🧺 Tidy Tidbits: Get a Load of This! Subtitle: The Never-Ending Spin Cycle of City Laundry Life

Show Notes: In this episode of Tidy Tidbits, we're talking about the seven-letter word that haunts every household: L-A-U-N-D-R-Y.

Join Tidy Dad as he:

* Shares what it’s like doing laundry in a 1914 NYC apartment building (spoiler: no washer, no dryer, and yes, the tub is clogged… again) [update - we unclogged the tub, using this miracle product!!!]

* Recounts the time his toddler quite literally pantsed him on a city sidewalk while hauling a giant laundry bag

* Breaks down the real cost of laundromat life vs. premium laundry service (and why he’s terrified to enjoy the luxury)

* Reveals the magic of doing laundry at his Pennsylvania cottage—and the high-maintenance love affair with his stackable front-loader

* Offers practical tips for maintaining a front-loading washer, including mold prevention (here’s my favorite mold remover!), filter cleaning, and the one monthly step most people forget

* Invites you to grab the Find Your Filters guide inside the paid Tidy Toolkit 🛠️

Because whether you're hauling your hamper to the laundromat or dancing with dryer sheets in your basement, laundry is universal. And if your washer smells musty, we’re gonna fix that.

If you enjoyed this episode, give it a like and leave a comment!

Full Episode Transcript

Do you know the seven-letter curse word? Yes, I’m talking about laundry. L-A-U-N-D-R-Y.The chore that never ends. The one you finish, only to realize—you’ve already started again.The one that somehow always leaves you with more socks than you started with… and fewer matches.

Welcome back to Tidy Tidbits, where we cover the tools, tricks, and tiny triumphs that make life just a little tidier—in five minutes or less. I’m Tidy Dad, your host, laundry hauler, and longtime survivor of communal dryers.

And yes, in case you were wondering—I’m recording this from my office. Also known as…the bathroom. And since you didn’t ask, yes, our tub is currently clogged. Again. This happens once a year. A random plumber shows up, pokes around, and declares it fixed. Until next year.

Today’s topic is one I get asked about all the time: LAUNDRY. Especially NYC laundry—which is a beast of its own.

We live in a 1914 building. And like many charming, historic, mildly haunted apartments in New York City, we’re not allowed to have a washer and dryer in our unit.

Yes, some residents rebel. They sneak in little portable washers and drain it in the bathtub. But remember, ours is currently clogged.

Instead, we—like many city dwellers—go to the laundromat. On our corner, just down the block, there’s always someone wheeling or carrying a giant laundry bag. And when the girls were little, I used to drag them with me.

One time, Mabel accidentally pulled my pants down.

I had two hands gripping a 40-lb laundry bag the size of a beanbag chair. Her tiny hand was holding onto my sweatpants pocket as we crossed the street—until the weight of that little hand slowly slid my pants down mid-crosswalk.

Yes, I was wearing clean underwear. It was my last pair.

And yes, people did notice.

New York City: where dreams are made and pants get dropped.

Some people choose to pay for laundry service—washed, dried, folded, and returned smelling like lavender clouds. But we’ve never allowed ourselves that luxury.

It’s not just the cost ($1.50 to $5 a pound). It’s also the fear that, after 15 years of schlepping laundry bags like urban sherpas, I might start to… like it too much.

What if I get hooked on convenience? What if life in NYC becomes too easy?

So instead, we head across the street. $7.50 for a giant five-load washer. $2.75 for the baby one. And dryers? A cool 25 cents gets you eight minutes of rotational heat. I know. You're jealous.

But—plot twist—two months out of the year, we do get the luxury of doing laundry at our cottage, outside of the city. .

Because in 2019, we bought a tiny cottage in Pennsylvania. It had a six-figure price that started with a 1. Our realtor said, “This place is way too small for your family.” And we said, “You’ve clearly never seen our apartment.”

Best part? It had a washer and dryer. In-unit. Stackable. Beautiful. But a bit high maintenance.

Let me teach you how to care for a front-loader. And I promise—I’m using real, technical terminology here.

Step One: Drain the hose. No, that’s not a euphemism. The hose is located at the bottom of the washer. If you don’t drain it monthly, water builds up, and your unit can smell. Trust me.

Step Two: Clean the filter. Once the hose is drained, unscrew the cap and pull out the lint-trapping horror. Hair. Coins. Bits of who-knows-what. If your washing machine smells like a swamp, this is why.

Step Three: Remove and dry the detergent drawers. These little guys collect leftover water after each cycle. If you leave them wet, mold grows fast.

Step Four: Clean the rubber door seal. That seal? It’s a mold trap. Wipe it regularly. I use a mold remover that’s like magic. And remember to always leave the washer door open after a washing load so the inside can fully dry.

Step Five: Drop in a washer-cleaning tablet once a month. It’s like a breath mint. For your washer. Freshens everything up. Keeps the funk away.

Bonus tip? There’s a teeny filter in the back of the washer hose. Ours got clogged by well water sediment once. I had to shimmy behind the machine like a DIY contortionist, remove the hose, and dig out the blockage. After that, the washer ran like new—and I ran to shower.

And if you’re wondering where your home’s hidden filters are (washer, vacuum, HVAC, whatever), I just added a “Find Your Filters” guide to the Tidy Toolkit—exclusively for paid subscribers of The Tidy Times.

Because laundry is messy. Life is messy. But your filters don’t have to be.

So here’s to the load-bearing chore we all share. The universal experience of mismatched socks. The beauty of warm clothes from the dryer. And the fact that—unless you’ve joined a nudist commune—we all have to do it.

Thanks for tuning in to Tidy Tidbits: A Load of This. I’ll be back next week with more tools, tricks, and tiny triumphs to help you tidy up life’s little moments—in five minutes or less.

Want more? Become a paid subscriber to The Tidy Times for just $5 a month or $50 a year—that’s only $4.13 a month, less than the cost of a large washer cycle!

Until then, keep it tidy. And may your socks always find their match.

🎧 Want more? Become a paid subscriber to unlock exclusive resources, bonus content, and the full Tidy Toolkit. Just $5/month or $50/year—that’s less than a dryer cycle at a NYC laundromat.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit tidydad.substack.com/subscribe