You're not impressed? Let me tell you why I'm totally in love with it.
I live in Western Australia where nearly all of us line dry our washing outside for most of the year. While I have an electric tumble dryer it's only used when the weather is unkind (mainly during our short winter) or to finish off a load when it's still a little damp at the end of the day - perhaps a dozen or so times a year. Do I hear those of you who live in less pleasant climes sighing in envy? I do sympathise having spent time living in London during a snowy winter. One of my flat mates insisted on hanging her clothes outside and to see a line of frozen sweaters, jeans, knickers and bras was interesting to put it mildly.
But back to my laundry trolley story. The thing is I've used a laundry trolley to wheel my washing in and out to the clothesline for more years than I'm prepared to say and worn out a few, too. While they've been better than lugging a heavy basket in and out, they have also been a source of continual frustration. The baskets never quite fitted, with a tendency to overbalance unless packed just the right way - something Pisces has never understood and resulting in much swearing whenever he is helping. Then there were issues with the wheels. They rattled far more noisily than you'd think possible for such small items, they caught on any uneveness and insisted in travelling in a straight line which meant negotiating a curved path was fraught with danger for the unwary or those in a hurry. The worst, though, was that all these trolleys had obviously all been designed for folk only half the size of most of us. I'm short - 159 cms (or just under 5 ft 3 ins) - and I had to bend to reach the handle, which my back was not happy about. If it was uncomfortable for me, you can imagine how the much taller Pisces struggled.
Then my last trolley acquired a bent axle somehow. Actually, although he wouldn't admit it, I think Pisces caught a wheel in a crack one time too many. This made the rear wheels splay out and the whole thing sank even lower and eventually, a wheel flew off and it couldn't be replaced. Oh I was upset - not. I had been expecting it and looking around for a replacement at the local department stores for a couple of months with no luck. Then we went to Bunnings for something else entirely and as we were walking past their laundry aisle I saw this flat pack wonder and brought it home.
I'd like to say assembling it was simple - and it would have been if the instructions hadn't been totally wrong - but we got there in the end with the aid of brute force multiplied by two and a hammer. It's a Goldilocks trolley - just right. The handle is at a level that makes it a pleasure to wheel, the basket sits neatly where it's supposed to and at a height which doesn't involve bending and the wheels are blissfully quiet. In fact, I think I'll take it out to the line and back again now just because I can.
2 comments:
I haven't used a line to dry clothes and wouldn't if I had the opportunity. Clothes from the dryer come out softer and need less ironing if any. I have never seen the benefits of line drying although when I was young I didn't have any choice in the matter. Once I got my hands on a dryer I have never looked back.
It's so windy here that usually the clothes are soft straight from the line and, apart from a few things like silk, don't need ironing. They smell lovely and fresh, too, and then there's the saving in electricity. That said, I can see why you'd not want to line dry in less amenable climates.
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