Laundry

Some may argue that I have enough clothes and underwear to last a lifetime…but really, it is only about 3 or 4 weeks…today I reached that limit. {This also happened about two or three months ago – so really, it’s the second time…but still!}

First of all, I must state: I have an issue with public facilities of any type – perhaps a little obsessive-compulsive when it comes to cleanliness. I don’t have the luxury of having a washing machine of my own in my apartment {it really is a luxury}, so in order to avoid using the shared public laundry facility in my building, I transport all my dirty laundry when I go home every two or three weeks - depending on my schedule. {Also, laundry at home = free; laundry in building = $1 to wash + $1 to dry…and the pain of gathering enough quarters}.

Anyway…today, I washed three loads of laundry {that wasn’t even all of it} to give myself enough clean stuff to wear until I come home on Thursday or Friday {I was also out of clean towels & washcloths}.

There are three washers & three dryers in the laundry room, so really – I could have washed & dried all three loads, all at once, and been done with it {assuming that none were in use – which they weren’t at 9am on Sunday morning}. But nooo, slightly OCD clean-freak Michelle has to wash whites as load #1 to ‘bleach out’ the machine {who knows who used it before you and what they washed – what if it were all their nasty, dirty rugs…or shoes…or, I don’t know – but just the thought of other’s peoples ‘germs’…eww!} Then, I only use that disinfected machine for loads #2 and 3 since I know its ‘clean’.

This process, of course, takes twice as long…and by the time I am on the last load, other people had gotten up on their Sunday and decided that they needed to use the facilities as well. I was so happy that I had first pick at which washer I wanted to claim as my own ‘clean machine’, and my choice of dryers {yes, I inspected them before deciding which machine [lint-filter uncleaned] I would stuff my clean clothes in, to tumble around for an hour}.

I was sure to be prompt in transferring my clothing from washing machine to dryer in order to keep my machine in use, because other people were taking clothes out of dryers that had finished and piling them on the folding table {which I didn’t dare use!…you know I took my clean basket of clothes back to the comfort of my own home to fold}. Ok, it was just one load that was on the table {not mine!}, but the thought of someone opening up my dryer to check on the status of my load seemed violating in a way {there was a lot of underwear in there!} Luckily I was done by the time the laundry room really started getting popular, and I didn't have to worry about other people messin' with my stuff.

Oh, and one more thing is those quarters! I had to make a special trip to an actual laundromat establishment and use the little quarter machine to cash-in some dollar bills in exchange for quarters. I had $4 worth from that *one* other time I had to use the facilities...so I got an extra $3. Alright, $7 = enough for a total of 3 1/2 loads {the half was just in case I happened to need more drying time for one of the loads}. Good thing for that extra half because the load of whites with all the towels was about half dry when the first hour was up...insert four more quarters, and when the second round was up, I wished I was a little puppy in a basket of fresh clean, warm towels {because thats what it was}.

This sounds like the laundry 'event' of the day was almost traumatic...but really it wasn't. I accomplished what I had set out to do, and I am happy with the results {clean clothing & undergarments to wear after I shower with my clean washcloth and dry off with my clean towel}...I just don't like the use of the public laundry facility, thats all!