Energy Star Rated

A couple of months ago we purchased a new washing machine. The old one bit the dust after 20+ years of incredible service. The new one is an energy efficient front loading machine that is quiet as a mouse. The clothes are not wringing wet when they come out and the drying time is literally cut in half. That is without and energy saving dryer. I am not one to wax poetic about a household appliance, but this washing machine is WONDERFUL!


I do a lot of laundry, not as much as I did when the boys were home, but far more than average. Maggie accounts for at least 75% of the household laundry. With all the procedures she has done, the feedings and the medications there are many spills. It is simply an unpleasant fact. However, the main source of Maggie’s laundry comes from the trach

You have undoubtedly noticed in 99% of the pictures Maggie is wearing a scarf around her neck. That scarf is not a fashion statement – though she wears it well. It is there to catch the constant flow of secretions from Maggie’s trach. The suction machine goes almost nonstop to get the secretions from the trach, but even with all that effort, Maggie goes through many wardrobe changes. The scarf around her neck is the item changed most often. We own at least 50 of them and it is not at all unusual for Maggie to go through 10 or more in a single day. Often times shirt changes are required along with the scarf changes.

I did a load of Maggie’s wash today. I was amazed at how dry it felt coming out of the washing machine and threw it in the driver feeling so “green” and politically correct. When that was dry I tossed the large load on the futon in the laundry room and started folding about three loads of wash piled there. (There are at least four more to do.) Just as I sat down, I glanced over at the washing machine and I realized I did not start the new load in the “new” washer. I jumped up, pressed the button, and marveled again at its quiet efficiency.

I was folding scarf after scarf. I noticed one did not seem very clean. I stopped mid-fold and looked over at my silent washing machine and back at the pile of clothes I was folding. The load was REALLY dry when I took it out of there to put in the dryer. Could it be? Did I start it? Of course I started it. I did not just dry and start folding a huge load of laundry that was never washed. Did I? No way! It cannot be.

I started folding again, slower now. The more I thought about it the more grossed out I became. I stood up and put the entire load back in the wash pile. I cannot be sure that it was washed. Given the disgusting stuff that is all over those scarves and shirts, I could not take the chance.

I have to turn in my green badge and get a whooping from the planet. Either I washed and dried a load of wash twice or I dried an entire load of dirty clothes. Though it is worse for the planet, I really hope it is the former because it is stupid but not disgusting.

Energy efficient? Hardly.

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