Our Dirty Laundry

This will be my first post trying out the Live Writer system…thanks to Rick once again for helping me get to this point.  What a hero!
Doing the laundry is something everyone has to do no matter where you live or what you live in.  Recently, Judy wrote about her frustrations in learning to operate her new Splendide washer/dryer combo.  In spite of her frustration, she managed to write her post using a great deal of humor. 
We have the same type of washer/dryer in our motorhome that Judy has.  I’ve read a few blogs or questions on the RV forums relating to the same frustrations Judy has experienced.  Some hate the little washer/dryers and some, like me, really love them.  I will say that they do take some getting used to and figuring out just how to make it work without the clothes ending up being so wrinkled you won’t wear them. 
Here’s what I have learned to make our unit work well and not leave me tearing my hair out. 
                      
Our unit is vented to the outside, which I’ve learned can make a huge difference in efficient drying.  The drum is small but as an example of some loads, I can still wash:
6 T-shirts or polo shirts; 1 king sized sheet; 2 large bathtowels and 2 washcloths; several kitchen towels and washcloths; 1 pair of Bruce’s jeans with 2 T-shirts; 2 small throw rugs, and so on.
I use an HE detergent which is formulated for low-water, high efficiency units.  And I use a liquid fabric softener. 
               
I do not have to use much of the liquid detergent since it is highly concentrated.  Just a little bit will do ya. 
                                       
Here are some tips I’ve learned that help me get good results:
* Never let the machine go to automatic dry.  No matter what I put in the wash cycle I let it stop before going to dry.  Then I open the machine and loosen the items, or if it is clothing, I take them out and shake and place them back in.
* Do not overload the machine.  I never dry more than 1 pair of jeans at a time (along with 1 or 2 shirts).  This works good because if I have washed my jeans with Bruce’s I only dry his.  I always have taken my jeans out and hung them to dry.
* I only wash and dry one bed sheet at a time.  I use a queen sized fitted sheet and a king sized top sheet.  Even the king sized sheet will wash and dry perfectly.  When setting the dry time for sheets, I put it on a 50 minute dry time.  When it stops, I open the machine remove the sheet and shake it out.  Then I replace it and set a second cycle for 30 minutes. 
*  When I dry clothing I always set a dry time for 100 minutes.  If I set it for less time it seems the clothes are always wrinkled.  If I go for 100….they come out great.  The dry cycle setting I use for clothing is always the one for “Delicates”.    The cycle I use for sheets and towels will be the “Cotton Heavy Duty” one.  
*  I do not use the “Low Spin” or “Easy Iron” settings.  I tried them and they didn’t seem to work as well as what I use now. 
I know these little machines take extra time since they have to do the wash and dry within the same machine.  However, if we are just hanging out around the RV I can get 3 loads of laundry done.  If we’ve been out for the day, I can still put a load in during the evening and have it finish before bedtime.  If it is a load of “undies” or towels that don’t need special attention, I sometimes go to bed when they get in the dry cycle.  They’ll just be waiting for me in the morning!
I hate to go to campground or public laundromats and will avoid them when possible.  So, this little machine is just what I’ve been looking for.  The only thing we have that we cannot wash are 2 large throw rugs.  When those need washing, I take them to the public laundromat. 
                                  
I do not miss the storage space that our washer/dryer takes up.  Our motorhome has 2 large wardrobe closets and that is enough space for all of our “stuff”.   I do still iron all of my jeans and pants since I do not like to dry them in any dryer.  I kept my large ironing board and have room in my closet to store it up against the wall.  I tried a little table top model and didn’t like that at all. 
I hope this information will be useful to other RVer’s who have had difficulty getting satisfactory results from the combo units.  I am not sorry that I have one in our motorhome!
Until next time…..so long for now!