We used to own a washing machine that only worked with cardboard. Now we have a fan that only works with cardboard.

The washing machine in our house gets a serious workout. Our apartment is small and we don’t have a dryer (which is why we are able to afford the things like the apartment and clothes) which means we have to hang dry our clothes which subjects us to the perils of rain, snow, wind and yellow dust and pollution from China. This means She Who Must Be Obeyed does laundry almost every day.

(Note: I do not think this is necessary but refer you to She Who Must Be Obeyed’s name.)

(Second Note: As to why our daughters have not been taught how to do this task, well, that’s another post.)

Eventually, as a result of constant wear and tear, the on/off button on our old washing machine broke. If you depressed it, nothing happened. For a while we were able to force it into place but eventually even that stopped working.

Somehow, and I still don’t understand how or why, SWMBO figured out a way to insert a thin piece of cardboard alongside and under the button to make it work. The problem is, if it failed, you had to insert a new piece of cardboard. Getting it set correctly could take a lot of time (prompting me to go to the laundromat a couple times instead).

Eventually, even that stopped working and we broke down and bought a new washing machine.

Everything was fine until this week when our floor fan, which is at least 12 years old, finally started to break. (Actually, this was the second thing to break: the neck stopped extending last year.) This year, the joint holding the fan at the proper angle gave up prompting the fan to point its face toward the floor like a little kid getting a stern scolding.

It still works and it still oscillates and I planned on taking it apart today and seeing if it could be patched with duct tape. (Or, barring that, I planned to ruin it enough to force the purchase of a new one.)

However, She Who Must Be Obeyed instinctively went for the cardboard and figured out a way to wedge the face up a little higher. (Now it looks like a teenager taking a scolding and/or rolling her eyes.)

When SWMBO realized this was her second cardboard repair, she started laughing.

I still plan on “fixing” the fan well enough to require a new one. The cardboard wedges hold it up higher, but they fall out if you move the fan. (I might be able to fix that with duct tape, though.)

It’s our new washing machine that worries me the most. If something goes wrong, there’s no way to insert cardboard under the power button.