry quickly.

I bought a compression style second shower rod and put it about a foot away from the wall side of my shower, high enough that it doesn't get in the way when I'm in the shower.  I hang my clothes on it to dry, usually on inflatable hangers for my tops so that they dry even faster.

Sorry I can't give links to the washer and spinner on Amazon, but we are locked down from there here at work.

Perpetual_Student

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Re: Say goodbye to the laundromat and save $$$
« Reply #11 on: August 07, 2012, 02:06:08 PM »
I like the spinner idea.  I have seen them on Amazon too, and they are very popular in Korea, where the washers spin the shit out of clothes to the point that they are barely damp.  Really helps with the drying time.

I already have the washer, and I only pay for electricity, not water, so it's still cost effective for me.  I like having the work done for me so I can do other things while my clothes are washing themselves, but maybe someday in the future when my days are not packed so tightly I'll prefer a bucket, plunger, and spinner.

I like the shower-rod idea, though here in CO you can get your clothes to dry in the (open) closet just as well, and it saves a step of having to put them away and hang them, etc.  Speed of drying is important to me because I am not the most assiduous of laundry-doers and I may be down to my last pair of drawers when I finally run the wash. :P

Another point: you can use the washer as a laundry basket - just chuck clothes in until it's full and then run it.  I do my whites separately, but other than that, I'm a believer in Unified Laundry Theory.  Unless I have something new and bleedy, it all goes in together.

wearfannypacks

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Re: Say goodbye to the laundromat and save $$$
« Reply #12 on: August 11, 2012, 08:14:44 PM »
Interesting. I'm definitely going to keep this in mind.  Do you just use a clothes line in the bathroom to dry? Does it get too humid?

I could also see this being useful for parents of children with cloth diapers. Typically they are small loads, but it'd be annoying to do if you had to use a washer outside your home. Even with the price of the washer, you'd still come out ahead with savings to cloth diapers over disposables.

jbhernandez

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Re: Say goodbye to the laundromat and save $$$
« Reply #13 on: August 11, 2012, 09:14:02 PM »
Here's the first instance of the homemade washing machine I've seen online.

http://www.off-grid.net/2010/04/22/diy-washing-machine-and-homemade-laundry-soap/

Sparky

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Re: Say goodbye to the laundromat and save $$$
« Reply #14 on: August 12, 2012, 11:33:23 PM »
I've never heard of these little washer machines before, but they look badass! I want, minus I prefer to just use a garbage can full of water and some soap.

liquidbanana

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Re: Say goodbye to the laundromat and save $$$
« Reply #15 on: August 18, 2012, 02:21:00 PM »
I have that exact same washing machine, but the water pump on mine is broken. I only had it a year before it broke too. Grrr. When I was using it, I was living in an apartment and my water was included in the rent, so it did save a lot of money. I just dried the clothing on a folding wooden drying rack or on hangers. Anyway, I need to get it repaired soon.

I also didn't have issues with flooding the apartment. Maybe if I tried washing laundry when drunk....

The plunger washing machine looks cool, but I don't have enough hours in the day to manually wash and wring my laundry at this point. When I reach FI and "retire" it wouldn't be bad at all though.
« Last Edit: August 18, 2012, 02:22:58 PM by liquidbanana »

caligulala

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Re: Say goodbye to the laundromat and save $$$
« Reply #16 on: August 22, 2012, 02:36:16 PM »
We use the plunger and a bucket method for our family of 4. There is actually a machine in our building and a laundromat across the street, but our clothes get cleaner with the bucket. Paying $11 a week and ending up with clothes that weren't clean was super annoying.

Using the plunger slowly to avoid splashing water all over the bathroom takes about 2 minutes per rinse. For baby clothes and kitchen towels, I'll do 5-6 rinses. For adult clothes and less dirty stuff, 2 or 3 is usually enough. The most time consuming part is wringing the clothes, so we're planning on buying a spin dryer next month. Right now a load takes me 15-20 minutes in little bursts. It takes longer than that to walk the clothes downstairs and across the street, sort them and remember to go back over there at the right time, so it's wins all around here.

Perpetual_Student

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Re: Say goodbye to the laundromat and save $$$
« Reply #17 on: August 25, 2012, 06:23:18 PM »
It's all relative, Caligulala!  If my only option were going out to a laundromat I would NOT DO IT, I'd figure out an in-home option!  My sister likes the laundromat, because she uses the time while there to relax and watch movies on the laptop.  Some laundromat, where she can actually BRING A LAPTOP.  All the ones I have seen are shady.

mustachecat

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Re: Say goodbye to the laundromat and save $$$
« Reply #18 on: August 26, 2012, 07:08:07 AM »
Some design students have come up with a pedal-powered washer and dryer: http://www.fastcodesign.com/1670355/how-a-foot-powered-washing-machine-could-change-millions-of-lives#1

It was designed in response to the needs of water-poor (and cash-poor and time-poor) people living in the slums of Lima, Peru. Seems really, really fantastic. Simple, ergonomic, and resourceful.

They're planning to retail them in about a year for $40. I'd definitely get one.

 

Wow, a phone plan for fifteen bucks!