Am I mad to want a twin tub?

[wigglybeezer]

I have a bit if an obsession with finding a second hand twin tub at the moment. I have a very reliable automatic but I find I just can't wash enough stuff at once or do enough loads a day to keep the laundry pile down.
If I had an old fashioned twin tub I could do all the bedding and towels for instance in one go, not to mention actually getting the mud out of DS's rugby kit.
It would suit my way of working to do a big laundry session one morning a week and get everything out on the line ( spin speed much faster in twin tubs too).
I did use one in a student flat so have previous experience.
If anyone has one to sell in the central belt of Scotland let me know !

More underwear might be a better investment

I seem to remember that when I had a twin tub, it was a huge pain in the arse.

How can things possibly be clean after a 20 minute wash? This is what always worries me.

Why wouldn't things be clean after a 20 min wash? If I wore something all week then that's different but my beloved Melie does a great job

When you hand wash an item it hardly takes any time at all, does it? 20 mins is ages!

It'd be a PITA because you'd have to pull it out from under any worktop to open the top.

Because you can't leave the top open, the machine starts to stink

If something goes wrong with it, you'll find it hard to get an enginner/parts

Related to the above, if the pump goes for emptying the water, you'll have to stand for ages and manually bail it out; you won't get every last drop unless you use a sponge on the dregs which will contribute to the smell.

The spinner bit tends not to have a safety lock, so dc can lift the lid & do ill-advised things when the spinner is going.

Even with the tongs that came with it, I hated transferring wet washing from the tub to the spinner as a child - all that dripping !

twin tubs are awful but top loading automatics are fabulous.....i used to have a twin tub. fucking thing.....it meant that you had to stand over it constantly....
mondays went like this....
pull washer out giving self hernia
fill washer with a hose. takes ages.
put powder in and turn it on.
find industrial strength ear plugs to block out the incredible noise.
put first load in. whites. hot wash. 20 mins. put lid on to attempt to block out industrial noise...
turn agitator off. heave heavy wet washing into spinner bit. shut lid and attempt to spin.
open door again quick to redistribute weight to avoid washer taking off over to the other side of the room....
stick another load in the wash.
stand and spin the first load - holding hose to ensure water goes into sink.
find double industrial strength ear protectors as now you have both washer and spinner going and noise is incredible
heave the spun washing out into basket.
wait 10 mins for next load - heave next load into spinner.
put next wash in
and so on and so on and so on.....

used to take an entire day to do the washing.
then you have to empty the bastard thing.
and heave it back to where ever you are going to attempt to store it but they are HUGE so dont expect it to fit anywhere...we kept ours in the pantry.

alternatively get a top loading american style automatic washer....massive capacity - bit agitator - fast - but does it all for you so you dont have to stand for 8 hours doing the washing....

there was a reason automatics got invented....twin tubs were it!

There was a reason people moved on to automatics! I can't imagine the hassle of using a twin tub.

Maybe if you re-organised how you wash it might help? Someone on here will have a system! MNers love a good laundry thread.

You're looking at it through rose tinted spectacles OP.
I remember my mum having a twin tub when I was about 10 or so... and by God did she hate it!

Your memories are the same as mine Vicar!

If you don't mind the labour - intensity, you'd be as well swooshing your laundry about in the bath & buying a seperate spin dryer.

I don't do more than two loads a day usually, sometimes three. I am not the most self disciplined person. Everyone has their own laundry basket. Bedding and towels are the main issue actually as I don't have much room for hanging them up indoors. In fact it was while I was looking at spin dryers as a solution to speeding up drying times that I remembered about twin tubs and thought AHa!

I must confess I do have previous for liking doing things the old fashioned way as long as there are other benefits. I did cloth nappies before they were cool and actually own a spinning wheel, I wouldn't 'to say I am a hippy exactly but I am a mildly rebellious creative type.

I think I will get an old twin tub and use it while I save up for an extra large capacity auto with a fast spin speed, I could then retire it and use. It for the tile stuff like dyeing fabric and felting.

I am probably a lost cause when it comes to laundry organisation my natural tendency is to do loads of something when I am in the mood, rather than have a regular routine, which is also why I tend to be self employed!

Thanks for the links, got some ideas.

You're like me, I couldn't get any washing done without a fast cycle and the washing machine is often on at 9pm as I have forgotten ds's rugby kit

If drying is the issue how will a tt help? Isn't a tumble drier more helpful?

My mum is the same - spinning wheel and does things the 'old fashioned way!'

I did say I would keep my automatic, I would only use the twintub for a mega hot wash once a week or so.

Ouryve one of the reasons, I never get to the bottom of the laundry baskets is the sheer amount of underwear already, I sometimes think there must be about 500 pairs of black socks in this house.

I haven't had room for a tumble drier up 'till now and try to avoid them for "green" reasons ( hence the cloth nappies).

I suppose I am being nostalgic! last time I had one I was a student with plenty of time, and could take washing home if I couldn't be bothered!

The twin tub would have to come out on nice blowy days only, to make use of my huge washing line.

of to create more laundry by taking DS3 to the filthy riding stables.

Have fun :)

We just got a hoover washer drier that takes a 10kg load. We can get all the sheets done at once (double bed, 2xsingle beds plus cot bedding). It's amazing! I do like the look of the American style top loaders though. My Mum says although when she got her twim tub she thought it was amazing she would never go back to it.

I remember mine used to leap all over the floor.

Couldn't turn your back for a minute.

I bought an old fashioned spin dryer when my washing machine broke and there was a gap of a few weeks before I could replace it, so lots of handwashing.

It's bloody marvellous, stuff comes out virtually dry within about 3 mins :o

I remember my mums top-loader doing that ThatBloodyWoman, eventually the kitchen was re-arranged and it was hemmed in! It used eat anything delicate in it's nasty big rotary thing that swished round in the middle.

Great when you forgot anything, although I would have thought modern ones would a safety feature stopping you from opening the lid once it got going?

With a big family using the quick wash cycle is the only way to stay on top of it IMHO. (5 of us, 4 of them adult sized people).

Washer on with today's uniforms straight after bath time,(25 mins quick wash, 30 degrees) hung on airer or in airing cupboard, dry by tomorrow morning.

Towels and sheets done on a dry day, early morning, hot wash (60 mins, 60 degrees) and straight on line.

Muddy stuff...on airer til mud has dried, then brush off outside, in bucket of warm water with stain remover overnight, then quick wash next morning and dry on line or airer.

(I always go to school sale/charity shop for extra sets of 'emergency' PE kit/sweatshirts etc, which I don't usually need but can use if having a laundry nightmare. Keep in carrier bag in my wardrobe so doesnt get mixed in with the smarter stuff).

I love my spin dryer it is the greatest thing ever.

My nanna's twin tub was a royal PITA. My abiding memory of it was her always having to stop and redistribute the washing because the spin had unbalanced it and thrown it off.

I see I'm not alone with the memories of redistribution

Oh I know how you feel.
On nice days there is nothing I would like to do more than getting everything into the wash and freshened up.

But with an hour per load the sun would be all gone by the time I was on the 3rd load. Plus that load is 3 hours down on the drying time.

I loved my old TT. I filled it from the hot tap.Bunged in some soap powder and away we went.By the end of an hour the whole lot was on the line and I could tidy the machine away.

Much much better IMHO