Can I use my dishwasher as a clothes washer?

[May 20]

Don't wash your clothes in the dishwasher. Such an experiment will not end well. You're better off hand washing your clothes in the sink and hanging them to dry.

They do come standard in apartments, unlike clothes washers. I do not feel like renting a washer from my apartment complex -long term expense out weighs the cost of buying my own set, I dislike using the "public" ones in the 'mat in the complex, I'd rather not buy a set, and there may be times I don't like going all the way to the parents' to do laundry.

I can see not renting a set. I can see disliking the laundry-mat. I can see not wanting to go out to the parents' to do laundry.

So, seriously, if your apartment has the hook-ups, buying a small washer and dryer seems like a very logical option, esp. when it could cost $650 or less. They'd be yours to take with you when you move from the apartment. And washers and dryers usually last a long, long time. My machines, for example, were bought in 1993 and are still running.

 

[Trekker4747]

So, seriously, if your apartment has the hook-ups, buying a small washer and dryer seems like a very logical option, esp. when it could cost $650 or less. They'd be yours to take with you when you move from the apartment. And washers and dryers usually last a long, long time. My machines, for example, were bought in 1993 and are still running.

See it *seems* like the logical step but, well, I'm lazy and stingy with my money.

$650 is more money than I'm willing to spend and, well, I don't want to deal with the hassle of buying the things, having to borrow my dad's truck, lugging them over to my apartment, hooking them up, taking the truck back.

Bah!

 

[Outpost4]

I know of an electronics tech who would regularly clean off smoke damaged consumer electronics in his dishwasher. It needed to be hosed out some way or another - his other favorite place was the car wash - and the dishwasher worked. His wife eventually put the kibash on this practice. Spoil sport.

Back in college, I worked in one of the dorm complex's food service for all of my time there. We'd occasionally ride the conveyor belt through the Hobart dish washing machine at the end of a night. The water wasn't that hot, and you'd have to lay down to clear the mechanism, but it was a trip. People always stayed clothed, which was probably a good idea, and why the food service managers didn't question why kids were coming out of the dishroom soaked from head to foot, I'll never know.

To the point of the thread, at least we had clean clothes, which was more than could be said for most college kids.

 

[indranee]

Oops, you're a woman? My bad...

just curious. what made you think I was a man?

It seems--at least from what I hear most often--it tends to be men who clog toilets most frequently.

That and small children who don't know how much TP is enough...but generally, it seems to be men who cause problems by, shall we say, sheer waste volume.

well, I was about 8 when I clogged the toilet, so I guess that's my excuse

 

[Nerys Ghemor]

Aha...TP overload.

 

[indranee]

Aha...TP overload.

exactly. you got me

 

[Tim]

I mean, on principle, they're pretty much the same thing.

If true then you could wash your dinner plates in the washing machine.

Plus, you could use it as a automatic shower if you're flexible enough!

 

[the 4th hanson bro]

So, seriously, if your apartment has the hook-ups, buying a small washer and dryer seems like a very logical option, esp. when it could cost $650 or less. They'd be yours to take with you when you move from the apartment. And washers and dryers usually last a long, long time. My machines, for example, were bought in 1993 and are still running.

See it *seems* like the logical step but, well, I'm lazy and stingy with my money.

Then not having your own machines seems to counter the lazy argument. How much effort and time does it take to pack up your laundry and take it somewhere to do? Not to mention the time you have to wait while it's washing.

Having your own set allows you to do laundry at your pace.

$650 is more money than I'm willing to spend and, well, I don't want to deal with the hassle of buying the things, having to borrow my dad's truck, lugging them over to my apartment, hooking them up, taking the truck back.

Bah!

I bet right now you could find free delivery and hookup if you looked hard enough.

The $650 will pay for itself over a few years just on your time alone. Figure how much your make/hr at work and apply that to the time you spend on laundry - packing, travel, doing, travel, and unpacking.

