Washing Machine Woes

Recently our washing machine went kaput. Which is not a good sign for a mother of little ones. I vividly remember the days before kids when I could go weeks before doing a load of wash. Now I get excited if I only have to do one load a day. Needless to say, I knew that not having a wash machine for a few days would not only spell disaster but smell of disaster.

The previous owners of our house left their new front-loading high efficiency washer and dryer when we moved in. I was very excited to be using the "Cadillacs" of the washing world. Everything was working well, coming clean, and I was happy...until the birth of Baby bee. Within the first few weeks of her life I noticed that her socks started to disappear. I didn't give much thought to it because I figured they had simply been misplaced by any number of family members who helped me after her birth. When it got to the point that the majority of her socks did not have a mate we would jokingly say, "The washing machine must eat them!" Never once did I guess we were right!!!

Soon after, the wash machine decided not to drain the water from its rinse cycle. I immediately called the washing machine's maker looking for an easy fix. They, however, were as baffled as I. Luckily, my handy Mr. fix-it Hubbee was able to take apart the back of our machine and quickly came across the "clogging" culprit. That's right, you guessed it!!! Baby bee's baby socks...six of them to be exact had clogged the drain that allowed the water to leave the machine.

Maybe I loaded too much in at each wash. Or, maybe her socks were just small enough to slips through some mysterious holes in the washing machine. But it forced me to come up with a "non-sock eating" solution. Which is my Mama Tip #2...

Mama Tip #2: Wash (and dry) all baby socks in one of those small mesh bags advertised to wash lingerie in. They can be bought almost anywhere (our local grocery store even stocks them.) It will save you from lost or eaten socks. Not to mention, it will save you "loads" of time when it comes to folding because they will all be in one spot.