Yes, we have a washer. But this is no large washer that brags about how it can hold 40 pairs of jeans. Like many other things here, it is on a much smaller scale than the American version I grew up with.
Yet while it is significantly smaller, it is nonetheless capable of holding several weeks worth of laundry. I find it extremely impressive.
The washing machine has inside of it a metal wheel with a small, spring-release opening to add clothing items. The metal wheel then spins on a horizontal axis as it runs -- the reverse of how washers typically operate in the US.
Furthermore, my experience has been that they do not worry about separating the clothing here prior to washing; everything gets thrown in the same load. Colors, whites, and delicates all get washed simultaneously. I assume this is related to the emphasis on water conservation that exists in France.
Usually my host mom starts my load, and I pull the clean clothes out later and hang them up to dry on the drying rack in my room. While some French families do have a washing machine, they do not have dryers; all laundry gets hung up to dry. When it was still nice out, I would throw open the window to help my clothes dry faster, but now it is too cold to do so. Still, the clean clothes serve as a nice air freshener for my room!
What about automatic dishwashers? Non-existent?
ReplyDeleteNo, we have an automatic dishwasher! The refrigerator is also much smaller than those in the U.S. though.
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