out_of_the_ordinary

My washer is a top-loader. The crud in the pic is normally covered over by the agitator base. (DH had pulled out the agitator). I've just never seen anything like this in a washer.

our initial discovery. the wet stuff is where DH poured bleach on it

We already got our money's worth on the extended warranty a year and a half ago when we had a problem. It might have been the motor... Anyway, DH asked how much it would have cost for parts and labor if it wasn't under warranty. It would have been over $600! But the washer only cost $400! Maybe that's why they don't make anything to last! If we hadn't had the extended warranty, it would have been cheaper to buy a whole new washing machine! Even with the warranty, I still feel like I bought a lemon. More and more, I'm thinking my rash/itchyness is something to do with the washer. No rash on my shins while I wore shorts all week, one day of jeans, and the rash is back on my shins. My hands are getting red and itchy after just folding laundry. I've been drying my hands with paper towels instead of hand towels, and my hands are looking and feeling a little better. I washed a load of DH's work clothes yesterday and noticed pieces of that corroded/rusted metal in the bottom of the washer. If that's the pieces of it I'm seeing, I wonder if there's tiny bits of it--not visable--that are on everything. I've been hand-washing some of my lighter things. I didn't notice a difference while wearing those clothes the first time after hand-washing them, but did the second time. (And I'm using the same detergent.)

Good afternoon! It's hot here. There's a chance of scattered storms. Our skies keep changing from bright blue and sunny to very dark. I'm watching for the UPS guy. My package with the plastic breathing hand washer thing is supposed to be delivered today. I'm hoping they bring it to the house and don't drop it off at the Post Office. Yesterday, DH planted some things. I'm still keeping out of the dirt...it was difficult to watch and not jump in! He planted 10 bell pepper plants. 6 are Penn Bell and 4 are something else. He planted 4 cherry tomato plants, onion sets, beets, marigolds and the hydrangea he got me as an Easter gift. We bought a chocolate mint plant at Agway--it smells so good! DH planted that in a pot. We still have more to get planted in the garden--carrots, more parsley, Kentucky wonder pole beans, lima beans, more onion sets and either zuchinni or yellow summer squash.

Congratulations!

I hope you have a great time!

New parts for the washing machine were delivered today. The repairman is scheduled for the middle of next week. I don't know who's coming out ahead on this--I haven't figured out if I got duped buying this washer (around $400) or if I'm really getting my money's worth of that $85 extended warranty.

With my rash situation, I'm currently avoiding playing in the dirt. Here's the garlic we planted last fall. The lettuce came up on it's own--heirloom black seeded Simpson from last year. Much more than I planted last year. Those heirloom seeds really spread! There's an onion I missed last year. DH planted spinach, but it's not up yet. Other pic is my herb bed. The chicken-wire was put there last year to discourage cats from using it as a littler box. The left side is oregano. It's heirloom and is from last year. The right is parsley, also heirloom, Giant of Italy. It's needing to be picked. Thanks Winks, for the instructions! I'm not sure if I did that right--the pics are attached but the thumbnails are not opening. Let's just pretend it's a very tiny garden.

Neat! How do we post pictures? (I need instructions!)

A repairman is coming Wednesday. It's worth a try... I shouldn't have this with a 3 1/2 year-old washing machine.

I've been wondering that about the itching and rash. It certainly couldn't be good for my skin. The rash had cleared from my neck. Thurs. evening I washed our throw pillows. Friday morning, I laid/slept on one of those throw pillows. By noon, I had the rash and intense itching on my neck. I did make some big progress. Between the bleach yesterday, and then CLR (sitting in there with hot water and then running it) twice, plus, scraping with a putty knife between each thing, alot of that "stuff" is gone. There were even small drain holes completely plugged that are now open. Makes me wonder what's inside of it all though. I think I'm down to corroded/rusty metal. The basket itself is stainless steel and still looks fine. This other metal is on the bottom of the basket, the part under the plastic of the agitator. [Manuf. used cheap metal where you don't see it?] I'm not sure where to go from here. The washer is 3 1/2 years old and shouldn't have corrosion/rust there. It's still under warranty (bought an extended warranty when we bought it), but I don't know if they'd cover something like this. DH doesn't think they will because it's not mechanical or electrical. I'm going to call, because it's worth a try.

Thanks for the ideas, everyone! We ran a rinse cycle after DH poured bleach in there last night and a little did come loose. I think you're right Cat; we may need to scrape it. I filled it up with hot water and poured a jug of clorox in there. I'm going to let it sit until closer to DH coming home, then run it through a couple rinse cycles. We have water softener because of the iron in our well water.

