Samsung appliances aren’t exactly well-known for their durability and longevity but I’ve got to admit that the Samsung front-loading washing machine that arrived a day or so after closing on this house over 14 years ago has been a real champ and really not given much of a fuss unlike the dryer that has already been replaced and a refrigerator destroyed by an evil Lowe’s service technician.

In fairness, it wasn’t ever really stressed other than by the odd load of towels but when you’re used to Kenmore machines that were impossible to kill and were handed down between generations of the family, the modern appliances just don’t come close to that legendary reliability thanks to consolidation of the industry to just a few OEMs that re-badge their products for anyone who will licence them and much cheaper components.

And yet, appliances today are more expensive than they’ve ever been.

That’s why it was rather disappointing that the drain motor on that Samsung front-loader decided it really wasn’t into draining the washer any more and it was time to go get a replacement.

I do like the front-loading machines but they are notorious for being mold factories and cleaning them is a real pain in the arse so in the interest of ease of maintenance and especially a cheap price ahead of the Trump administration’s chaotic tariffs policy on imported goods, we went old school back to the old agitator top-loading model.

So far, the only thing that’s been a bit weird is that the detergent/softener dispenser doesn’t drain completely and you have to remove the drawer and tilt it to drain the water that flushed it during the wash cycle but that’s a minor annoyance at best.

It does the job it’s meant to do and that’s all I was really hoping for in this era of lowered expectations.

Now, I’m sure Dad’s having more than a little bit of a laugh that the pedestal got repurposed into a very convenient water bottle drawer right next to the refrigerator in the garage that’s usually keeping the drinks cool which was a much better arrangement than the poor packaging of the bottles of water.

It’s not the first time new life was found for an obsolete appliance (or in this case the pedestal mounted under the washer for storage, etc.) and it probably won’t be the last.

Actually, the two steel pedestals that the washer pedestal now sits upon were themselves repurposed from the stands that the water heaters in this house and my neighbour Miguel’s house stood upon when the water heaters were replaced.

Waste not, want not! 🙂