2x Clothes Detergent Use....Avoid Costly Mistakes!

Sandy River dam...source of Bull Run water.

    Don't you just hate it when you call the repair man for a cost of $110.94 to find out you have been using your 2x Kirkland liquid washing machine detergent wrong? Apparently, following the directions on the container is not a good idea! Let me tell you the story.
     My husband and I have lived in our condo for 9+ years so the appliances are not new. When the washing machine decided to overflow, leaving a puddle of water in front of the machine, we thought we were due for a new appliance. While having new stuff is very cool, I do like things that work and are paid for. So I called the repair man. In the mean time, I had quit washing on the super sized setting because every time I did, water was on the floor. It was a little scary.
    The repair man came the next Monday and my husband followed him upstairs. They couldn't have been up there more than 5 minutes when I heard my husband calling my name. He and the repair man greeted me at the top of the stairs. They wanted to know how much detergent I was using. I knew right then I was in deep trouble...I wasn't sure why but it just follows that when something is wrong, I am to blame...like night follows day.
     It turns out that in Portland Oregon metro area we use Bull Run Reservoir water...pure snow water from the slopes of the Cascade Range. People around here claim it is the best water in the nation. The bottle direction do not apply. The repair man gave me a demonstration with machine insides exposed. When I used too much detergent, the foam overflowed onto the floor during the spin cycle. The repair man suggested I use 1/4 the detergent called for on the bottle and feel the water to see if it is slick. If it is, that is plenty.
     WHO KNEW! I wrote him a check as he continued to talk about how to wash clothes correctly! I don't want to do that ever again. $110.94 is too much to pay for a lesson in washing. Interestingly enough, he said that this kind of service call was not unusual in the Portland area.
     As a side note, we had to replace a dishwasher because the dish detergent ate the pump up....to much soap. That repairman suggest we use less than half what the soap manufacturer recommended. How could I have not seen the connection!
     Now you are in the loop...don't call the washing machine repairman until you check your soap usage and use less soap in your dishwasher. You dishes and your bank account will thank you!

b
note: Incidentally the repairman also cautioned against using Kirkland powdered detergent...it will erode and ruin you washing machine!

Five Little Ducks...stories played out!

The children's song about the little ducks leaving the nest to fly away has always been one of my favorites. Every mother has seen their babies fly away and rejoiced. Life comes full circle. Animals live that same cycle. Babies grow up. Birds leave the nest. Life goes on. So when the three ducks show up every year near my patio I am not surprised. But I am puzzled that it always seems to be the same three. Something just doesn't seem right. It appears the one did not fly away at all. Five little ducks Went out to play Over the hills and far away. The mommy duck went "quack, quack quack," Four little ducks came swimming back... And then Three Two and One. A drake, a female duck (a hen) and a not quite a drake but still not a hen gather here on the 5th green of the golf course. She leads and the other two follow along obediently. They eat, sleep, and guard each other. Each and every day this time of year they come. I have not named them. Jinxing them would be very pos...

How to be a 12 Month Snow Bird

Vacation Rental in Mexico I live around snowbirds 6 months of the year. I have heard those people say that they all want to live the "snowbird" lifestyle when they go home. But it just is not possible. They are isolated and cold. Social activities with friends and beautiful weather are greatly missed when they return to the realities of their "real" life. One couple I visited with lately returned to Florida this morning where they own a home. The woman is a nurse and works in the summer. They are not going home until May this year. It is too cold in Michigan in the spring so they are hoping to extend their good weather season by simply staying away. Besides that they love their Florida lifestyle a lot. Last week I visited with a woman that lives the snowbird lifestyle year around. No going home to the Midwest in the spring. They essentially vacation 12 month out of the year. And I thought their solution for avoiding unpleasant weather and keeping their lifestyle in...

If You Build It, They Will Come...Maybe!

It all began with a antique window in front of a local shop. It had been painted yellow, the glass was loose and all of the hinges and latches were gone. My old friend Betty would have approved...she would tell me it was just broken enough and damaged enough for me to drag it home. When my dear husband saw it, he wondered what he was meant to do with it. Imagine his surprise when he was presented with the plan to build a small neighborhood library exchange. It wasn't the first time he had heard me ask "How hard could it be?" Now it is six weeks later and we mounted the darling little library exchange on two posts in our front yard. I love it. Now the question is, will they come or has the time passed when people actually read something made of paper? Our association president stopped by and admired the box but left after telling me that he only read books on his Kindle. We will see. Would you bring a book and take a book? b+

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