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 learned about temperatures and wash care labels in Home Economics in school. When I got my own washing machine I read the instructions that came with it, browsed the supermarket laundry aisle for stain removal products and by the time I was well versed in laundry care the internet was born.

Was there a Brownie badge for it?

I remember a fresher at university asking where the powder went. She had put her dirty clothes in the dryer.

Well its hardly difficult to figure it out and Im not sure that I was "taught" as such, more that I learned through the process of observing.

DCs are 16 and 13 and both do the washing regularly. Life skills are important (and why should the parents do all the household jobs). In fact school taught them to iron on a life skills day before I got around to it.

No I didn't have a clue when I got my own house. My dh seemed a bit more clued up and he showed me how to work it etc. I kept getting told off for over loading it 😆

I can't remember being taught but do remember teaching both of my DS.

Don't remember ever being thought but its pretty self explanatory.

*taught

I was taught how to change a tyre though. Much more useful.

I'm sceptical. A rough calculation tells me I've used a washing machine 1924 times in my adult life. I've changed a tyre zero times, despite being a driver during all of the same period.

No I wasn't. But they're not that hard to figure out, and come with handy instruction manuals.

But I agree with those saying no-one needs to be taught how to use a washing machine. It's something you learn in a few minutes if you have dirty clothes you want to make clean.

I don't think I was specifically taught. But it's pretty straightforward unless you want to make it complicated. I don't sort anything, whatever is in the basket goes on when there's a load's worth in there. Everything goes at 40 unless there's hand knitted wool items which go at 30 and low spin.

Well when I was about 12 my mum showed me which cycle we used and handed me the detergent. We kids were all expected to know how to do household chores but she always showed us her way of doing it first. Does that count?

I once ran an afternoon of sessions for year 13 students about to leave us for uni/ first jobs. We showed them how to sort a load of washing, iron a shirt, read a gas/ electric meter and make a simple meal. All hands on. It was great! Some of them knew how to do it, some had no clue so it was worth it

I don’t recall being taught, but put money to a new machine when I was about 19, and just read instructions.
I’ve taught my kids how to use ours - the ‘not overloading’ instruction needs repeating frequently. But they’re both good at sorting colours/darks etc and I’ve quite often thought about washing my work stuff and found it already done and drying.

Nope, never was taught by my parents. (Mind you both were alcoholics)
Having said that my first bf showed me how to use a washing machine 😂

Was taught how to use the twin tub, but can't remember being shown how to use an automatic.

No I was never taught. Good thing too as my mum ruined so many of the nice clothes I bought myself as a teenager despite me saying I would wash my own things as some stuff wasn't to go in the dryer and others needed colder washes, she's very much a everything at 60° then put in the dryer on the hottest setting type person, and of course all ironed on the hottest iron setting too.

They visited when DD2 was a baby and "helped" me by my dad doing some washing. All the lovely white baby clothes and DD1's brand new white school shirts were all dyed blue because of one black school sock. They didn't even offer to replace them because "he was just trying to help" and they were "still wearable." (I did try run remover stuff but they'd dried it all too and it just set in and wouldn't shift.)

I've taught my own children how to use the machine and how to separate loads though. I think DH and both DC use the machine more than I do now. We either dry outside or on a heated airer so hopefully they don't have any dryer accidents if they get one when they move out.

I can remember helping my mum with the washing as a child using a twin tub so I guess I learned about separating different items and using different temperatures then. We did progress to an automatic machine and probably both learned to use it together. I don't think either of my DBs ever used the washing machine though so not sure how they learned - both went away at 18.
My own DS had a briefing from me as he was leaving for Uni but as he was in Halls I very much doubt that the machines in their laundry room resembled my home machine. I think some Unis now provide 'helpers' in the laundry rooms in the 1st few weeks of term now - in fact I think DS's current Uni advertised lessons in laundry and basic cooking skills as an extra curricular activity.

Yes. I was 13 I think.

When I say 'taught' I mean I was shown how to use our specific washing machine and the tumble dryer. As in, which bit of the drawer the powder went in, and which bit for the fabric conditioner. How to set the cycle and which button to set it to start. Also to make sure it wasn't rammed full - especially the tumble dryer.

Those who are saying 'no, never, it's common sense' I expect they were shown, but at a very young age while the adult that was looking after them was doing it in front of them. I was doing laundry with my 4 yr old the other day and she did all of it with me telling her how. She won't remember that, but she'll 'just know' how to do it.

I didn't 'just know' because our washing machine was in an outhouse that I just didn't go in, I rarely saw it used so couldn't pick it up by observation.

Yes. My mum made sure I knew how to use correctly use all household appliances, keep the house clean, cook, sew, basic animal care, do own personal hygiene and the basics of looking after a baby, do my homework etc etc. Is called bringing up a child.

I wasn't taught, I followed what is says on the washer. It's not that hard.

Nope. I used to do the family weekly wash at the launderette when I was a teen I loved it peace and quiet on a Sunday morning reading the news of the world with a can of coke and a Mars bar out of the washing money.

Yes , and did my own washing as a teenager. If have also taught my 14 DS and 16 DD. DD doesn't like anyone else doing hers now in case they hurt her clothes

I was taught but have delayed teaching DC because they would be minded to put 2 small items and 3 cups of washing powder in ("to make it extra clean and get it clean fast") on the most time-consuming cycle possible. No matter what I told them to do instead.

No, I wasn't taught. I had to work it out from going to launderettes.
On the back of that, I taught my own kids.