Doing laundry in Poland

1. My washing machine is very slow. I've got an energy-saving and water-saving model. But why would I care? I press the button and go away to do something else. When I remember, I go and take a look if the washing is done.

2. I learnt about the existence of electric clothes dryers on this thread. It's one of the most absurd devices I've ever heard of. Why waste electric energy on something that happens on its own? Come on, Americans, clothes dry on their own without any effort on your side! You can have it for free and it won't make your clothes shrink! And, btw, haven't you heard about environment protection?

To dry my clothes, I use something like that:

In use it takes up some room but when it's folded, it hardly occupies any space. Drying clothes at home makes the air more humid - good when the heaters are on. I cannot really see any point in using anything more technologically advanced.

lol no, he wasn't kidding. i'm sure you got the real answer by now but i'll throw it out there anyway. actually laundrying in eu is easier on you clothes then here eve though the whole process takes longer. your laundry actually takes almost an hour; 20min in the washer, 20 min in the dryer. the difference is the washing machine. they are completely different but the eu style washers are around here but aren't popular with the masses, just the few in the know. in eu you put your laundry in and the close it and when the cycle is done the clothes are clean AND dry. the drying isn't heat activated thus taking much longer. the actual time is 2-4h. the clothes .

the cloth the clothes are made of, is also different there. american clothes are tougher, eu's more delicate.

ok, that was at least a dime's worth in today's market. :D

In the US bathing began to be common practice at the break of the 18/19th centuries. The christians first settled a couple hundred years before, and whole John Winthrop indeed mentions soap on his wish list of goods from Europe, America had a long was to go before it started to be obsessed with killing all germs (which in a long run may not be such a good idea)

Also, there was a heavy advertising campaign in the US in the first decade of the 20th century. The campaign encouraged people to bathe and use soap.

As for the washing machines mentioned here a number of times; in 1991/92 I went to Poland for Christmas, the first time in 5 years. My mom did the laundry and set my whites in the bedroom where I stayed. I thought these weren't mine as they looked too white, almost brand new. The trick was that in Poland the washing machines had a boiling cycle. Used for whites, it actually boiled them so the results were amazing. Certainly better than all the chemical garbage (bleach) that's supposed to help. It certainly helps the bleach manufacturers.

A boiling cycle? Get out!

(I could do laundry and make soup in the washer!)

A soup boiled is a soup spoiled

Here's one for Pol3. It may form the basis of a study, LOL