{We Tried It & We Loved It} The Spindel Specialist Laundry Dryer

You know you're officially a grownup when you find yourself getting excited over a specialist laundry dryer. I remember the day I found out that my uncle bought my aunt a dishwasher for Mother's Day - I was absolutely horrified. Needless to say, I lived in a one-bedroom apartment - on my own - and ate Steers for dinner most days. So, really not in the position to judge, then...

On a similar note, I never really experienced laundry until I had a baby. Sure, washing my brand new baby's teeny-tiny clothes was a thrill the first time I did it, but 9 months on, and it's safe to say that I'm drowning in a sea of babygros and baby socks. How such a tiny human being manages to go through two or three outfits a day, I'll never know. My husband and I don't own a tumble drier (his reason? To save the environment. Mine? I always manage to blow the R2000-odd saved up for a tumble drier on other, more exciting purchases... like shoes for me, or a ball pond for Bean...), so you can imagine how tough our first (cold, wet, Cape Town) winter with a baby was. I'd read about the Spindel on several blogs and I'd mentioned it to hubby, who managed to convince me that we didn't need one and that we definitely did not have the space to store one, either.

Now, my husband is a very clever man and as much as I hate it, he's pretty much always right. But this is the one time that he was absolutely, completely, and utterly wrong. Wrong, wrong, wrong. After months of trying to convince Mister that we did, in fact, need a Spindel (and after months of him saying that we absolutely did NOT), the very generous folk at Spindel contacted me to ask whether I would be interested in reviewing a Spindel for this little blog. Would I be interested in trying the Spindel and proving my husband wrong... for once? (All the while saving me time and doing my laundry in record time?) Are you kidding?!

So, what is a Spindel?

• According to the website, Spindel is a specialist laundry spin dryer that uses centrifugal force to remove up to 80% of moisture from your laundry in as little as 3 minutes. 
• The Spindel, unlike a tumble dryer, doesn't use any heat, so it reduces damage to your clothing and saves electricity (it uses a similar amount of electricity as a 60 Watt lightbulb uses in 15 minutes!).
• It also removes excess detergent (you'll notice how dirty the water that runs out of the Spindel is - it's shocking to think that this residue is typically left to dry on fabrics), preventing skin rashes (perfect for baby!) or colour-fade. Your laundry will dry cleaner and feel better against your skin. 
• It's safe to use on all fabrics, and can even be used on delicate garments that require hand-washing. 
• Your laundry will dry at a fraction of the time (I can vouch for this - Bean's laundry usually takes a day or two to dry when hung up on the clothes horse in our dining room. After putting his laundry into the Spindel before hanging up, I've managed to wash, fold and pack away his laundry in about 5 hours flat!) You can even iron certain fabrics immediately.

Contrary to what my husband anticipated, the Spindel takes up very little space: We store ours on the counter above our washing machine.  It takes up far less space than a tumble drier, that's for sure! It's so small that I was a bit apprehensive and expected to spend a ridiculous amount of time loading the Spindel, but despite it's petite frame, the Spindel can take a load of 4,5kgs at a time (so, one full load of Bean's washing, while I typically use the Spindel twice for one load of 'adult' laundry). Dynamite really does come in small packages!

The Spindel arrived at our house at the perfect time: it was during one of Cape Town's rainy spells and my brother- and sister-in-law (plus a friend) had just arrived from Johannesburg for a few days. Unbelievably, we managed to stay on top of the laundry situation (that would be the laundry of five adults and one baby), and I wouldn't be surprised if my sister-in-law has already bought herself a Spindel.

This little guy has become an essential in my household; there isn't a laundry day that goes by that I don't stare lovingly at my little Spindel, then watch (in awe... still) as the murky water pours from the spout. It isn't an obvious choice for your baby registry, but this little appliance is invaluable - particularly in dealing with Bean's laundry - so I'd highly recommend that you consider putting it on your list right. this. minute. You'll thank me later (once the novelty of washing countless tiny vests wears off... trust me!)

The Spindel retails at R1599 and is sold with a 12 month warranty. Call 0860 555 135 or click here for more info.