Laundry Dilemma

[JustALittleBitClueless]

Please be kind, this is my first post and I would appreciate some guidance.

DH and I have been married six months (and nine days) and I'm really struggling with the laundry. Up until now, I've had to hand wash on the sink and do our sheets and pillowcases in the bath. It's a big effort to wring everything out, and some days I can't peg out on the line. I have an old wooden clothes horse and it's not up to much.

Well now we have bought a second hand twin tub, which is amazing, but I still don't have a clue what I am doing laundry wise.

Should I put the immersion on first and then connect the hose to the hot tap, and fill? Or should I connect the hose to the cold tap, and then use the twin tub heater? Which is more economical?

When I've washed the whites, do I need to add more powder when I put the coloureds in? Does anyone know? I'll be doing DH's work overalls last, of course.

Will it be okay to do the first spin back into the wash tub and then fill the spinner water tub with cold water from the tap, and move the output hose, so that the spinner water goes back into the sink? And how many times would I do the cold water thing? Until the water runs clear, I guess.

Sorry for all the questions, my mind is in a whirl. I could ask DM, but she lives three bus rides away and neither of us has a phone installed. Although we hope to have one once we've paid off the bank loan on the Cortina.

To add to the situation, I'm expecting, due on 1st July, I hope it's a boy. I don't know if it would be hygienic to wash the nappies first, given that they will need the hottest wash. But what about the other washing? I thought if the nappies were soaked in a bucket of Napisan and sluiced off beforehand, I could wash them first, and then do the baby's nightgowns, rompers, matinee coats, bonnets etc, towels, sheets and pillowcases, our clothes, then overalls last. I'd probably need to wash twice a week then.

But at the moment, is a weekly wash going to be enough, given that it might take several days to get things dry? We have a gas fire in the living room and a wall heater in the bedroom, so I probably need another clothes horse. I'm still working Monday to Friday, so have to do my housework at the weekend. At least DH spends Saturdays and Sundays fishing, which gets him out of my hair.

Reading this back, I may be overthinking things. But you'd think I'd be able to find a system that works. It's 1979, for goodness sake, not 1879. And I'm 19, with two 'A' levels, so I have a brain.

We had a twin tub well into the 90's it's much better than my Bosch is now. In fact the washing machine before this was the first since the twin tub so I'm only one washing machines away from my twin tub. Baffling isn't it. Cold fill and why are you wringing when you can use the spinner. I actually miss the twin tub it was theraputic

Don’t forget your hot water bottle tonight then

Thanks @ElinoristhenewEnid. I thought at first it was something like laying an item away. That's how DM is buying us the cot for the baby. She goes to the shop and pays so much every week. Then once it is paid off in full, she can take it from the shop. She won't have anything on tick, she says she has her standards. And I quite agree, I don't want to be getting into debt. If I need something and I can't afford it straight away, then I have to save for it, or make do without.

Oooh. Did anyone watch Dallas tonight? I missed it

Thanks for the reminder @Thighdentitycrisis, I'll put the kettle on now.

Night night everyone. It's been a tiring day and I have a lot to do tomorrow.

Morning everyone, I have a busy day ahead.

I'm taking advantage of my day off to do the hoovering. DH is working on the Cortina this morning (plugs and points) and later he is going round to his mate's house to help him fit his car radio cassette. I think it's a fiddly job, so he may be out for quite a while. We had to get a new aerial for our Cortina, someone stole the old one whilst DH was parked up at work, no less. Well, we've learned our lesson. We unscrew it and put it in the boot every time we park up now.

Back to hoovering, I digress. My MIL passed on her old Hoover Junior when she bought her Electrolux cylinder model. It's not perfect, I have to tape up the hose that leads from the bag to the hoover part, otherwise dust puthers everywhere. Every time. There are no attachments, so I use the dustpan and brush to do the stairs. I don't mind. And I don't have any spare bags either, so I'll have to reuse the same bag until I'm able to get some new ones. But it's kind of her to give it to me.

It's not really the kind of weather to go for a run in the car today, so it's just as well we have jobs to do. I'm making one of DH's favourites for tea, chicken pie and chips. It's the leftover chicken and gravy from yesterday. The gravy's a bit runny, so I'll add a bit more cornflour and another Oxo. I make the best chips. The secret is to get the lard really hot and do small batches. MIL does it the other way round, large batches, lard not hot enough, so her chips are really mushy. But I'd never say anything.

Oops @Frickssake, I've only just seen your post. I don't watch Dallas. Could you ask someone to tell you what happened on last night's episode?

