Moving in June

I'm just worried about those tiny under the sink models you see everywhere. We were doing laundry every day when we visited b/c they were so tiny. Here I do my own stuff maybe once every two weeks or so.

Well...  that's what you are likely to have.  You adjust.  It's just one of the MANY things you will adjust to. 

This is my laundry room.  It's my crowning jewel in my house.  I paid my dues before getting this setup though!  It's as American as I could make it.   

And this was my last house using my child labour.  More traditional setup with having the washer (washer/dryer combo) in the kitchen.  Decent capacity.  There are three of us.  We get away with one load of darks and one load of whites each week.  Sheets and towels are each a separate load.

I'm just worried about those tiny under the sink models you see everywhere.

Unless you have a house large enough for a separate laundry room (which is unlikely), your washer will most likely have to be a front-loader under the counter in the kitchen. I'm afraid that's just what you get in UK houses and flats - there's usually no room for anything bigger (or anywhere else you can put it).

My parents do actually have a separate utility/laundry room, though it still has a counter along the wall, so the washing machine is under the counter (another Samsung EcoBubble - they have the 8kg, while I have the 9kg model) and the dryer sits on top of the counter above it.

In my new house (3-bedroom, semi-detached), I have space for just one white goods item under the counter in my kitchen (no laundry/utility room)... so I had to choose between purchasing a washing machine, a dryer or a dishwasher. I went with a washing machine . I did splash out on an American-style fridge-freezer though .

Have a look here to see what is readily available. 

http://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/household-appliances/laundry-332-c.html

(another Samsung EcoBubble - they have the 8kg, while I have the 9kg model)

Do you have the one that has the little door so you can add to the load after it's started?  They came out with that about 10 minutes after we bought ours.  Though I like to try to tell myself I wouldn't have spent the extra £100...

Do you have ice?  If so, I may want to move in and rent a room!  I'll bring my dryer.   

Do you have the one that has the little door so you can add to the load after it's started?  They came out with that about 10 minutes after we bought ours.  Though I like to try to tell myself I wouldn't have spent the extra £100...

No, it's just the normal one - mine looks the same as your photo. I saw the ones with the little door, but decided it wasn't worth the extra money.

Do you have ice?  If so, I may want to move in and rent a room!  I'll bring my dryer.   

It has a water dispenser, but no ice sadly . An ice maker requires plumbing and I had to put it in the corner of the kitchen which is nowhere near the water supply.

Okay, you are safe from an unwanted roommate.   

Our kitchen leaves a lot to be desired.  But we hope to do an extension in a few years and put in a large open plan kitchen/family room/diner.  So we are living with what we have at the moment.  No complaints about my fridge.  I actually think it's the perfect size.  I do wish we had a bit more freezer space.  Mainly because one drawer is always taken up with a big bag of ice.   

The NHS is different.  I'm not having a great week with it at the moment (I'm pregnant so needing the system right now).  When it's good it good, when it's bad it's horrid.

How old are your kids?  That'll affect some answers for NHS stuff.

One is three years and the other is five months now (probably more like nine when we move).

Oh well you definitely wouldn't want to start orthodontics now.   

If braces are deemed necessary, they are covered on the NHS.  But I believe they have to be REALLY REALLY bad to be covered.  I don't actually know anyone in real life who's kids have had braces covered on the NHS.  They run about £4,000 privately.

Vision is usually covered through your employer (usually a free exam every two years).  Glasses and contacts, not so much.  I think it's wise to be up to date on your vision and dental work before coming.  I have found a great (private) dentist here, so it's not an issue of quality of care.  Just cost.  Though a cleaning in the UK is NOT like a cleaning in the US.

Well...  that's what you are likely to have.  You adjust.  It's just one of the MANY things you will adjust to. 

This is my laundry room.  It's my crowning jewel in my house.  I paid my dues before getting this setup though!  It's as American as I could make it.   

This is what our utility room looks like too. My DH was SO happy when we got our dryer. He's never had one in his life. I lived in France for 2 years and I swore I would never deal with crunchy jeans again! I'm so happy the house we are moving into has a utility room as well.

We have 3 kids (one part-time) so I admit we do quite a bit of laundry, but we are able to do most of it over the weekends, maybe one load during the week. It does take about 5+ hours per load to wash & dry (I am not kidding) so this was tough to get used to. But you do adjust.

It does take about 5+ hours per load to wash & dry (I am not kidding) so this was tough to get used to. But you do adjust.

Our combo machine at our old house took FOREVER.  We actually recently got our tenant a tumble dryer (that lives in the shed) to improve the efficiency.  The combo machine worked quite well.  But it was definitely a minimum of 5 hours for a load to wash and dry as well.

My new combo is pretty awesome.  Daily wash cycle is 1 hour, which seems to do the job on the toddler messes.  Drying takes no more than an hour.  So a full load is done in 2 hours, plus as they are separate machines you can have one load drying while the next one is washing.  It's the simple things that make us excited, isn't it?  When I first got my dryer, I was like, "WHAT ELSE CAN I WASH NOW?!?"  I look forward to the day I have a garbage disposal again.  I imagine I'll stand at the sink for hours throwing things in!   

  I look forward to the day I have a garbage disposal again.  I imagine I'll stand at the sink for hours throwing things in!   

I would do a dance if I could get a garbage disposal! I've been told the English drains "can't handle" disposals. Whatever. 

I would do a dance if I could get a garbage disposal!

I think it's time you guys calmed down a bit.  I don't think the original poster wanted a loving profile of a laundry room or an interpretive dance about a garbage disposal.

  I look forward to the day I have a garbage disposal again.  I imagine I'll stand at the sink for hours throwing things in!   

I would do a dance if I could get a garbage disposal!

You should start composting instead!    It's wonderfully satisfying to know that you have basically just made earth/soil/dirt! 

I think it's time you guys calmed down a bit.  I don't think the original poster wanted a loving profile of a laundry room or an interpretive dance about a garbage disposal.

You know we always get off track!  Steer us back Jimbo!

Based on your comment, I'm guessing you are not the primary laundry person in your house.  Few things are better than a proper laundry room!     My husband feels the same about the garage as I feel about the laundry room.