Some would consider life in small-town Bulgaria reminiscent of American writer E.B. White’s words, “We should all do what, in the long run, gives us joy, even if it is only picking grapes or sorting the laundry.” Instead, I heeded American humorist Erma Bombeck’s less eloquent quote, “Housework–if you do it right, will kill you,” and purchased a used, German-made washing machine (which proved to be one of the best decisions I ever made).

The washing machine’s water supply line was connected to the kitchen faucet. I knew when the rinse cycle was complete because I could hear the gush of water emptying into the sink, followed shortly by the machine convulsing violently as it spun the clothes at what-seemed-like 10,000 RPM. (At one point, I considered contacting NASA and suggesting it use the same technology in the space shuttles’ solid rocket boosters.)

Dryers are a luxury item in Bulgaria, so I decided to “do as the Romans do” and forgo one. I hung my laundry to dry on several of the six clotheslines on my balcony. During the winter, I used a combination of a drying rack and a fan in my kitchen to do the same job (which, incidentally, prohibited my neighbors from inspecting “the American’s” laundry).

And while I longed for the chance to pick grapes from the vines growing in my friends’ gardens, instead, I could be found in my Communist-era apartment doing…well…laundry.

In the U.S., I continue the tradition by air-drying most of my clothes. Rather than shrinking my clothes, it reduces my electric bill!

Filed under: Electricity, Laundry on June 14th, 2010