Morning. I can't decide whether to get the Art Garfunkel single or Cliff Richard

Dilemma diverted. Have decided to buy an Abba album instead. How's the Cortina?

@justalittlebitclueless
Envy re an electric hoover - I have an ewbank carpet sweeper - still easier than using a brush and dustpan.

Cold here this morning but at least the nets are not frozen to the windows.

For chips I recommend a lump of beef dripping from the butchers - you can reuse it again and again in the chip pan.

I would get Art. I'm saving up for Breakfast in America. It's an album.

DH is very choosy about his music, and very particular. He has a turntable, cassette machine, amp and speakers. He likes Dark Side of the Moon. He buys a record every week. He buys the protective cover at the same time. He plays it once then plays it a second time to record it. Then he has the cassette he can play at home or in the car. That way he doesn't get scratches.

I love Abba. I want to be Agnetha, but I look more like Frida.

The Cortina will be fine once it has its plugs and points done. It was a bit sluggish at the weekend. Hark at me! I sound like I know what I'm talking about.

Our chip shop uses beef dripping, but I use lard, same as DM. It's fine after a couple of uses, makes the chips crispy and they brown better.

Here's the flatley airer I wrote about yesterday. Did not realise how many uses it has - meringues anyone?

Anyone watching Coronation Street? I loved Gail and Brian's wedding, I hope they have a long happy marriage and grow old together.

my dm had a twin tub, for 15 years!

That airer would be so handy when the baby arrives.

I love Gail's hair. DH looks a bit like Brian, so I have a soft spot for him (Brian, I mean).

Will be back later, the stair carpet beckons!

Wow, you're posh. We have a carpet sweeper. I need to be more careful though as I nearly knocked my Amber fawns off the side board with all that swishing , lucky that they are chained together
I need to go shopping for a new house coat today, so may pop and get some spam for tea too

LizzieAnt

( Big secret sssshhhhh)

I bought some sPam, sliced it, then deep fried it in the beef dripping! Try it, you won't regret it. Just wondering what I can call these........ideas?)

Oops forgot to say I coated them in batter before deep frying!

Phew, I've got a bit of a dab on now, time for a cuppa. I'm going to call DH in to join me. He must have finished the spark plugs by now.

I'm having a couple of digestives with my tea, boring, I know. DH likes a Wagon Wheel, but we don't have any in, so I'll nip to the corner shop whilst the kettle boils.

I love spam, we used to have those deep fried slices with tinned tomatoes or baked beans for school dinner. I prefer beans with mine, but they have to be Heinz. The HP ones are too watery.

My DM has those fawns, @AWamBamBoom, and a glass swan. She has them on display in the China cabinet though, for safety.

ElinoristhenewEnid I didn't know Flatley driers had all those uses. Make sure you look after yours or sometime in the future it might end up looking like these poor things.

I went out to call DH, and he's washing and waxing the Cortina.

He's going to stop for a tea break. I went to the corner shop for Wagon Wheels. Mr Nellar is the owner. I got a Wagon Wheel and a Lion Bar in the end. Mr Nellar calls me 'young lady' and I call him 'Mr Nellar'.

DH had the Wagon Wheel and the Lion Bar with his tea, and I'm making him a cheese and onion sandwich. I'm having cheese on its own, but will have mine later. He's popped back out to finish buffing up the car, and he'll be off out shortly.

Well, the chicken pie won't make itself. I'll be glad to get back to work tomorrow, for a rest.

Ooh @CheeseCakeSunflowers, keep an eye out for the rag and bone man, he'll take those off your hands, and give you a couple of balloons for the children into the bargain.

Good idea about the rag and bone man, I think those driers have been sitting there long enough.

@CecilyP

I remember my mum's automatic washing machine died at some point in the 90's. She chose to replace it with a twin tub and I was quickly trained up in using it.

Why would she do that? It was unusual in those days for houses to be plumbed for an automatic, but if they were, why would you not use one?

They were 'plumbed in' via hoses that fitted onto the kitchen sink taps -with the help of a hose clip with a wingnut type fastening and lots of string to reduce the times when they popped off and sent hot water spraying everywhere. The drainage hose often also went in there at the back.

Of course, most sinks were large Belfast types at the time as the councils and landlords hadn't 'improved' the kitchens by taking out anything remotely useful or durable and replacing it with shitty particle board covered with plastic, so you still had room for a washing up bowl in there as well.

You didn't get stinky clothes or mouldy machines either, thanks to the hot fill.