Oh, Say Can You See..: airing my dirty laundry

Fact: The washing machine and dryer are the two greatest inventions ever made. I have no idea who invented them, but I hope there is a statue or museum dedicated to them somewhere out there. If not, I might open one when I get back to the States.

Laundry in Thailand is a very different thing. The creative ways in which clothes are washed vary from home to home. My house now has an especially unique and equally miserable way to get the job done. A few people have asked me about this, so I thought I would dedicate today’s post to the thing I hate most in this world (washing clothes.)

If any of you back home are wanting to try this out for yourselves, you need to be prepared. You need:

1. One washing machine

2. A second washing machine

3. A clothes line (preferably in the sun)

4. A hose

5. 3 LARGE buckets or tubs

6. Laundry detergent

7. Fabric softener

8. Hangers

9. A stool (you will want to sit down)

10. A bottle of water and sweat towel

Once you have all of these things you are ready to start. Please be advised, it is best to do this in the morning hours before the temperature reaches 100 degrees.

1. Using the hose, fill up the first washing machine and all 3 buckets with water.

2. Put 3 large scoops of soap into the first washing machine and all clothing.

3. Turn the first washing machine “on” and watch for 15 minutes while all of your clothes spin and spin into a mass of clothing that becomes knotted and tightly wound.

4. After 15 minutes, wring out each piece of clothing and put into bucket #1.

5. Once all clothes are in bucket #1, they need to be rinsed. Take each piece of clothing, dunk it into the water 3 times, wring it out and put it into bucket #2.

6. Once all clothes are in bucket #2, they need to be rinsed a second time. Take each piece of clothing, dunk it into the water 3 times, wring it out and put it into bucket #3.

7. When all clothing is in bucket #3, dump an ENTIRE package of fabric softener into the bucket and let clothes soak for 5 minutes.

8. After the 5 minute soak is done, without rinsing out the fabric softener, place all clothes into washing machine #2.

9. Once in washing machine #2, start the 12 minute spin cycle.

10. When the spin cycle is complete, you can hang up all of your clothes and put them in the sun to dry.

11. Several hours later, bring your clothes inside to fold and put away. During this time, you might notice that some of your clothes still don’t smell “clean.” Return them to the dirty laundry pile and repeat entire process in 3 days.