Find a dry spot and stay there

Today, I decided to hand wash my clothes.

No, that is incorrectly stated. If I had my way, there would be a washer and dryer in this building, and I would not have to pay for it. Laundry day would be a magical thing like at home or at school, when I can put my clothes in the trustworthy, free machine(s), do homework or watch TV in the meantime, and after a possible few hours, I will have a huuuge pile of warm, clean, nuzzly laundry to fold at my leisure.

The harsh reality hits in the real world.

I washed my clothes at a nearby Laundromat a couple of times before I realized that this just couldn’t continue for the sake of my livelihood: it can cost me anywhere between 8€-16€ for the washers alone, depending on how much I bring in that day. The dryers cost 1€ for every 10 minutes.

Have I managed to stress yet that I live on the sixth floor without an elevator?

In an attempt to save a little cash, the last time I washed my clothes, I brought them to a friend’s apartment that came equipped with a washer. This proved effective in the cash-saving department, though it did take a bit longer than usual, being only one small washer that somehow took 1.5 hours to wash anything, and I had two loads. I ended up taking my damp clothes back with me to my part of the city, and sitting in my local Laundromat for an extra 30 minutes, just to get that nuzzly, warm laundry feeling I crave. So far, this seemed like a manageable option.

As the end of this week began to draw near, I realized with dread that my laundry pile was growing under my bed again, and spring break was looming. Could I possibly skip over to my friend’s house again to wash enough clothes to get me through my ski trip?

Alas, I realized that because the time when my account would be replenished back in the states was also drawing near, I did not have a significant enough amount of money left to withdraw into cash. I could use my debit card if necessary, but for anything coin operated, such as dryers and even (ulp) metro tickets, I was strictly barred.

What to do??

Necessity reined. Let me refer back to where I started.

Today, I decided to hand wash my clothes.

I went to my local supermarket, in this case being a Monoprix (I could write a whole page based on how much I love this place, but maybe another time). I needed to buy a recharge card for my cell phone and a bit more food to get me through the end of the week anyway. I picked up a box of textile-hand-washing-powdery-soap.

Trying to look towards the optimistic side of life, I thought to myself,

“This will be fun! I can wash some clothes in my sink, and I have the whole afternoon to do it! It costs less than just the dryer would, so it has to be better!”

Humming merrily to myself, I set about other cleaning tasks while my clothes were soaking. I swept and washed the floor, as well as disinfecting the countertop and other surfaces. A feeling of great productivity was coursing through me.

My resolve slowly deteriorated after the third sink-load or so.

Sure, the actual washing was a cinch. It was a non-rubbing wash, whatever that means, so I didn’t have to pound away at my clothes with a rock or anything. By the time I drained the sink and rinsed the soap out of my clothes, I was left with the task of wringing everything out and hanging things to dry.

By the third load, my hands were stinging from all the wringing (yes, I am a rhyming genius). I was also running out of places to hang my clothes. The towel rack was full, as was the shower, along with the hangers in the closet, my curtain-rods, and my socks laid carefully over a towel on the counter. Towels lay on surfaces everywhere to catch the drips, and every few minutes or so, I took something down to give it an extra wring in the sink. I washed five sink-loads of clothes, and that was only what was necessary. The rest of my laundry awaits under my bed.

Now I lie scrunched up on my bed with my computer in the dark before going to sleep, listening to the almost sinister drip, drip, drip…

But hey, with luck, everything may be dry by the end of the week…

À Bientôt!