Saturday, August 23, 2003
Old washers and refrigerators hold more than just clothes and food for some.
By DENISE DRAKE
KNIGHT RIDDER NEWSPAPERS
COLUMBUS, Ga. -- Next to the family photographs on the wall, a bright orange Admiral freezer stands in the corner of Jeanette Kirby's guest bedroom.
Like the frozen pizzas and shelled pecans lining the inside shelves, the freezer was just another thing Kirby couldn't part with.
"This used to be my mama's," she said. "She was so proud of that thing."
Some people refuse to let go of their refrigerators and washers despite chipped paint, worn buttons and duct tape holding together rubber gaskets.
More than a place to store excess food and wash clothes, old appliances carry nostalgia.
"My Mom used to keep her lemon pies in here," Gill Ausman said of his 1946 General Electric Hotpoint.
"Just to have it means a lot to me," he said. "It's a part of my past."
Simple machine
Spray-painted a fire engine red, the combination refrigerator/freezer sits in Ausman's garage in Valley, Ala.
Inside, it holds what doesn't fit in his 11-year-old Kenmore: apple juice, wine, grape juice and some hot dog buns. When Ausman was a child, the fridge held fresh tomatoes, grapes and strawberries.
"Mom used to have a garden," he said. "We'd keep the fruit and vegetables we picked in here."
Through the years the Hotpoint has moved around.
When Ausman was in the sixth grade, it was relocated from the kitchen to the outdoors -- where it held cold drinks and barbecue sauce for summer cookouts.
And until six months ago it belonged to Ausman's brother-in-law.
"It became a pain because they had to defrost it every week," he said.
But that wasn't reason enough for the family to throw it away.
"Why would you get rid of it? It takes little to no electricity," Ausman said. "You never really need it, but it's there if you do."
A new rubber seal -- to prevent frost buildup -- has been the only repair made to the freezer.
"If I had to make a guess, it's just a very simple machine," Ausman said. "A small freezer with a small motor."
Made of steel
The simplicity of old appliances has a lot to do with their durability.
"The more features there are on an appliance, the more things that might go wrong," said Ron Daniel Jr., of Daniel Appliance in Georgia.
Daniel, whose business has been around for 49 years, said older appliances were built to last -- often with porcelain and steel.
"Listen to this door shut," Kirby said, letting the steel door of her Admiral suction-shut like an airplane hatch. "You don't hear it running. Only thing I've ever had replaced is the plug."
But steel parts aren't economical for manufacturers of today, Daniel said.
"They've had to invent new ways to cut costs," he said.
So while cheaper materials may give today's appliances a shelf life of about 10 years, they're also cheaper to replace.
A washer and dryer set can run for about $500, he said.
Of course, that's still a chunk of money.
"Appliances are a big ticket item," Daniel said. "It's like buying a car. People will drive it until the wheels fall off."
Or until the motor burns out.
"People will have an appliance that goes bad, and you'll see them shake their head and say, 'It's been a good one,'" he said.
Lean, mean and avacado green
Mary Johnson bought her harvest gold Kenmore washing machine in 1974.
"It was my first automatic washing machine," she said. "I went to Sears to pick it out myself."
At the time, Johnson was recently divorced and purchased the washer on special credit given to single mothers.
"I raised six kids on it," she said. "It has a small, medium and large load capacity."
Through the years, Kirby's avocado green Kenmore washer has only needed a belt replaced. It sits in a corner of her kitchen, next to a picture of the Last Supper.
"I was washing teddy bears for the mission once, and the belt started sounding funny," she said. "I prayed to the Lord to just get me through this last load, and it hasn't given me no trouble since."
In fact, Kirby believes her washer is better than the brand-new Kenmore her daughter recently bought.
"It don't wash clothes like mine does," she said. "Mine has a paddle to pull the clothes down."
Regular use has rubbed the labels for delicate and normal wash cycles off the control panel of Kirby's washer. But she knows exactly where to turn the button.
"I wash clothes every day," Kirby said. "I don't want to put too much in it at once."
Unlike her bright orange Admiral freezer, which is overflowing with fruit and veggies.
"I keep odds and ends in there," she said. "I just wanted it because it was my mama's."