If you value your time at $25/hr and it takes you conservatively 4 hours to do all your laundry a week. That's $100/week. In less than 2 months, you've essentially paid yourself back in time for the machines.

 

[Trekker4747]

Then not having your own machines seems to counter the lazy argument. How much effort and time does it take to pack up your laundry and take it somewhere to do? Not to mention the time you have to wait while it's washing.

Having your own set allows you to do laundry at your pace.

Ah, but I visit my parents every Sunday for dinner, which is when I do it!

I bet right now you could find free delivery and hookup if you looked hard enough.

Yeah, but then I have to schedule a time, make sure I'm not away from my place (at work or out) during the delivery time, then I got people trapsing through my place, bah!

 

[the 4th hanson bro]

I know of an electronics tech who would regularly clean off smoke damaged consumer electronics in his dishwasher. It needed to be hosed out some way or another - his other favorite place was the car wash - and the dishwasher worked.

I've heard of guys using the dishwasher to clean their hockey pads. I took mine to the car wash once. I've never seen water the color I saw running off my shin pads.

His wife eventually put the kibash on this practice. Spoil sport.

That's their job.

Back in college, I worked in one of the dorm complex's food service for all of my time there. We'd occasionally ride the conveyor belt through the Hobart dish washing machine at the end of a night. The water wasn't that hot, and you'd have to lay down to clear the mechanism, but it was a trip. People always stayed clothed, which was probably a good idea, and why the food service managers didn't question why kids were coming out of the dishroom soaked from head to foot, I'll never know.

Probably because they'd tried it themselves.

I bet right now you could find free delivery and hookup if you looked hard enough.

Yeah, but then I have to schedule a time, make sure I'm not away from my place (at work or out) during the delivery time, then I got people trapsing through my place, bah!

Do you spend much time looking for reasons why you can't do something?

 

[Nobody]

Then not having your own machines seems to counter the lazy argument. How much effort and time does it take to pack up your laundry and take it somewhere to do? Not to mention the time you have to wait while it's washing.

Having your own set allows you to do laundry at your pace.

Ah, but I visit my parents every Sunday for dinner, which is when I do it!

I bet right now you could find free delivery and hookup if you looked hard enough.

Yeah, but then I have to schedule a time, make sure I'm not away from my place (at work or out) during the delivery time, then I got people trapsing through my place, bah!

Okay, two points:

1) As has been discussed, clothes in a dishwasher is a bad idea. Entertaining if it's not yours, but bad idea. Therefore, get a camcorder and post it online so we can see.

2) Seriously, dude, you're transcending laziness to downright stubborness. I could admire your stance if you would just say "I'm lazy. I don't wanna do it." Now you're just making excuses about why you can't do it. I just want to point out, it just takes one cancelled dinner to be clothes-less. And then it's a trip to a laundrymat, which is one of those "only funny and entertaining in retrospect" stories. Get the laundry machines, it'll make your life happy (though, you can still rant about it on here) and you can focus on the conversation during Sunday Night Dinners.


-nobody

 

[May 20]

When you take your laundry to your parents' house, who actually does the laundry?

Just some things a penny-pincher should consider consider:
*Your lease agreement will not cover any damage incurred should you attempt this experiment because such damage would fall outside "normal wear and tear" since you would be using the appliance for something other than its intended purpose. The cost to repair the damage would almost certainly exceed the cost of a washer and dryer.
*A washer alone would run around $350; you could hang your clothes to dry, saving the expense of purchasing a dryer and the expense of running it. (Don't come back with how much you hate stiff clothes. It's a valid option if the money issue is the real issue here.)
*Unless you have an agreement with your parents that you haven't divulged (and I'm not asking you to), they are absorbing the cost of running their machines for your laundry. While this is cheaper for you, it's really not fair to them.

Owning a large appliance is a big step. I understand the reluctance.

 

[JAG]

Unless you have an agreement with your parents that you haven't divulged (and I'm not asking you to), they are absorbing the cost of running their machines for your laundry. While this is cheaper for you, it's really not fair to them.

