[Goosegirl]

My replacement washer-dryer came the other day and I did the preparatory wash as recommended in their manual to remove any left-overs from their tests and am now doing my second lot of laundry For the life of me I don't understand why they can't have a version to operate the washer and/ or the drier without all the other stuff that just gives you a migraine when trying to understand all the various options. 

[Christine]

Instructions written by techies who don't have to operate a washing machine?

[Tenhens]

Are you assuming the techie knows what a washer/dryer is.     perish the thought that they know how to work it as well.

[mrs bouquet]

You could have got the version written in a completely different language     I expect your language was, well, erm …… Mrs B

[JayG]

You're lucky to have any printed instructions to be baffled by!

My latest smartphone had a tiny 4 page leaflet with it - the first 3 pages warned of the dangers of throwing it on a bonfire, or using it in the shower or whilst swimming (wouldn't have bought it if I'd known that!) 
Last page helpfully explained how to plug the charger into a wall socket. 

All other instructions were only available online (including, presumably, how to get online in the first place!  )

[Goosegirl]

Got my first wash done then put it on top of a cupboard whilst I did a second wash then bum! I use powder wash and should have looked at the destructions that say you need to lift up a flap in the detergent doo-dah beforehand. All seemed ok today so have just followed said manual to dry yesterday's washing. Apparently I can wash-and-dry in one cycle but prefer to do them separately as the total weight of the washing load might be too heavy for the drier to cope with. Having followed said manual for drying only then repeatedly tapped on the auto-drying button to get the icon so my washing will be dry enough to put it in a cupboard but I kept getting a wash-and dry cycle - NO! Ah! Just found something at the bottom of the manual page where I should have tapped twice on the Mode button so it wouldn't do a wash beforehand. It's a good job it's only a sheet from OH's bed and not my best lingerie! 

[Goosegirl]

Today I 've loaded some more washing on the synthetic cycle because I don't want to shrink OH's underpants on the cotton cycle. When it's finished I'll put a load of towels in and do a cotton wash. What I can't quite understand is why the synthetic washing cycle takes over two hours where my old washer always did it in one hour and twenty minutes. It would have helped if there was a page for how long different washes took because I'm currently losing the will to live.   

[jaydig]

I remember way back when, when I had my very first washing machine, I knew how long the wash was taking and roughly when it would finish because the selector knob rotated and showed how many minutes were left. It was almost like turning a clockwork knob, and if you think that makes me sound old, for the first two years I was married I managed with a cold water tap and a sink, boiling water on the gas stove, followed by - joy of joys - a Baby Burco Boiler, which was filled with cold water, then plugged in to heat up.  It took for ever, but the minute one's back was turned it came up to boil and spilled boiling hot water all over the kitchen floor. I suppose you could say it did two jobs at once!

[JayG]

What I can't quite understand is why the synthetic washing cycle takes over two hours where my old washer always did it in one hour and twenty minutes.

My nearly-new AEG washer takes at least twice as long as my old one to do any sort of wash. 
Two reasons apparently; firstly, all new machines are cold fill only, secondly, they need the extra washing time to meet the EU standards for cleaning performance at 40C.
I believe it's called progress.   

[mrs bouquet]

- joy of joys - a Baby Burco Boiler, which was filled with cold water, then plugged in to heat up.  It took for ever, but the minute one's back was turned it came up to boil and spilled boiling hot water all over the kitchen floor. I suppose you could say it did two jobs at once!

My joy of joys, was a Debonair spin-driers.  It used to dance around the floor and I sometimes forgot to put a bucket under the spout, that washed to floor as well.    Mrs Bouquet

[Growster...]

Our first washing machine was second-hand and cost £5.00.

It just had a paddle in the middle which went back and forth, and did nothing else.

The fun came when we had to pump it out via a hose which usually slipped off the sink, and carefully drenched the entire ground floor of the flat...

There were no instructions, so we didn't need to learn Chinese!

[Goosegirl]

When I first got married in the 70's I couldn't afford a washing machine so had to do it in the bath. Later when I was on my own someone got me this rather ancient, big, heavy and round metal jobbie but can't recall how it worked. Eventually I got a twin-tub like my mum had and had to use those big wooden tongs to transfer the washing into the spin-drier. To date, I'm happily on my last load of drying and only one more load to go (unless OH brings down a month's worth that for some reason he's kept hidden from me) before it gets switched off. Oh Deepjoy!   

[wighty]

This thread is bringing back some memories, we had a Baby Burco type boiler on the wall for hot water.  I was only four or five at the time and thought I was being 'helpful' by cleaning it out with washing up liquid!   Think it took ages to get rid of the bubbles.  I also remember stand alone boilers, mangles, twin tubs and wooden tongs.  We didn't have a hoover when I was a child, just one of those Bissell type sweepers.

[Goosegirl]

Wighty, I used to help my mum do her washing on a Monday. She used to put the clothes into the washer (a green and cream one?) along with a little bag of dolly blue. It had a hand-operated mangle attached to the top which probably did a better job than some of today's spin dryers. I remember the time when I trapped my fingers between the rollers!  As for carpet sweepers, my mum had a push-and-pull Ewbank and she also put a rug on the washing line then beat it with her broom handle or something similar then, when all was dry, I'd help her fold the sheets.