Old High Riser Blog

Saturday, February 1, 2025

The laundry

A comment by River about Fire Fighting Nephew not having a laundry in his apartment made me wonder if he had what we call a Euro laundry, so I had to check the plan on the website. I believe they have a stackable washing machine and dryer in the large enough bathroom. 

I last showed my Euro laundry in 2020 when at the worst of Covid lock down, our wall mounted clothes dryer broke down. It would have been 22 years old, and we had already replaced the door hinge and the rubber drive belt. This time it was either the motor or heating element. I can't remember but it had to be replaced. Our washing machine was also old, so what about a combined system? A washer and dryer built into one. 

We found a bargain at an online site for a dual machine. It was duly delivered by a couple of handsome men, with the old appliances taken away, We were well aware that such a machine took a long time to wash and dry clothes, but we washed about three loads of washing each week and aside from a drying finish off to soften towels after they were already dry from being hung on the clothes rack, only socks and underwear and bedding were dried in the dryer. The rest of our clothes dried on the clothes rack too. 

The clothes rack sits in the spare room and if the door is closed, it can feel very damp in there, but with the overhead fan on, the clothes dry quickly, like in about eight hours. 

I've showed my Euro laundry before but readers come and go. Here it is again. We had already updated the bathrooms a few years earlier, so there were now nice chrome taps. 

The dryer used to sit above the washing machine on the left. If you embiggen this photo and look at the shelves Ray that I put up, you can see the old dryer vent above the lower shelf, covered with silver foil. It vents into the main exhaust system, so best that we blocked it off. My washing basket is on the left and that of Phyllis, sans handles, is on the right. The iron and ironing board have not been used since Ray died. 


I am not sure how clearly you can see this but after having lots of bathroom tiles regrouted last year, mould has reappeared in my shower. From a YouTube video, thanks Scott, I have applied  toilet paper wet with bleach to the areas of mould. To simply explain, a sheet of toilet paper wet with bleach stuck on the mould spots. It will be interesting to see how well this works this morning. 


Later edit: The mould removal worked almost perfectly. Say goodbye to expensive anti mould sprays, that don't work. 

15 comments:

  1. Well, I had to Google Euro Laundry.
    It seems that I have one of those...surprisingly. Our central heating boiler is next to the washing machine so I can hang up the laundry, close the door and have dry clothes in just a few hours. Essential in our damp climate.

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  2. We recently bought a clothes rack with an electric rail, cheap to run, and a cover. It even works quite well in the damp garage.

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  3. Your laundry set up is similar to mine at home.

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  4. I'll have to remember that bleach and toilet paper trick when mold appears. Thanks.

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  5. Our washer and dryer is in the basement. Most apartment unit I know offers a laundry room. Although the machine operate by coins or tickets. Last I heard the washer at the senior apartment is $1.50.

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  6. I am very allergic to the black mould that appears in bathrooms and kitchen and also to the chemical sprays that say will clear the mould, but they don't. My solution is to completely dry the shower cubicle after every single use, with squeegee and then an old towel, give the shower curtain a good shake before the cubicle drying to make sure as much water is off it as possible, plus I wash the shower curtain once a month when I do a load of sheets or towels. There has been no mould in my shower or anywhere else in the bathroom or kitchen in the entire time I have lived here, 13 and a half years now.

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  7. We have laundry rooms on each floor in my building with 2 washers and dryers in each which really speeds up the laundry proves. We book times on a chart. All free.
    What is the unit on the right side under the basket?
    XO
    WWW

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    1. WWW, it's the laundry trough, with a mop bucket sitting in it and a storage cupboard underneath.

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  8. First I heard of Euro Laundry. It certainly looks convenient.

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  9. Grout in our shower has been there many years; lost count and it never has mold. Once a month I do used Domestos in a spray bottle on the grout, so easy to do at my age :) brush the grout with a hard bristled small brush, leave it 5 minutes or less, hose it off. Keeps the shower sparkling clean. The grout if fine. The main bathroom is the same.

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  10. Bleach is a miracle product! And so cheap! I hadn't heard the term "Euro Laundry," at least not that I remember. (Maybe when you last wrote about it?) We have a dual machine but I only use the dryer function for 60 minutes after a wash to get rid of the heaviest dampness. Then I hang everything on a rack to finish drying.

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  11. We have a full size stacked washer and dryer in the kitchen.

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  12. We have a full sized washer & dryer and no where to hang up wet clothes.

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  13. We have a separate washing machine and tumble dryer.

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