- Put clothes in washer.
- 36 hours later, realize never put clothes in dryer! Aww crap… gonna need to wash again.
- Investigate. Discover never started washer, clothes never got wet.
- Victory…?
I have a combination washer/dryer unit. It doesn’t do a great job at drying, but it does remove enough of the moisture that it takes a couple days to get musty. It’s nice that I can just stick a load in before bed, and besides wrinkles, there’s no problem with me not getting to it for a day.
The combo units have tiny drums and take longer than separate units. They wouldn’t be suitable for a family with kids, but for just two people It’s been pretty convenient.
Preach.
This combination has been my purchase of the year 2023. Such a blessing, especially in a small apartment without a balcony.
Reminders + timers are key. I have a recurring reminder that says “Laundry? Set timer!” That I check off either if there’s no laundry or once the laundry is on the drying rack. It is set to remind me every 3 days once checked off.
It will stare at me every time I check my phone until it’s done. Works pretty well.
Gamechanger for me was automation with home assistant. I attached sensors everywhere and wrote scripts that nag me with notifications on my phone. For example I have a smart wall plug where the washer is attached to. If the power draw first rises over a threshold it means, that I started the washer. If it goes below a theeshold that means it’s finished and it sends a notification. To make sure I don’t ignore it, I attached a door/window sensor to the washer’s door. So it reminds me every 5 minutes until I open that fucking door.
And I tried to identify as many situations like these as possible so it takes care of reminding me. It’s not perfect and many things are not feasible to automate. But it helps me a lot!
