The only things I truly miss from USA (aside from real enchiladas.. .) are the WASHING MACHINES AND DRYERS...
Am I alone with these feelings??
I admit it, I am CLEAN...(dental hygienist...) We wash our clothes after each use, sooooo we accumulate a rather large amount of laundry ...and since I have a business...I need to be efficient when it comes to laundry...but these DARN machines...make me CRAZY.....so tiny and so slow and inefficient!
I don't want to offend but if you are using clothes in the health industry, shouldn't they be industrialy laundered? That seems to be my impression here, that health and restaurant industries are serviced by industrial laundries (wäschereien).
As for the washing machine question, having lived only in cities in the US, I had to wash mostly in Laundromats which gave a remarkably bad result. Thus , I cannot speak to the issue directly. Cheers!
With you on the enchiladas, though I've adapted to European washer/dryers. What I really miss is a proper freezer rather than this little plastic box inside my already-not-big-enough refrigerator!
They are slow because they actually wash the clothes. Not just spinning them aound a couple of times in cold water and bleach.
Naturally, we use a professional service for any soiled towels, from the practice...I am referring to my family's needs.
Just trying to get the wash done...for the family.
I miss the dryers too but most of my European bought clothes aren't made for dryers anyway.
Unfortunately, laundromats are notoriously bad....really bad...like nasty stuff left over from horse owners, etc...
BTW, I have been to one here, in Zurich, as well, when I needed to wash a large bedspread...pretty nasty here, too....
I'm with you on this Susan - the first thing I'll do when I move back to the States is buy a big ol' hunking top-loading all-metal washing machine. And sit back while it washes my entire bedding in one load. In 30-45 minutes.
I hate the machines I've had here. Now - I don't want to generalize to ALL european machines, but mine (I've had five so far) have all been duds.
Yes, I know all the arguments against top-loaders - but my experience does not bear those out. The various machines I've had here - where a load takes takes 3 hours to wash, where the clothes come out wrinkled and often grey - can't hold a candle to my super-efficient US machine. Which by the way, lasted some 20 years.
At 3000 a pop, for a machine that lasts 3 years at best, and won't do a flannel duvet cover even though it's rated as 8kg, I have good cause to be unhappy with my Euro-machines. The last time the repair man came, he suggested that I need a commercial machine... but I'm not about to pop for 10,000 plus, given that manufacturer's track record so far has left me decidedly underwhelmed.
Perhaps it's me, though. Or perhaps we are all more comfortable with what is familiar.
(And don't get me started on dryers that won't automatically shut off. As in completely shut off - not just run on intermittent fluff cycle for hours. Slave to my laundry room, I am...
Family of 6 here, yes US machines are fast and cheap, so are the clothes so it is not so bad that a dark blue shirt only survives 3 months and then looks grey ....
Give me Euro machines anytime, yes smaller thus more loads but keeps my clothes clean and nice looking!!!
Oh gosh, no. I also do a lot of laundry and I would hate having to schedule my entire f-ing day around the washer which would take 2 HOURS AND 15-35 minutes PER LOAD and then, to dry the clothes would take another hour or so...not to mention it was tiny, tiny, tiny. My life revolved around the damned washer in Switzerland. What good is a high "QofL" when most of my time is spent obsessing about laundry? I am relieved that my life is no longer run by a simple appliance that can do a large load in about 50 minutes (on the eco cycle).
And you still can't get a real enchilada in Boston....(but close enough for jazz).
One of the houses we rented here years ago had an industrial washing machine. When I first looked at it I thought, hmm, that'll need replacing.
Aside from the noise it made, it was the most amazing machine I have ever used.
My experience here, not just my own personal use and trying to find a machine that will not choke from dog hair, but based on what my clients tell me is that the machines just take too long.
We have Miele machines now, they are decent. Better machines are considered to be Schultess, or Merker. V ZUG are also good.
I have a client with an oversize Bosch machine (7 or 8 kg) with a ton of cycles and she is happy.
We have an 8 kg Bosch machine sitting in our garage from our 2 years in Germany and I loved the machine (if anyone is interested, it just needs a Swiss plug and is good to go )! Our new house came with a Miele washer/dryer set (which we weren't supposed to get, but, well, that is a different story and thus we have an extra set taking up valuable space in the garage) so we don't need our Bosch set, which, did I mention, I love/loved? I hate US top loaders...use way too much water and the stuff still doesn't get clean. We bought a Bosch machine in the US to use once our Kennmore front loader died (8 years old or so). Got sold with our house.
So sorry, I can't agree with you on the washing machines...
We have a pretty inexpensive (I think) sibir. It came with our flat. What I like about is that nearly every cycle has a shortened cycle, so the longest cycle I run is an hour to 90 minutes, and I have 17, 30, 40 minute cycles I use all the time. I would like more capacity, but I'm used to it.
As for the dryer, I don't like the condensing style, but most of my clothes don't go in the dryer.
What program do you use ? I wash pretty much everything in 40° and it only takes 57 minutes.
And, depending on the weather, of course, I dry all my clothes outside. I really try to use very little of the dryer, it seems like a waste of energy.
Thanks, Phil MCR. Good amount of information here...
Nothing wrong with a proper german washing machine (like a Miele). Lots of space and the washing time is good enough with one hour and 10 minutes... The washing machines I had to use in Canada was hell compared to that one.
Golly, I don't care what nationality it is, I just want to get the work done, and have my house CLEAN....
From what I calculate...the washing alone will take...
3 beds (180cm) = 3 washes of 60 * =5.0 hours
Dark clothes 1 load =1.6 hours
White clothes 1 load =1.6 hours
Jeans 1 load =1.6 hours
Towels 1 load= 1.6 hours
Delicates 1 load = .5 hours
TOTAL... 12.2 hours ....only WASHING...
The recommended weight for the quick cycles are half the normal weight...so with the exception of the delicates....they have to be the normal cycle...
If I hang the wash to dry...the entire apartment will be strung up!!
Any hints??
I guess I had better place an order...what weight does your machine take? IS the 57 minute cycle the short cycle? Does it recommend less Kg?
Do you wash everyday? Or just once a week?
You're being ripped off. While it may be true that cheaper machines aren't built to the same longevity standards of those of yesteryear, an absolute top-end machine shouldn't cost more than a thousand euros.
No sympathy there, I'm afraid. We do have a tumble dryer, but I'd no more think of using it for normal washing than I would of sending my shirts to a dry cleaners. Why don't you just hang the clothes up to dry instead?