If you’re like many people, laundry is probably one of your least-favorite tasks. It’s important to remember, though, that the washers and dryers that are common today save a lot of effort compared to how you used to have to do the laundry. Therefore, when your washer or dryer malfunctions, you need to know how to handle laundry while you wait for repairs. Fortunately, there are multiple options that you can utilize to ensure you don’t have to walk around in dirty clothes.
Find A Laundromat
Although it’s inconvenient compared to doing laundry in your own home, taking your laundry to a laundromat will certainly get the job done. To prevent trips back and forth between the laundromat and your home, be sure you have everything you’ll need for your time there. This includes laundry detergent, dryer sheets, plenty of quarters to feed the machines, and a good book to read while you wait for your laundry to finish.
Ask A Friend
While a friendship is good for far more than what you can get out of it, it’s still nice to have a close friend who can help you with your laundry when your equipment is broken. When doing your laundry at someone else’s house, try to use proper etiquette and only do as much laundry as you’ll need to keep you clothed until a washer and dryer repair service can come to your home. Also, remember to take your own laundry detergent in case your friend’s detergent has a different scent that could aggravate your allergies.
Go Old-School
If you want to turn your inconvenience into an opportunity for some fun, then you can try your hand at washing your clothes the old-school way. If you can get ahold of a washtub and washboard, you can clean your more durable clothes the same way your grandparents and great-grandparents did. To complete the cycle, you can hang your clothes to dry on a line outside, which you might find you enjoy more than drying your clothes in your dryer.
Buy Some More Clothes
Although it’s more expensive way to get laundry done, you can always buy more clothes when you run out. This is generally good as a last option if you don’t have time or energy for anything else. If your dryer and washer will be repaired tomorrow and your kids need clothes today, you can always get them cheap t-shirts and shorts from bargain bins (Or splurge on that one outfit for yourself you’ve been eyeing.
If All Else Fails
If you can’t find any way to do your laundry while you wait to have your appliances repaired, you can always opt for the college-student route and use perfume or cologne to cover the smell of your dirty clothes. Of course, if you’re regularly keeping up with your laundry, your clothes likely won’t smell that bad anyway. Using this method, though, should buy you enough time to get your washer and dryer repaired so that you can return to business as usual.
Brooke Chaplan is a freelance writer and blogger. She lives and works out of her home in Los Lunas, New Mexico. She loves the outdoors and spends most of her time hiking, biking, and gardening. For more information, contact Brooke via Twitter @BrookeChaplan