With this rash, other than things I'm consuming, DH and I keep going over and over things, nothing's changed, no new anything, same cleaning stuff, laundry detergent (all free clear), no new clothes, ect. We keep going back to the washing machine. A few weeks ago, I even quit using Downy (was using the free clear variety of that as well). We did have the washer repaired in the fall of 2010, under warranty. It had to be completely torn apart, pulling the basket, tub and agitator out to get to the motor. Repair guy did mention to run an empty cycle with hot water and bleach through every other month or so because we had a few pieces of what he called "dried soap suds" in the tub. Ok, did that. So after work today, DH decided to take some of the washer apart to see if maybe it was dirty or had something built up in it. When he pulled the agitator off, we were shocked and so very disgusted....There's this moldy/algae-y/dirt/soap scum/disgusting STUFF. It's rock hard. I've been washing our laundry in THAT....our towels, our clothes, our sheets.....ewwwww (I'm not sure how to post a pic here) DH poured bleach on it, but nothing happened. My aunt suggested running CLR through the washer. We'll have to wait until DH gets home from work tomorrow to pick some up. Even if we can get rid of that, I wonder where else it could be growing....DH doesn't have tools/ability to take it apart any further. I don't know if I want to put my laundry in there ever again...

Congratulations!

How's Buddy doing?

Miki, I'm sorry Buddy had another seizure! Hang in there! I sometimes think it's harder on us than on them. My vet told us that stress--both good and bad can be a trigger. What about the shampoo you used? There's a list of possible triggers here http://www.canine-epilepsy-guardian-angels.com/SeizureTriggers.htm We used Rescue Remedy flower essences alot for our dog to help with stress. It's not very expensive, I think around $8 at GNC. It's in a dropper bottle and you just use a few drops at a time, so the bottle lasts awhile. http://www.canine-epilepsy-guardian-angels.com/rescue_remedy.htm We also used it after a seizure, with a little ice cream to help bring his blood sugar level back up. http://www.canine-epilepsy-guardian-angels.com/ice_cream.htm

Thank you!!!

Does anyone have dosage information that they wouldn't mind sharing? I'd really appreciate it!!!! I have books on supplements/vitamins. There's info on what conditions are good to use tea tree oil for, but no dosage/dilution ratio information. I have sensitive skin, so I know to just try a little on a small part of my rash, but I don't know what "a little" is. I ordered NOW brand 100% pure tea tree oil. On the label it says: Suggested Use: For aromatherapy use. For all other uses, carefully dilute with a carrier oil such as jojoba, grapeseed, olive, or almond oil prior to use. Please consult an essential oil book or other professional reference source for suggested dilution ratios. Natural essential oils are highly concentrated and should be used with care.

Thank you, Jeepers!! The Lanacane is helping some with the itching. I ordered tea tree oil, vitamin e oil and aloe gel. I hoping one of those will help.

Miki, I'm sorry Buddy had a seizure! It's incredibly tough to see. Our dog was an epileptic. This site has the best info that I've come across: http://www.canine-epilepsy-guardian-angels.com/site_map.htm There's a wealth of information there. We did a lot of the things they recommended and saw some improvement. I hope Buddy doesn't have any more!! One thing you might want to do is keep a "seizure journal" write down the date, what he did, what he ate that day, the weather, ect. We were able to identify some of my dog's triggers that way. We used Rescue Remedy anytime he seemed upset and after a seizure (he had the worst post-ictal; Rescue Remedy helped to stop the endless pacing). Some people use it before a seizure, too. There's info on that site on what to do before/during/after a seizure. I hope this helps!

I have a bad rash that is so itchy I feel like I could scratch my own skin off! At first I thought it was just very dry skin. Baby oil, Bag Balm, A&D diaper rash ointment, Vaseline, Udder Cream, hydrocortisone cream, haven't given me much relief. The only thing new in my diet is a gluten-free muffin I've been making at home, so I think I'm reacting to one of the ingredients in that (not a gluten reaction though). I didn't realize that may be it until yesterday, though. Yesterday morning, it was only on my legs. Now it's on my arms and stomach. I'm taking Benedryl. DH is going to go to the store when he gets off of work to get Lanacane (sp). If that doesn't help, I'm going to try tea tree oil.

A few things I haven't seen here yet: Honey. It's good to add to hot tea to help soothe a sore throat. Anyone else use a Vaporizer? We have one and I make sure we have the solution stuff for it. We have a small humidifier, but I like the warmth of the Vaporizer. That and Vicks VapoRub seem to help me the most when I'm all stuffed up. I can't have regular decongestants (hypothyroid), so I use Marshmellow Root capsules. Although it works much better for DH than me. I recently found that although I can't have DayQuil, there are NyQuil capsules that are safe for me (no decongestants in them). Lots of extra tissues. Extra tissues with lotion in them. We were both sick with bad colds a few weeks ago. In one weekend, we went through over 5 boxes of tissues. Vaseline (to apply to your nose after using so many tissues!) Go fish, I use sweet oil for ear aches. It helps! Since I think there's a few other celiacs or people on gluten-free diets here, I want to add that I recently re-checked and all Vicks products are gluten-free.

Beef tips (a roast cut up into chunks, simmered with dehydrated onion and parsley for a few hours-- until the beef is very tender) Rice Broccoli for DH

DH has a cold, so it's chicken soup. I had some already made, just had to get the containers out of the freezer, thaw, and make rice to add to it. I'm also making chicken stock today and tomorrow.