...In with the new!

Our old washing machine finally died on us and we decided to upgrade to a new front-loading washer and matching dryer. We bought our old machines a little over 11 years ago, just after M&M was born. And we bought them used from the D.I. - so we don't know how old they were when we bought them. They could have easily been 20 years old - the washing machine was the same exact model that my parents had when I was growing up. The dryer has been slowly going out and my husband has replaced a few parts on it here and there. The washing machine has been making more and more noise lately and leaking some oil underneath. Then a couple of weeks ago I was in the middle of doing laundry and I went into the laundry room to check on it and there was a horrible burning rubber smell in the room. I thought at first that it was the dryer but it wasn't. I opened up the washing machine and it was through with the cycle, but still completely full of water! I tried turning the machine on again and it just made a humming noise. I had to take the clothes out one at a time and wring them the best I could and then move them to the dryer - it took about 2 full dry cycles to get them fully dry... Later in the evening we were able to get it turned on so that the water would drain out, but the motor was pretty much shot.

Luckily I got through most of the loads of wash before the washing machine died and then a couple of days later on Saturday we went out to R.C. Willey to look at some new machines. We looked at the different models available and were leaning towards one set but decided to wait until Monday to make a decision. Then in Sunday's paper there was an ad that had the machines we were looking at listed at an even lower sale price (it is last year's model that they are clearancing out). The only concern we had about the model is that our laundry room is set up backwards - with the washing machine to the left of the dryer. So on most front loading models, the doors will hit each other when they are set up that way. You can change the door on the dryer to the opposite side, but not the washing machine. DH thought that he could change the hookups around so that we could move the machines around so we decided to buy them and just make do until DH could make some adjustments.

Well, the machines were delivered on Tuesday morning and the delivery man that was hooking them up thought that the connectors would still reach with the washer on the left and the dryer on the right - and they did! I am loving the machines! They are so much quieter than our old ones and things dry so much quicker now! Also, the kids love watching the clothes spinning around inside the machines and Baby K loves helping me push the buttons. They also play music when the cycle is done - instead of a buzzer - which Baby K also loves! They look so HUGE in our little laundry room though! DH still wants to try and move the dryer hose vent over a few feet so that it is closer to the dryer and we need to replace our dryer hose - apparently the kind we currently have installed is considered a fire hazard now...