You sound like a mother.

When I first got married, I did my laundry while I visited my parents. I got away with it because, I usually did thiers as well. I realized after awhile it was costing them money and started going to a laundrymat.

 

[Trekker4747]

When you take your laundry to your parents' house, who actually does the laundry?

I do it. Who else would?

Just some things a penny-pincher should consider consider:
*Your lease agreement will not cover any damage incurred should you attempt this experiment because such damage would fall outside "normal wear and tear" since you would be using the appliance for something other than its intended purpose. The cost to repair the damage would almost certainly exceed the cost of a washer and dryer.

Good point.

*A washer alone would run around $350; you could hang your clothes to dry, saving the expense of purchasing a dryer and the expense of running it. (Don't come back with how much you hate stiff clothes. It's a valid option if the money issue is the real issue here.)

Money isn't an issue, at all. It's just laziness on buying the things, setting up a time to get them shipped over, etc. and just the thought process of parting with that kind of money when it could otherwise... be sitting in my account doing nothing.

*Unless you have an agreement with your parents that you haven't divulged (and I'm not asking you to), they are absorbing the cost of running their machines for your laundry. While this is cheaper for you, it's really not fair to them.

They offered for me to do it and I do much for them to recoop the cost/loss of using their machines.

Owning a large appliance is a big step. I understand the reluctance.

Hardly a "bigger" step than buying a car or running an apartment.

I'm just lazy, I'm willing to admit that, when it comes to buying the things, getting them delivered, hooking them up, and there's just not wanting to part with the money.

 

[Cicero]

I, for one, have never flooded the toilet.


That seems to be a male phenomenon...

I haven't either. And I don't think there's any particular male propensity to flood toilets.

On the all-female floor in my dorm during first year, at least one of the toilets backed up or flooded every day. Meanwhile, none of the toilets on any of the coed floors (we had coed bathrooms, too) was clogged or flooded even once. We were told it had something to do with sanitary products being flushed which shouldn't have been.

 

[RoJoHen]

I'm just lazy, I'm willing to admit that, when it comes to buying the things, getting them delivered, hooking them up, and there's just not wanting to part with the money.

I simply refuse to make any large investments like that until I know I'm going to be living somewhere for more than 12 months at a time. In the last 7 years, I've lived in 7 places.

 

[May 20]

You sound like a mother.

Why, thank you.

I'm just lazy, I'm willing to admit that, when it comes to buying the things, getting them delivered, hooking them up, and there's just not wanting to part with the money.

Fair enough. I would suggest getting a bottle of Woolite for when you need to hand-wash something, though.

I simply refuse to make any large investments like that until I know I'm going to be living somewhere for more than 12 months at a time. In the last 7 years, I've lived in 7 places.

Yeah, I totally understand that, and I agree with you. Moving every single year is a pain (we've moved twice in the past two years and will be looking at moving again when our lease is up in a few months), and the more you have to move, the bigger pain it is.

 

[Nociod]

Re: toilet flooding, that must be an American phenomenon

Seriously, what's wrong with your toilets?, The only times I have ever flooded a toilet have been in Canada and the US.. Can't say that I've done the same in Norway

But atleast you don't live in Greece!, They can't even flush their toilets with paper ,

 

[RoJoHen]

Most American toilets are "water-saving" toilets, so they're not as big and cannot accommodate larger, um, deposits.

That said, it's been 7 months since I moved into my apartment, and I still haven't bought a plunger. I've been very lucky that I haven't needed one so far.

 

[Worf412]

Yeah, but then I have to schedule a time, make sure I'm not away from my place (at work or out) during the delivery time, then I got people trapsing through my place, bah!

You're right. It's obviously much easier to keep doing what you're doing now - up to and including trying to use a dishwasher as a washing machine.

As nobody said, there's laziness (of which you certainly are), there's stubborn (again, you never cease to amaze in this area, either)... and then there is deliberately being irrationally obstinate.