Were you taught to use a washing machine

[Justreadingtheforum3]

Please settle this argument between my husband and me.

Were you taught/shown to use a washing properly as a child? On how to not overload it, setting, temperature etc?

He said "no child in the history of the world has been taught to use a washing machine" his exact words.

I said its basic life skills.

Yabu = no I wasnt taught
Yanbu = yes I was taught

Ps he does use the washing machine and regularly washes. It's not a husband bashing thread.

I wasn't taught specifically, but I guess I just absorbed it from watching/listening to my mum.

Oh we had a twin tub, when I first moved in with DH, a friend of DH donated it to us. because my washing machine had packed up.

I love a twin tub! I remember my Grandma using hers. When I was in a house share at 16 I had to use a twin tub then too.

When DS went to University it was the oven that was baffling not the washing machine/tumble drier. Nothing like ours and he had to get the manual out.

I was taught using a twin tub, took all day to do 3 loads and lots off heavy lifting soaking wet laundry between tubs. Much easier today as you just basically press a button then walk away. My teen boys know how to use it.

I watched mum use the washing machine so I had a good idea what to do. But I have explained the washing machine to DS (age 7) and he is quite capable of using it (but is not allowed to put the washing gel in). Start em young is what I say.

Yes, we had to do laundry from at least secondary school onward including our own ironing. Whites were only ever washed with whites.

Both my children know how to use the washing machine here and do, they strip their beds on a set day every week and whoever is the last child to put theirs in puts the washing machine on. They were stripping their beds at the end of primary school and learned how to put it on probably from 11.

No, I don’t think so, I worked it out for myself, it is not difficult

I was, but it was a twin tub. I’m sure I gave my DDs a quick run through of what to do, they’ve done their own washing since they were about 12. They do tend to overload the machine imo, as does DH. They take after him in that they usually know best so I just leave them to it.

No, it has self explanatory buttons.

No I wasn’t taught how to use it. But it’s common sense, surely....?

This. I wasn’t “taught” to do many things- use the dishwasher (we didn’t have one growing up), set central heating timers etc. But it’s all fairly easy to work out surely?

3 loads all day? in a twin tub? wow

Mine was 10 to 15 min programs, got through loads of washing in a day.

I was taught how to use a washing machine as a child. I was told what and what not to do etc. In my opinion, this is important for adulting. I also know how to use a oven, iron and other household items safely.

Not that I recall, but surely it’s pretty much common sense?
Not that common sense is all that common any more, I know.

Related topic, I had to tell dh to check labels before trying to iron anything - hot is only for cotton or linen. This was after he’d melted a nice new pair of shorts. Must confess that I wanted to laugh, but he was so cross with himself.

Yes I was. So was my brother. The whole thing - colours, temperatures, spins - plus handwashing and drying. Apparently, according to his first wife, he had forgotten it all. Although that may partly explain why she is an ex-wife. Apparently he forgot an awful lot of what he was taught growing up. Definitely everything that related to housework. My mother was an equal opportunities parent - both boys and girls did housework.

I was taught, I have taught my two. I dont think its rocket science but I dont think it's common sense either. There is some skill involved ie it's possible to do it badly/wrong.

Yes just a basic run through. Whites only, dont overload it, washing powder goes here and you press this button.

No, because we didn’t have a washing machine. As a pre-schooler I would have known how to use the launderette as I went with mum weekly. By the time I had to use one as a teenager, I hadn’t been for years and had no clue so had to read the instructions on the wall and watch what other customers were doing. When I got my first domestic washing machine, I just read the instructions that came with it.

However YANBU to disagree that no child in history has been taught how to use a washing machine as that is obviously nonsense!

I remember being taught how to use one but it’s common sense although in my job you’d think it was rocket science

I used to go to the launderette as a child with my Mum and watched her and the other people using the machines. When I got my own machine I just read the instructions.

DH is the laundry expert in our household and showed our DC how to use it and the iron. He also reads labels I never bothered.

I was taught how to use a washer at school, including reading all the washing symbols and how to remove stains.

In many ways it was a shit school, but I learnt many life skills there including wiring a plug, writing a cheque and balancing a cheque book, (important in its day), paying bills, calculating the cost of gas/electric based on meter reading, proper cooking and nutrition, none of this packet mix crap, and basic home maintenance, replacing putty and repairing a rotten window frame is one that springs to mind.

No, but then it’s not rocket science either.

Yeah, well I assume I was anyway. I've always known how to use a washing machine but I can't recall ever learning if that makes sense.

I can't remember if my mum showed me or I figured it out but I recall using it as a teen.

All my kids have been taught how to use the washing machine. I got a new one last year so we all helped install it and learned how to use it.

I was, and then went on to teach several baffled-looking boys I found in the laundry room when I went to university who clearly hadn’t been taught!

I wasn’t specifically taught. And I doubt that being taught how to use the washing machine my parents had would have helped, as they’re all different. But none of them are particularly hard to use - one with all the bells and whistles might be a bit more complicated but not exactly rocket science.