A few years ago when staying with a French friend I decided to tackle my washing in his top-loading tumble dryer. He couldn’t stop laughing when he found me trying to open the little plastic sachet of laundry liquid (per link below). How was I supposed to know that the plastic dissolved in the wash?
The other laundry related product I first discovered in France were the little sheets (about the size of a tissue) that you put in the wash to absorb any colours that run. They certainly made life much easier for me when I was doing an extended homestay and was only allowed to do one load of washing per week. They probably existed at that time in other Western countries but certainly not in Australia.
Hi, I love that story about the sachets! They have sachets, but with powder inside, for the dishwasher. I’ll have to remember to warn my house exchange guests! I’ve never heart about the sheets to absorb colours that run. They sound wonderful and must be very useful when you only have a small load of mixed clothes.
[…] Aussie in France from the Tropics to the City of Light Skip to content HomeMe myselfPlaces to Buy ThingsPlaces to Eat and DrinkPlaces to StayRecipesWineContact ← Washing Machines I Have Known […]
I love hearing about everyone’s washing machine stories. So many expats have such hilarious and interesting experiences. It’s funny that something that I never thought about while living in America is such a piece of conversation now! Here are my thoughts: http://manandwomaninparis.blogspot.com/2011/11/lady-lancelot-of-laundry.html
-Kristen
Fraussie
January 26th, 2012 at 9:52 am
Welcome Kristen and thanks for sharing! I’m delighted to learn I’m not the only one with laundry problems in France. Of course, one thing people rarely realise is that a 5 kg washing load means TWO drying loads or more because you can only dry 2 kg at a time in the same size machine so you have to take have the wash out. I’ll have remember to tell my home exchange visitors that! And, of course, as your post explains, not all machines dry clothes as well.
[…] laundry room is very rare in France and there are pratically no washing machines here that use cold water, which is why the cycles are so long (the machine heats the water). We had […]
Ali
October 7th, 2013 at 11:20 am
Hi there ,
That is quite stange world , my name is ali , i have been living in sydney for 2 years , today helping my wife in laundry , just being couries about washong machine options and asked her , what is drip dry ? She did not know too, so googled it and end up in your blog aussie in france that .
I really like australia , i really do and kind of feeling the same as you in mayter of living an another country .
Wish all the best for you
Rosemary Kneipp
October 7th, 2013 at 11:29 am
Hello Ali and welcome to Aussie in France. I’m so glad you like my blog. I think being a foreigner in any country, even if you really like living there, has its difficult (and sometimes funny!) moments. I hope Australia will continue to treat you well. Just in case you didn’t get a satisfactory answer to “Drip dry”, it means that when you take the clothes out of the machine (usually shirts and dresses), you put them directly on a clothes hanger so that the remaining water will drip off and the clothes won’t need ironing when they are dry. It is useful in Australia where you can usually hang your clothes outdoors but not in France where we usually have to hang them inside! You may see “drip dry” written on certain shirts when you buy them, meaning that they don’t need ironing if you use the drip dry cycle on the machine. Good luck!
leise
October 8th, 2017 at 10:01 am
Hi all – I am an aussie living in France – I am looking for a top loader like we have in australia. Do they exist here in France? With the normal tub? I don’t like that I cannot stop the machine to put extra things in or take things out I want to drip dry.
Any ideas?
A few years ago when staying with a French friend I decided to tackle my washing in his top-loading tumble dryer. He couldn’t stop laughing when he found me trying to open the little plastic sachet of laundry liquid (per link below). How was I supposed to know that the plastic dissolved in the wash?
The other laundry related product I first discovered in France were the little sheets (about the size of a tissue) that you put in the wash to absorb any colours that run. They certainly made life much easier for me when I was doing an extended homestay and was only allowed to do one load of washing per week. They probably existed at that time in other Western countries but certainly not in Australia.
Link to image of the sachets: http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-i56Wit7w_pc/Twa0z0F_v5I/AAAAAAAAAZo/kHf1SSv41kI/s200/dosette-lessive-341407.jpg
Hi, I love that story about the sachets! They have sachets, but with powder inside, for the dishwasher. I’ll have to remember to warn my house exchange guests! I’ve never heart about the sheets to absorb colours that run. They sound wonderful and must be very useful when you only have a small load of mixed clothes.
[…] Aussie in France from the Tropics to the City of Light Skip to content HomeMe myselfPlaces to Buy ThingsPlaces to Eat and DrinkPlaces to StayRecipesWineContact ← Washing Machines I Have Known […]
I love hearing about everyone’s washing machine stories. So many expats have such hilarious and interesting experiences. It’s funny that something that I never thought about while living in America is such a piece of conversation now! Here are my thoughts:
http://manandwomaninparis.blogspot.com/2011/11/lady-lancelot-of-laundry.html
-Kristen
Welcome Kristen and thanks for sharing! I’m delighted to learn I’m not the only one with laundry problems in France. Of course, one thing people rarely realise is that a 5 kg washing load means TWO drying loads or more because you can only dry 2 kg at a time in the same size machine so you have to take have the wash out. I’ll have remember to tell my home exchange visitors that! And, of course, as your post explains, not all machines dry clothes as well.
[…] laundry room is very rare in France and there are pratically no washing machines here that use cold water, which is why the cycles are so long (the machine heats the water). We had […]
Hi there ,
That is quite stange world , my name is ali , i have been living in sydney for 2 years , today helping my wife in laundry , just being couries about washong machine options and asked her , what is drip dry ? She did not know too, so googled it and end up in your blog aussie in france that .
I really like australia , i really do and kind of feeling the same as you in mayter of living an another country .
Wish all the best for you
Hello Ali and welcome to Aussie in France. I’m so glad you like my blog. I think being a foreigner in any country, even if you really like living there, has its difficult (and sometimes funny!) moments. I hope Australia will continue to treat you well. Just in case you didn’t get a satisfactory answer to “Drip dry”, it means that when you take the clothes out of the machine (usually shirts and dresses), you put them directly on a clothes hanger so that the remaining water will drip off and the clothes won’t need ironing when they are dry. It is useful in Australia where you can usually hang your clothes outdoors but not in France where we usually have to hang them inside! You may see “drip dry” written on certain shirts when you buy them, meaning that they don’t need ironing if you use the drip dry cycle on the machine. Good luck!
Hi all – I am an aussie living in France – I am looking for a top loader like we have in australia. Do they exist here in France? With the normal tub? I don’t like that I cannot stop the machine to put extra things in or take things out I want to drip dry.
Any ideas?
My apologies for taking so long to answer but I didn’t see your comment. I have never seen a top loader like the ones in Australia, but there is a type of machine that you can open while during the cycle. It has a drum inside. Darty sells them : https://www.darty.com/nav/achat/gros_electromenager/lave-linge/lave_linge_ouverture_dessus/index.html. Hope that helps!