I’ve hand washed all my laundry for five years out of pettiness
Or maybe it’s out of stubbornness? I am quite stubborn, but also a rule-follower. When my husband and I moved into our current apartment five years ago we did not realize the washer and dryer that were included in the apartment came with an asterisk. The washer is a coin operated machine. In our bathroom. It costs $1 to do a load of washing. One whole American dollar. Four (4) quarters. To use the machine that we specifically chose this apartment for.
You may be thinking, “okay, it’s just one dollar and it saves you from having to go to the laundromat.” While that may be true, it also is a coin operated machine IN MY BATHROOM. It provides my landlord a reason to stop by regularly, come into my apartment, come into my bathroom, and empty the coin holder.
When we told the landlord we won’t be using that machine he explained it was to recoup the cost of water use. The water that is suppose to be included in our rent. My husband suggested we just use the machine and get a key online to empty the coin holder ourselves. But, rule-follower that I am, could not in good conscience circumvent paying the machine if using it.
So, we have not used the machine once since we moved in. I have been handwashing all our laundry in our bathtub for the past five years. I know, my pettiness only serves to inconvenience me. It was annoying at first but I was driven by my righteous pettiness. Now it’s a normal part of our cleaning routine. Our clothes come out clean and smelling good.
We still use the (non-coin-operated) dryer, though.
xoxo, Ducky