Tuesday, August 19, 2008

Burning Question of the Day

If you could have a dishwasher or a washing machine and dryer, which would you choose?

I'm so going with the washing machine. We rarely cook, so it doesn't bother me to wash whatever dishes our microwaved meals generate (or even the frying pan when I make my daily eggs). It's a pain in the ass when we have larger group meals, like at Thanksgiving, but that's only a few times a year. I've never lived anywhere with a dishwasher, so I don't miss it.

On the other hand, I would kill for a washer and dryer. (And the person I'd kill gladly is the one who was in the laundry room of my building using every fucking machine the building owns.) Generally, I don't mind schlepping my clothes to the basement, but it's pretty damn expensive for a wash and dry. It would not be expensive to get my own machine, as the building shares the cost of water. Meaning: I'm already paying for the water that everyone else who has a machine uses, including the person whose machine empties soapy water into my kitchen sink every fucking morning. (Or at least I think it smells like laundry detergent that bubbles up; it could be dishwasher soap, but I'm not sure what that smells like, as I've never had a dishwasher.) Sure, I'd pay for the electricity to run the appliances, but it would so be worth it. Maybe some day.

Anyway, I'm curious what The People prefer, i.e. "What Would CUSS Readers Do? (WWCRD)."

21 comments:

  1. That's a tough one. I HATE hand washing dishes, and as a pastry chef, there are a lot around here! But not having a washer and dryer? I have a two year old, so there's a lot of laundry, too. At the risk of destroying the environment, I might go for the washer and dryer, then use only disposable dishes whenever possible.
    Fuck that, I need both. You can have my microwave though...

    ReplyDelete
  2. washer/dryer, fo' sho!
    i don't mind washing dishes at all. i would even was the dishes at s's place, simply because it was relaxing. drying dishes, not a fan, nor putting them away, but that's how i'm about putting away clothes, too.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Funny, I was just thinking last night that a dishwasher is the most useless appliance ever created.

    1. No matter what they say, you have to rinse your dishes before you put them in.

    2. You do a better job yourself.

    3. The dry cycle bakes on the crap that is left, so you spend extra time chipping off those hardened pieces of cheese.

    4. You still have to hand wash your wine glasses, plastic (unless you LIKE it warped, big pots, etc, so you might as well do the whole thing by hand.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Washer & Dryer (although, I'm lucky and have both, but the communal washers have always been a boon).

    ReplyDelete
  5. Washer and dryer! If there was physical space in my house for it, I'd have a set already, because I do not enjoy hiking across town with a backpack full of laundry.

    Dishwashers are lame. You have to wash the dishes before you stick them in anyway, and they are usually wasteful, and the dishes somehow end up all crusty and weird anyway.

    ReplyDelete
  6. washer and dryer. def.
    do you have the hook ups?! would it have to be in the kitchen where a dishwasher went. that would be amusing.
    I once almost took an aparmtne that had a shower in the kitchen. mix it up I always say!

    ReplyDelete
  7. yes. washer and dryer. sometimes doing dishes is soothing.

    ReplyDelete
  8. definitely washer/dryer. could not live without the washer/dryer. i am lucky i have a dishwasher i call it husband. it's a fair trade, i cook, he cleans. we actually have a dishwasher that is never used. i use it as extra storage.

    ReplyDelete
  9. I have both, but if I had to choose, I'd go with the washer and dryer. Of course, then I'd never be quite satisfied with the cleanliness of stuff like the plastic cutting board and the cat's bowl...

    ReplyDelete
  10. I don't have a hook up for either type of washer, which SUCKS! We were thinking we might be able to run something through our linen closet because it is next to our bathroom. (We noticed other people in this building have done that for a laundry washer, which is possibly why our toilet sometimes turns into Old Faithful...) There's no space in the kitchen at all.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Washer and dryer!

    We currently have a dishwasher, and while it is convenient, I'm fine with handwashing dishes. But I hate having to pay for a coin washer. Plus, I already air-dry all my clothes anyway! And I definitely do not want to spend time hand-washing clothes. Hand-washing dishes is much faster and easier.

    ReplyDelete
  12. At the turn of the millennium, there was something in the papers about the most 5 important/useful inventions of the last century. The list was something like: the computer, the phone, the tv, the toothbrush and the car. When I raised it with my grandmother, she said, "No, it's the washing machine. Maybe the refrigerator. No, the washing machine." We have a washer/dryer with a non-working dryer, and even though I live in London where damp clothes sometimes need a dehumidifier to dry in under a week and a half, I still pick clothes over dish washer.

    ReplyDelete
  13. I pretty much have already made this decision in my life since the dishwasher in my apartment went kaput! That I don't care about, but if that washer/dryer goes out, you bet your ass the landlords are hearing from me!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Well, if you choose dishwasher, do you still get to use a washing machine at a laundry mat or are we talking hand-washing clothes? 'Cause I can tell you hand-washing clothes is some bullshit.
    Now that I have the two little boys, it's really a coin toss IF I could take the clothes to another machine. However, washing over one of those scrub boards would be one of the last things I would want to do.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Yes, definitely I was thinking that people without washing machines and dryers would go to the laundromat or if they live in an apartment building that has a common laundry room, use that.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Oh, WD for sure.
    Whereas you can skimp on dishes pretty easily (I use way less pots and pans than my husband does when he cooks), you have to wear a certain number of clothes per week.

    ReplyDelete
  17. After this summer, I'm definitely voting washer/dryer. Washing dishes is annoying, but having to pay ridiculous amounts of money to wash clothes is worse.

    ReplyDelete
  18. speaking as someone who has handwashed both, dishes and clothes, dishes are nothing compared to clothes! go for the washer/dryer or hell just for the washer. I have all three now and wouldn't trade it for anything but I well remember the bloody knuckles from having to handwash all our clothes...it sucked big time!

    ReplyDelete
  19. Hi Prin, no way would I wash clothes by hand. I was thinking more about having a washer in one's home versus going to the laundromat and having to deal with annoying assholes. Man, it definitely sounds like hand washing clothes was beyond awful. I'd probably just wear dirty stuff all the time if my only alternative was hand washing.

    ReplyDelete
  20. girl i know what you're talking about, it just reminded me of when i had my newborn and had finally gotten rid of the alcoholic sob i was married to at the time, had no job and no car and was just saying that it can be done, i wouldn't wish that torture on anyone...thank god i was younger then :)

    ReplyDelete