The Other Washing Machine Idea

The other washing machine idea I had was this: I wish my washing machine didn't have an automatic transmission.

Here's the context, in case you don't want to read the previous post that this is a continuation of.  My washing machine's spin cycle is weak due to a faulty transmission.  So I was using my bare hands to wring water from my freshly washed clothes before I put them into the dryer.

I wouldn't mind a simple transmission design that would let me choose the gear or pulley for the cycle that needed to run.  Sure, I wouldn't be able to start a load of laundry, go out for an hour, and then just come back and expect to transfer the completed load over to the dryer.  But I'd expect such a machine to last much longer than eight years, or at least be much easier to repair and maintain.

Actually, this wasn't the first thought I had along these lines.  I was actually wishing for a simple wringer that I could use to easily squeeze out excess water from my clothes.  Then I thought of the manual transmission.

Lastly my thought was this: why bother with a machine at all?  Why couldn't I revert back to the days when we would agitate the tub of clothes with a large wooden paddle or a hand crank?  Then I'd be able to wash clothes and get in a good workout at the same time.

But today, things are different.  We buy time-saving appliances that enable us to go off to work at a job to earn enough money to pay for them and repair them.  Now I know why today's typical household needs two wage earners to make ends meet, whereas fifty years ago, a single income was all that was needed.

In researching wringers, I came across this wonderful blog post of a washing machine soul mate.  I would love this, but, of course, my wife would shriek at me with so much intensity, it would blow the clothes right off my body, and there'd be nothing left to wash.