Latest installment in the Money Pit Series...

So, barely a month after we got the new fridge, our washer died. Just like that. It made a horrible clanking sound, emitted this horrible smell, and refused to agitate or spin anymore. Praise the Powers That Be that it occurred during the final rinse cycle of the diaper load, and NOT during the pre-rinse! Ick. So I only had to wring out and drip-dry an already clean load. PLUS the diapers were the last in the line of the week's laundry, so everyone had clothes to wear for several days before I would have to resort to hauling the laundry down to the nearest river and beating it on rocks.

Mr. Pickles is such a good bargain shopper.  He is also a scrupulous user-review checker.  We read lots of reviews for various machines, and found one that was hands-down the most popular.  So many of them had people who either loved it or hated it -- for this one the overwhelming majority raved about it.  So after we made our choice, Mr. Pickles saw from a flyer that it was on sale at one appliance store, but after more research he discovered that Sears will match a sale price, plus add a discount!  So, to Sears we went, and made a salesman there very happy, as we decided to purchase the matching dryer and a 3-year warranty.  (we figured we might as well get a new dryer too -- the old one was needing two cycles to get some loads dry)

To prepare for the arrival of my new toys we had to clear a path through The Dungeon Of Death.  I wish we'd taken a "before" picture -- it was a true disaster.  I'd had to carve myself a path through the carnage with a machete just to get to the laundry machines.

The somewhat-cleared Dungeon Of Death (and occupant)

The Dungeon (sans death)

AAACK!

We took the opportunity to finish a couple quick fix-it projects that had been piling up.  Here is Mr. Pickles teaching Miriam the essential skill of how to use a power drill.

Then he took apart the old washer for fun.

ewwww....

ooh! a secret entrance!

breaking appliances is fun!

So the new machines arrived the day after we bought them -- and I had been bracing myself for the possibility of a week without clean laundry!  I have to state my amazement at the physical prowess of delivery men.  They just look like ordinary dudes, and yet they're able to wield and maneuver these giant UNwieldy machines into place in a matter of a few short minutes, including hauling them up and down several stairs.  Both these guys and the refrigerator guys had this cool harness thing that they wore -- it had a long strap that attached to a buckle on the front of each guy's harness.  They would run the strap from one guy's harness, under the machine, to the other guy's harness, then squat down while they tightened it.  When they stood up, they could easily lift the machine between the two of them, only using their hands to steady it.  I'm sure it was still heavy, but they made it look easy-peasy.  I wish I had thought to take a picture.  It was really cool to watch.

Anyway, the machines we chose were LG high-efficiency machines -- I'm convinced the LG stands for Laundry Goddess because these things are AMAZING.  Everyone I knew who had an LG machine raved about them, and now I know why.  They get the clothes SO CLEAN.

Quality Inspection in progress

I had to adjust the valves for the water intake so that the warm is actually warm, but I had to do that with the old machine anyway.  I'm also concerned about the low water -- I wonder how well things are getting rinsed.  (WARNING: Non-parents do not read to the end of this sentence: I've noticed when I wash diapers that they're covered with a fine sand even after an extra rinse.  But they smell extra-clean, so maybe it's more of a lack-of-filter issue than a low-water-level issue.)

the clear top is SO COOL

The dryer is great too.  I can't tweak all the settings quite as simply as I can with the washer, but so far I've been able to figure out how to choose the settings I need for whatever load I'm doing.

The only cons I can think of to these machines are that a) the washer seems to be a lint-making machine -- I'm afraid it's going to be rougher on our clothes; and b) the cycles take a looooong time.  But!  They sing a cute little song when they're done, so I always know when a load is finished.  All in all I like my new toys. :)

Finally, when life gives you a messy basement...

...make a blanket city!

Next on the Money Pit list is a new oven -- we're at the point now where we have to kick it sometimes to make it work. :)