Springtime

Yes, it's springtime. The photo is of my Lilacs. I love the color and the smell. It makes me feel refreshed after winter, more alive.

I was missing in action for awhile for many reasons. Visiting family, making sure my Dad is doing well, doing the killer springtime house cleaning, starting some of my vegetable plants I'll take to the woods in about a month and taking a brain break from politics.

I've also started sewing again. I got so disgusted not being able to find what I want in the stores and refusing to pay outrageous prices that I decided to start making my own shirts, pants and pillow cases. The pillow cases are a riot of color and easy to make. I sell them along with my jewelry. I'll post some pictures of some after I get up to the woods.

One thing you have to do when sewing is wash all your fabric prior to stitching it up. If you don't you'll end up with a misshaped mess! So, there I was washing yards and yards and YARDS of fabric. That's when my 17 year old washer and dryer decided to begin ruining things. Arghhhhh! Well, how dare they crap out! lol Off I went to the local ABT store and purchased new ones. Since I'm going to be washing a lot of fabric I decided to get front loading machines on pedestals. I love them! I no longer have to bend over to drag clothes out of either machine. Yayyyyyy! That saves my arthritic back and makes it easy on my knees. Plus they take up less space.

So now a review of the Whirlpool Duet 9700 steam front loading washer and Whirlpool Duet 9600 steam front loading dryer:


(washer on left, dryer on right)

AWESOME!!! Worth every penny.

The washer:
This 4.4 cubic foot washer is the largest and newest front loader Whirlpool offers. No more hand washing items, no more agitator ripping up things, incredible number of different settings that all work beautifully and easy to keep clean thanks to a stainless steel drum. This washer has a function that uses steam with water to clean the interior and a reminder light that comes on after 30 loads. Then you throw in an Affresh tab and run the cleaning cycle. It removes any residue that may build up from detergent and keeps your washer clean and eliminates any mildew odor that may be forming. It uses 67% less water and only about 2 tbsp. of HE (high efficiency) detergent for normal loads and spins the clothes at 1000 RPM.That means your drying is cut significantly. It has a compartment on the front where you add all your detergent, oxi-clean, bleach and softener that injects these items into the laundry and it's very easy to remove and clean if you get build up.
It has 6th sense technology that determines how much water gets added to your loads. It's got 5 temperatures to choose from and 14 different cycles. It also has a great "add a garment" cycle. It never fails that after you start the wash you find something you forgot to add. The steam function is wonderful for deep cleaning stains. There's also a sanitize cycle that rocks for killing bacteria and cleaning up dirty dog towels.
A great safety feature is the child lock out door when it's running. Best of all it's very, very quiet.
Because it uses so little water and low sudsing detergent we'll be buying this same exact set for the Fish Hawk Road home and that will be easier on our septic system. I can't say enough good things about this washer. I love it.

*** A bit of extra info: Many have complained that their front loading washer began to smell of mildew and the front door seal actually grew mildew. Well, Whirlpool has listened to customers and lessened that happening by putting vent holes in the frame by the door seal to help drain water away from it. You won't have that problem if you use your washer regularly and give the door and seal a quick wipe down after your done. I leave the door slightly cracked open after I'm done to allow more air to circulate. If you're going to be gone on vacation it's wise to wipe down the washer and leave the door open. It's really common sense.

The dryer:
This 7.0 cubic foot fryer is the largest front loading dryer Whirlpool makes. It has 12 automatic cycles and 5 drying temperatures. The steam function is incredible for releasing wrinkles and eliminating odor from clothing that doesn't really need to be washed. The lint screen is front mounted and very easy to clean. It also has an interior drum light which I love.
I also love the wrinkle shield function which keeps your clothes from becoming crinkly messes if you get busy or simply just forget you have something in the dryer. That function runs for 140 minutes. It also has 4 way venting, a large easy view dryer door and like the washer is extremely quiet.

Both of these machines have reversible side-swing doors and both of mine are mounted on the optional 15.5 inch pedestal storage drawers. Needless to say, laundry is no longer a killer chore. I would highly recommend these appliances to anyone.

So, that's what I've been doing lately. I'll be posting more frequently now that I feel more alive. I hope you're all keeping busy, enjoying Spring and getting ready for Summer. I know I am.