You know those pesky socks – the singles ones (never a pair) that disappear when you’re doing the laundry? I now proof that the washing machine really does eat them!
One fateful laundry day recently, my washing machine made a horrible noise and stopped, mid-cycle. Now, unfortunately, I’m no stranger to fixing this oh-so-important fixture in my weekly routine. A couple of years ago, I had to replace the boot seal of my front loader when my daughter’s very pointy Mockingjay pin (from the hit book and movie The Hunger Games) ripped a nice long rent in it. YouTube was my saviour that day. And before that, in an older model, long-since gone to the appliance graveyard, I had to remove buttons from the pump.
But on that recent day, I wasn’t really sure what was wrong. All I knew was that the water wasn’t draining. So out came the sopping wet (but clean!) clothes. I wrung them out as best I could and put them in the dryer. When that was finally taken care of I scooped out as much water as I could from the rotating drum and then lay on the floor to start the uncomfortable process of removing the screws to open the bottom front cover from the front-loading machine. Cursing under my breath, I finally got it done and got into the pump.
And that’s when I found them. Socks. Not just one, but three – all different from each other, of course. They were those tiny little socks my kids wear when they don’t want to show the socks, but need them to prevent blisters. Somehow, they had made their way, over time, through the intestines of the washing machine until finally, they were sufficient to block the drain. Shaking my head, I put everything back together and we were back in business.
I’ve taught my kids to be reasonably handy – even guiding them through repairs I knew how to do in theory, but had never actually carried out myself!). Last fall, when my eldest got his first apartment (shared with many others), I sent him off with a basic tool kit, just as my father had done with me, many years ago. He tells me it has come in useful on more than one occasion and how surprised he was that his roommates didn’t have the same skills.
A friend recently told me that being handy around the house was the equivalent of a 10% raise. I’m not sure I’ve contributed that much to the household coffers, but I do know that we try and take on as many household repairs as possible. Together, we’ve dry-walled, painted and replaced toilet seals. Last summer, that same son dug out and replaced a fence post. His brother and sister are experts at mixing topsoil and dirt to patch the lawn, which needs to be done annually, with our dog in the house.
But back to the socks. I really don’t understand how they got to the place they got to in my appliance – and truth be told, I’m not sure I care. I’m just pleased to have solved the mystery – and to have the knowledge to get them back. My handywoman skills are still in good shape.
But I’m still not touching anything electrical!
