Bob's Bloggers
A community of bloggers who live and die to DIY
Washers and Dryers
By At Home Alterations on Jan 10, 2012
We've been trading washers and dryers this year like they're pairs of jeans! When we moved in there was an old top loading washing machine and a 10-ish year-old front loading dryer.
They worked fine for our first year in the house but as we planned the basement renovation, we decided we wanted a front loading washer so we could put the W&D side by side with a counter above them for folding clothes.
Our budget solution was to buy a used washing machine that matched the dryer. We saved some money buying a refurbished washer that had been recycled (probably because it had stopped working.) It came with a 30 day warranty and it worked just fine for about 80 days 
After that it held our wet clothes hostage until we could take it apart and unlatch the lock. After talking to a repair person, we found it would cost more to repair than it's worth. Arg.
We washed our clothes at friends houses (Thanks Karla and Rob/Mindy!!) for a few weeks until we could pick out a new washing machine. We thought about trying for a different used Whirpool Duet that would match our dryer but after getting burned on the last used washer, we opted for something new. After a lot of shopping around, we picked an Electrolux washer and we couldn't be happier with it! Katrina's favorite features are the light inside so she never misses pulling out a sock, the ability to create 'favorite' settings, and the steam option.
About 2 weeks after we got the washer, we had our little power issue that killed the dryer. REALLY?!? So it was back to bumming off friend's appliances again (umm, thanks again Rob and Mindy). We tried washing only one load, more often and air drying everything on racks but everything was so dang stiff, using our towels was like drying off with a sheet of plywood.
We held off for Lowe's monthly "10% all appliances $395 and up" sale but to our horror Electrolux is excluded from that sale! Luckily some friends had a 10% coupon they let us have - tip: the post office has 10% off coupons for Lowes in their change of address forms (at least around here).
After several months of dealing with breaking appliances, hauling laundry to our friendss houses, and spending more than we had planned (the original plan was to buy one used washer), we finally have a pair that should last us a long time. And they're purdy too! We're hoping they'll look extra spectacular when the laundry room has drywall, unified flooring, a working sink, shelving and all the finishing touches.
And here's a keeping-it-real-how-the-basement-really-looks-during-a-renovation shot.
We can't wait for the laundry room to be a little prettier and have fewer stacks of... stuff. Until then, we're just excited to have a working washer and dryer!
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