CD Hiatus of 2 months?

ATLdesi · March 2014

Hi all - I'm feeling irrationally sad and frustrated about something. DH and I are in the process of putting our city condo on the market b/c we're moving out of state, and we're facing a period of maybe 2 months where we won't have laundry en-suite. I'm trying to decide what to do about this period and could use some advice!

We have a portable washer/dryer stacked on a special shelving unit in our kitchen. It is absolutely hideous and unsightly, BUT - it has been the only way we've been able to do the CD thing, which has made it totally worthwhile for me. I was dreading the day that we had our realtor over to look at the place and advise us on how to stage, b/c I knew she'd tell me to get rid of it before our open house. Sure enough, she wants us to lose the washer/dryer like yesterday. Dammit!

Our open house is April 26, but we're probably not really moving until the end of June. Our building does have communal pay-laundry in the basement, and there isn't an explicit rule about not laundering diapers, but I also don't want to offend anyone by just doing it and hoping not to get caught. But I do spray my diapers thoroughly, and would be extra-extra careful about it if I chose to go this route, even spraying pee diapers, etc. It is a huge PITA to get down to the common laundry (we're on the 4th floor, so 5 flights of stairs to manage each wash, dry, carry down/up, all with DS on my back in the Ergo) and is also expensive - would be $1.50 per wash, $1.50 per dry - so a minimum of $4.50 per load to account for rinse, wash, and dry. Even if I do laundry EOD (which normally I prefer daily) it would be about $145. Buying spouses for that same period would be $175 or so, plus without all the schlepping. I HATE sposies with a passion - plus, we've just started getting serious with DS about doing elimination communication, and he's been having a 50/50 success rate of going in the potty - - I don't want to set him back by putting him in disposables which have that stay-dry effect and result in him not feeling the sensation of wetness, that helps him learn when to go to the potty. But I also want to be smart and practical. I don't know if it's worth my trouble to struggle for 2 months with this issue - - on top of all the other work we have to do to fix up our place, pack our things, travel to find new housing, etc.

Sorry for the saga

Anyone been in these shoes before? What would you do in my situation? Thanks in advance for any insights!

jcwinsto · March 2014

How about a folding screen to put in front of the washer/dryer in the kitchen? I know they make some really pretty ones. Like a trifold changing screen type of thing. I can't think of any other way to disguise it other than getting rid of it. If you are diligent about throughly spraying EVERY diaper you might get away without the rinse cycle for a couple months and just do a good strip when you get a place to do it. Maybe do a little bleach or Bac Out in each wash. You could possibly hang dry.

LatteLady5 · March 2014

I'd keep the portable washer...maybe find a place to stash it but if that's not possible I would just keep it.

I don't think an ugly portable washer will make or break the deal.

abby8279 · March 2014

I would a. keep the washer OR b. handwash flats/covers.

freezorburn · March 2014

I vote cover the washer and keep it. You don't have to take all of your realtor's recommendations. Years ago when we sold a condo my realtor wanted us to repaint all of our trim and I said no. We still got a great offer.

Aurora_Borealis · March 2014

What is your real estate market like? Where I live pretty much everyone stages their house so something like you describe would definitely have a negative impact on the quantity and quality of offers. If your competition in the market is condos with shiny updated kitchens I would take your agent's advice and remove the laundry appliances because something like that is really going to be a turn off to a potential buyer. If that's not the case in your local market or there aren't a lot of similar condos for sale, then go with your gut.

Though in your situation I would remove it, since it's in your best interest to put your property's best foot forward. And I would use sposies because hand washing diapers while prepping for an out-of-state move sounds like a lot of extra work during an already stressful time.

YellowLily2013 · March 2014

Disposables! It's only a couple of months, but you will be happy to sell your house and move. Just think how exciting it will be to get back in them!

Also, I'd thoroughly wash and dry before packing away. And apparently cardboard boxes are best because they let them breathe.

Some people also keep covers handy to put over disposables to prevent blow out. So if you have any that'd be something to keep out of the diaper box.

