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Comment by JoshTriplett | Hacker News Reader

> For example the washing machine. You dont need real time information because you know how long it takes since you've done it 1000s of times and it beeps.

It beeps, on the other end of the house (or on another floor), where it's inaudible. (And, thankfully, where the loud sounds of it operating are also inaudible.)

> All these things are just managed in our heads subconsciously.

And when you remove the need to track that in your head, your head gets freed up for other things.

To be explicit, I don't like "smart appliances" that connect to a cloud server. I do like the idea of devices that can connect locally to something like Home Assistant.

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I'll just add this tip for those who struggle with this sort of thing.

I leave the empty basket in front of the machine, which for me happens to be somewhere where I'll pass by frequently until I need to take it out. That keeps it 'in sight, in mind'. Heck you could even put it in the kitchen to remind you.

I don't like the extra complexity that often comes with digital solutions, but I do like having a system. The simpler and less thought required, the better.

I do this for a number of different things. Rather than put it on a list I put it somewhere where it's in the way.

But this then means I have to have something on the floor in the way, which I also have to remember to do, and it doesn’t tell me anything about how long is left.

That requires more thought and clutter than just having the information when it’s relevant.

Agreed. This is a great way to handle common chores.

My pro tip is one of my girlfriends scrunchies stolen and put on my wrist - annoys me intermittently and therefore repeatedly reminds me to check the laundry.

Even with no beeps you put washing on > you go get it when its done. It doesnt matter if it sits in the washing machine an extra 10m or an hour.

You know, sometimes it doesn’t and sometimes it does. And also I’ve been known to forget it overnight and wake up to moldy clothes.

I have a friend who will say things like “I have to go at 3” and get up at 3 on the dot without even looking at her watch/phone. I’m not that guy and I need buzzers, timers, and ambient displays all working together anything done at a time.

OT but if your washing gets mouldy after being left in the washing machine overnight, you need to clean your washing machine (and/or use more detergent).

More detergent is the last thing needed if you smell mold in a washing machine.

A bit OT but you may want a side loader. It's obviously not ideal to leave it overnight but the few times that's happened to me there isn't any mold. I'm guessing you have a top loader, it may not have been cleaned in a long time, and that it's in a basement that's prone to mold also.

Could have something to do with high levels of ambient mold spores and mycotoxins in your air,

if your clothes smell mildewy or moldy after less than 12 hours.

For me it's not the washing machine, it's the dryer. The time remaining reported by the dryer when you start the cycle has almost no relation to how long it will actually take. Sometimes I go down to the basement after an hour (the dryer says 45m when you start it), and it still says 30m remaining. It's not the end of the world of course, but it is annoying, and it's the sort of annoyance technology can solve pretty easily.

I got a 4-pack of zigbee power plugs that report usage, and I have a home assistant automation that goes ding (or whatever) when the washer or dryer had been using electricity for at least a few minutes and then stops using electricity.

On all settings except timer, my dryer is pretty much useless. I set it to dry my bedsheets and towels with bulky item preset, max dry (who chooses minimum dry for anything?) and it'll say it'll take 1h30m, ends up taking 30 minutes, and everything is still wet, despite it having a "dryness sensor"

I've just started using the timer function on the dryer and it's been mostly accurate, plus or minus a few minutes perhaps.

"hey Siri, set timer for washing machine"

but then apple knows about your cycles

And the timer goes off when you are in the shower - by the time you are done you forgot about the alarm. (I have more than once stopped an alarm I intended to just snooze)

Your comment reminds me of those infomercials where they try really hard to make something as simple as cooking spaghetti look like an unimaginable nightmare that no one could possibly accomplish

This one time... I went downstairs to check on the laundry. I thought it was done... But... It wasn't. I had to come back 10 minutes later.

Ugh, that's the worst. Sometimes I just stand there for 5 minutes waiting for it to finish.

You have to imagine other people might think differently than you do... I forget, it happens, nothing I can do with it. Having notification on my phone (place I'll look sooner or later) that laundry is done was great lifehack for me. No longer I forget and leave it there for whole night or even days...

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