Wednesday, September 15, 2010

A Silly Question?

A couple of days ago I had this comment on the blog: "Another silly question ... if someone on Ocracoke doesn't have a washer and dryer, or it breaks, where do they do their laundry?"

Well, I know that some islanders have made arrangements with family, friends, or neighbors to use their laundry facilities. Of course, one can always string up a line to dry clothes. However, I don't know anyone who is willing to wash clothes by hand in a galvanized tub. Those days are long gone...though our grandchildren might need to relearn that skill.

A public Laundromat has been tried, but it was not successful -- too many salty bathing suits and beach towels, and lots of sand quickly ruined the machines.

This month's Ocracoke Newsletter, Looking for the Wahabs of Ocracoke, was written by Dr. James Zogby, president of the Arab American Institute. You can read the article here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news082110.htm.

10 comments:

  1. Anonymous11:23 AM

    well i would think a full service laundry would do well. don't some people tidy up befoe the weekly maid arrives? A full service where the clothing is folded would eliminate the anomininity of throwing sandy clothes into a machine-- something that would not be done at home i dare say or perhaps that was just the excuse how could your fine white sugar sand do that perhaps throwing the clothes in the dryw
    er first to shake out a few n
    bits of sand would s
    do the trick Hey lets have others weigh in on this subject lets talk about your dirty laundry

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  2. Anonymous1:47 PM

    Speaking of "silly questions"-did you ever answer the one about why your old house doesn't have closets? PS-I like silly questions.

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  3. I did answer the trivia question about closets. You can read it here: http://villagecraftsmen.blogspot.com/2010/08/answer-to-trivia-question.html

    It was published Monday, August 30, 2010

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  4. Anonymous3:07 PM

    Appreciate your prompt reply-without the wire hanger I wonder what Joan Crawford would have said. Love your blog. Signed-Disco

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  5. Woody4:18 PM

    Elizabeth Parsons use to laundry way back, for she did my laundry when I lived in Robert and Birdie Gaskills house and I didn't have a laundry set-up.........

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  6. Woody4:19 PM

    Elizabeth Parsons use to laundry way back, for she did my laundry when I lived in Robert and Birdie Gaskills house and I didn't have a laundry set-up, and she did alot of other locals and tourists alike also............

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  7. You just need a washing machine. I live in Canada and I hang out my laundry on a clothesline from March/April until November. With your lovely weather in OBX you could probably do that year-round and save yourself the hydro bill!!

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  8. For what it's worth, I did quite a bit of my laundry last year by hand, on the porch in Oyster Creek, in the very same galvanized tub I was regularly bathed in as a child... Luckily, my neighbors were often generous enough to permit me use of a washing machine, and line drying was quite sufficient.
    I can't say I miss those days much, now that I'm living with "modern convenience."

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  9. Debbie Leonard10:41 PM

    The closest thing to an actual laundromat is in Hatteras; it's in the deli at the Harbor Marina; they have a couple of coin operated washers and dryers in there. And at least you can get good food to eat while your clothes wash and dry.

    Camping at Ocracoke can certainly be challenging at times with no laundry facilities; I sure wish someone would at least put a couple of machines in the back of their store, or something!

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  10. Anonymous3:22 PM

    "I live in Canada and I hang out my laundry on a clothesline"

    It might be more wet when you come to check on it, than when you left it.

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