ATLdesi · April 2014

Hi all - sorry I posted and dashed. DS was being a handful today - thank goodness he's cute

I really appreciate everyone's suggestions. To answer some questions - the condo market in my area is actually VERY hot right now. I live in Boston where there are a disproportionate number of interested buyers to available properties at our price point and type. In fact the realtor thinks we're going to make about $10-$15K over asking. So that's a compelling reason to keep the washer, even if she thinks I should get rid of it - since properties are selling no matter what. And ours is actually sort of fixed up and aesthetically pleasing, so I think it'll be easy to sell. My washer already has wheels, so I totally could store it in a closet if I had to (although the closets in this place are tiny, and having a washer in there might highlight how small they really are, oops).

The arguments against keeping them are: the legality of even having the washer/dryer is sort of a gray area in our condo docs. I took a chance and bought them, because technically there is nothing in our condo docs that made them 100% illegal

Yes, I dared to be different. The realtor is pretty sure that if a property goes on sale with appliances like these, the condo board is going to get all huffy and make a concerted effort to put something in paper about banning them. I just don't want to be a jerk and make it hard for anyone else out there who might have appliances like these. Also, I'm not planning on taking them with me when I move anyway, so they have to be sold - I'm just selling them a few weeks earlier than planned.

I do have a large stash of natural diapers - cotton prefolds and some fitteds (rapidly becoming too short in the rise, but might get us by for a little longer). I think if I choose to continue with cloth for this period and do the thorough rinsing plan before laundering downstairs, I'd probably have a better chance of not ruining diapers by using only these cotton dipes rather than my microfleece/buttersuede pockets, right? B/c I prob won't have to strip, etc.? The flats idea is great, but honestly I'm not going to have the time or interest - if that were my only alternative, I'd get the sposies in a heartbeat.

I suppose I could try this prefold/common laundry thing out for a week or two, and if it's too hard, throw in the towel and buy sposies . . .

Thanks for your thoughts!!!

luvboston · April 2014

Use disposables unless you want to lose your mind. Our pipe to the washer broke 2 days after we moved in when we were cd I had to beg a friend for her washer.

ATLdesi · April 2014

luvboston said:

Use disposables unless you want to lose your mind. Our pipe to the washer broke 2 days after we moved in when we were cd I had to beg a friend for her washer.

Ha! Yeah I'd rather not lose my mind

I'm seriously thinking about it and trying to get over myself in order to just go to sposies. The broken pipe sounds horrible - sorry that happened!

Sarah226 · April 2014

Do you have a storage locker in the basement or someplace like that where you could store it for showings? It would be a pain to move back and forth, but less so than using communal laundry every other day, I would think. If it were me I wouldn't switch to disposables just b/c the rules kinda sorta forbid the washer... but maybe I'm just a bitch like that.

My HOA technically prohibits clotheslines that are visible from the street, but since I live on the corner, my whole lot is visible from the street. I put up a retractable one anyway, and when a neighbor complained I plead my case to the board and got an exception. So you never know...

ATLdesi · April 2014

charmingthemoon said:

No helpful advice here, but I just wanted to send my sympathies. I have the same condo set up and I love my little washer! I hide it from my neighbors though, bc I don't really know if it's ok. I would not wash in the shared basement washer. But I would hate if I had to get rid of my washer! The only idea I have is to disconnect and move it and cover it up elsewhere... You can put it on wheels if needed. Good luck!

Thanks for they sympathies, charmingthemoon! Yeah, I fear the neighbors too, LOL - I haven't had anyone over in the last year since we got the machine! It is on wheels, so technically I *could* wheel it into a closet during showings. The problem is, I'm sure people will be looking at the closet space during the showings, so it'll get discovered anyway and inevitably someone will ask if they can keep it, etc. I just don't know if it's worth making things difficult for all my neighbors that I'm leaving behind - I'm good friends with many of them, and I don't want them to have to deal with any new regulations that restrict them from having similar machines. Sigh - still deciding what to do. I'm doing EC with my son very part-time, but just this week he started signaling to me every time he has to poop. I'm wondering, if this keeps up for a week or two, if maybe I can get away with using cloth and laundering pee diapers downstairs, and hopefully catching all his poops in the potty haha

But it's awfully risky! I'm likely going to end up buying sposies.

CD Hiatus of 2 months?

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