I'm going to try to make this as concise as possible and appreciate any and all help in advance:

I am disabled and my particular disability makes it extremely difficult to do even the most basic tasks.

From late 2020 to mid 2021 I didn't have access to safe housing and between that, the pandemic and my disability I wasn't able to shower (nine months) among other things (didn't have enough to eat at certain times and lost a lot of weight, got attacked by police etc). Due to not being able to shower for so long I developed some pretty intense skin and scalp inflammation. It's treatable with regular hygiene and ointment/particular shampoos.

A friend of mine stepped in recently and now I have a place to live and they help me with meals as well. My friend also deals with a lot though and is in school so they're not around a lot of the day and they're often overwhelmed as well but they make sure I eat every day, really an incredible person that I'm fortunate to have in my life.

My friend didn't tell me until we got to our new apartment last week but there's no laundry accessible to us in the building.

This is a big problem for me because I can't leave my apartment to go to a laundermat due to my disability. My roommate isn't available and able (they also struggle with health issues and it's hard for them to do much besides help me with meals and obviously they have their own things to take care of too). All of my towels and wash cloths are dirty so I can't shower until I clean them and it's been weeks since I've been able to shower properly so my condition is becoming painful to the point of disrupting sleep.

On top of this, the hospital I see my dermatologist at also knows about my disability and how extreme my situation can be. Last year the hospital removed me from where I was staying at the time and I was mishandled by the people involved in a very violent and abusive way to the point where I know my life is in danger if that happens again. I'm going to see my dermatologist soon and due to my condition it'll be obvious if I'm taking care of myself or not. He can pass that information on to the rest of the hospital and I can very easily be put in that situation again.

That's all to say - I DESPERATELY NEED TO FIND A WASHER AND DRYER. I'd need to do laundry often so I'm willing to pay what it takes to get a decent set (I've heard a grand or so can do it). There are hookups in my apartment but I'd also need help with installation.

If anyone has any suggestions/links/tips for a good and affordable washer and dryer set PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE let me know.

Really appreciate any and all help and I hope everyone has a good and safe day.

holy smokes thats a lot man

isnt there a way for a caretaker to be funded for you or something similar to where you receive assistance as it is obviously necessary

hope u pull through and times get better for you op

Thank you man

So I get great insurance through the state I'm in and was able to get case workers (social workers).

I ran through 5+ of them (insurance only allows a certain length of time for them to work with you) and have been trying to get on disability (this is what I would need to have access to caretakers) since 2019. It sounds like I qualify from what I've heard but between the pandemic, my disability and a few of those case workers not being able to handle the nature of what I'm dealing with I haven't even seen an application, much less started it.

Plus getting on disability is extremely long process (year+) so it wouldn't be able to help me now.

@op here are two alternatives I can think of to buying a set:

you might be able to use a laundry pickup and drop off service! I know at least in my college town I would constantly see people having their laundry picked up, washed, then dropped off through services

If there is a laundry service where you live (would just Google it) then you could contact them and use that and also potentially let them know about your disability so they can accommodate you correctly

Other option I can think of would be to hand wash your stuff obviously only if you are physically able. Apparently you can wash towels in a bathtub for example and then let them hang to dry although I’m not sure if you would be able to do that depending on your condition

Hope you figure it out OP I’ll be putting good energy out there for you

Thank you so much for this:

There are laundry services in my area and I am familiar with them but i don't think they would work well with the wash cloths (would be aiming to use them every other day at least and would need to wash them as often) + I have a lot of trouble coordinating things with people now

I love hand washing clothes but that's beyond me right now

Damn nigga I’m sorry to hear this

Preciate it

Anyone reading this that has access to regular showering, laundry and safety, please please please cherish it

whats your disability? Wheelchair?

Do the laundry pick up for the rest of of stuff & / or buy more wash cloths

My bad - I was trying to answer this in full and got overwhelmed thinking about some of some scary s*** past present and future

Physically, besides the skin condition I'm fine though.

OP

I'd have to replace 20 or so wash cloths multiple times a week which I'm unable to do but I appreciate a different angle on it

What’s your disability, OP? Respectfully.

my heart goes out to you @Speak

due to a motorcycle crash I was unable to walk for 7 weeks this year and boy it really opened up my eyes to how hard people with long term/chronic disabilities have it

I know that small portable washing machines is a thing, maybe you can make that work?

Thank you so much

Always love reading your posts

Only worry about portable is my level of usage but I called up a friend of mine from back home and we chopped it up and said he could help me pay for this

But I got a new problem now (gonna post it below so people quote that instead of this post if they have any ideas)

Called a friend of mine from back home and he knew this s*** cold and said he can help me pay for a washer or dryer and we were already plotting on ways to find one

I got a new problem though

My friend was walking me through this stuff and asked me if I could find the hookups. I found the washer hookups but couldn't find the black three/four pronged outlet for the dryer

Has anyone ever experienced this? My friend said that's common in Europe but in the states, it's usually either neither or both.

I'm shook because I live somewhere that's gonna get cold soon and air/hang drying won't be effective enough esp with the frequency/amount of laundry I have to do

@plants having your self determination limited so severely via disability is something that most people can't even process

I can't tell you how horrible it feels to ask my roommate over and over and over and over again for help

Thankfully my physical being is well and I can rehabilitate my mental if I can engage with every day tasks like this. And that's all I want so bad.

What a f***ing intro just to ask for a washer and dryer. Where you stay?

Boston

And yeah s*** crazy

Live in landlord too smfh

Moved in last Wednesday and we didn't get gas til Saturday night (dude didn't show up til 9 even though the window was 12-4 and he missed the window the day before), no fridge even though that was supposed to be here at Sunday by the latest...

Bump on this

check out amazon for a "portable" washer & dryer -- you fill them up with water from the shower and can wash clothes that way.

here's a link to a washing machine: amazon.com/Portable-Laundry-Alternative-Washing-Machine/dp/B089DMYHQW/ref=sr_1_8?crid=BR22IPRI6NHG&dchild=1&keywords=portable+washing+machine&qid=1631153213&sprefix=portable+was%2Caps%2C466&sr=8-8

Really appreciate the response:

So I can't do portable because of the frequency of laundry I'm doing (reading everywhere they brick fast/easy)

A friend of mine is gonna help me get a washer and dryer set but now I have a new problem.

There are the appropriate hookups for the washer but no three/four pronged out for a dryer

Where I live is too cold to rely on hang drying year round (gonna be too cold for that by the end of next month) so I really need to figure out if I can use an adapter for the dryer or if that's a fire hazard

Oh wait

I'm over here thinking it's only portable washers

Portable dryers are for sure a thing?

Really having trouble finding information on whether I can convert a regular outlet to something compatible with a three/four pronged dryer with an adapter safely

Sorry for having this brought up again but could you give us some details about your disability?

The only thing I can think of is there might be a charity you can contact for your disability to get a carer provided to you through them because that's what it sounds like you need.

sorry, i thought they were :(