WastePlan Blog

Laundry Day

Written by Bertie Lourens | Oct 18, 2017 9:54:00 AM

Having the title as a full time working wife, my Saturday mornings are fully booked. But this Saturday doing laundry got a whole new meaning.

With the implementation of level 3 water restrictions, and worrying how I am going to water my front garden (I only have pot plants and succulents in my back yard) during the summer months, I came up with a brilliant idea.

Firstly, I must give you a rough idea on the layout of my home. My washing machine is in the furthest corner of my kitchen, which shares the open plan with my lounge area. The only way I could possibly be able to get this operation to work, is to wangle my washing machine in the middle of my entrance, closet to the door. Being a rookie on this wasn’t easy, but at least I knew a whole bunch of towels and duct tape would become handy.

I dragged my hose pipe through my front door and connected it with the outlet pipe of the washing machine, taped it tightly together, placed a bucket underneath, spread the whole entrance with towels, and I was ready for action.

In went the washing, washing powder and fabric softener, and the start button was pressed. My cat somehow knew if she went out for her morning neighborhood watch, she would definitely miss out on the show.
The first rinse went extremely well; water was pouring onto my grass! I was delighted! It was easy as pie… until the third rinse. Now the tape got wet and the two pipes were slipping out of each other. Water started dripping, but no problem, I had it covered with my towels.

Very soon my bright idea turned into a catastrophe: my kitchen and lounge floors (luckily tiles) were drowning under lavender flavoured water! The only way to get the situation under control was to pause the machine. Quickly I mopped the floor, went outside to dry out the mop, went back inside and started again. After walking back and forth twelve times (and I’m not exaggerating!) my house was under control. I pressed play.

It was as if a tsunami occurred in my machine. There was no stop to the water pumping out. I was frustrated! I ripped out the hose pipe and let all the water pour into the bucket; paused the machine, carried the heavy load of water outside, poured it onto the grass. I repeated the process until the famous Samsung tune played, knowing it was the end of my suffering.

I have to admit, operating environmentally conscious is not a walk in the park, or should I say garden. But look on the bright side: my garden was watered, my towels the cleanest they have ever been, my tiles brand spanking new after mopping it hundred times, and a nice smelling home.

No more dirty laundry for me.

To stay up to date with the latest industry and legal news, sign up to our monthly updates