Laundry in Germany

Okay, I know I've mentioned before that I find it weird that I have to empty the water reservoir on my dryer after each load, just as I empty the lint trap. But there's much more to laundry in Germany that is different, and not entirely pleasing, as opposed to doing the wash back in the U.S.A.

I'll say it right at the start - I miss bleach. I didn't always use it, don't always need it, but when I want it, I want it. And the Germans don't believe in it. I can't find liquid bleach for the laundry or even a laundry detergent with bleach added. I'd be happy with a bleach pen for taking out tough stains, but no go. And for that matter, I really miss my Clorox Clean-up for cleaning the kitchen and bath. For me, nothing says my house is clean like the smell of bleach.

But, even beyond bleach, there are some definite disadvantages to the laundry system in Germany. The machines are generally much smaller than their equivalents in the U.S. Yes, I know German families are also generally smaller than U.S. families, but my U.S. family of 5 still makes a lot of laundry in Germany. I bought the largest washing machine they had at Media Markt, which isn't bad, but the dryer is still very small.

I know the dryer is smaller because many Germans don't dry their clothes in a dryer, or at least not all of their clothes. And now that my daughters are mostly all wearing junior sizes, most of their tops don't go in the dryer - especially those I've bought in Germany. So, I have a huge, German drying rack in the laundry room to accommodate all the clothes that don't go in the dryer.

The worst part of doing the wash, bar none, is the length of time it takes. When I do a load of whites, the machine clicks on for 2 1/2 hours!! Then, I move those whites to the dryer for another 2+ hours. I can't imagine it taking so long in the U.S. for one load of laundry. True, the delicate cycle isn't as long - but still well over 2 1/2 hours from start to finish. That's just crazy - with 5 people in the house, I can be doing laundry all day - everyday. Especially after we return from a trip - yikes!

Now, I will concede that it's possible that our clothes will last longer using the German washer & dryer - I don't know this for sure, but that's what I've been told and it seems possible to me. However, without bleach, there are many things that are irretrievably stained and have to get thrown out, so we have some attrition that we might not have in the U.S. And yes, I also believe that the German system is more energy efficient. It makes sense to me that we're using less energy and not heating the water as high as we do in the U.S., of course the cycle takes so much longer, I'm not sure how much energy is saved.

When I get back to the U.S., I may very well look for a front-loading washer, like my German one. I quite like that there's no agitator for clothes to get hooked on. And certainly my German washing machine uses much less detergent than my U.S. one does. But I want heat in my dryer again. There's nothing quite like taking soft warm clothes directly out of a U.S. dryer on a cold winter's day.

I know that Germans who work for dh's company and are moved to the U.S. can't wait to get back to Germany to use the German washer & dryer, because they think it's so much better and the clothes last so much longer. But I, for one, am definitely looking forward to getting back to my U.S. washer & dryer and being able to do a load in under an hour, from dirty to dry.