Aptwife Speculative Device #1: The ThingWasher

I am really trying to be good about keeping things as long as possible, not throwing things out, and not buying junk I will just need to

Sometimes this is all just a justification to buy something *very* nice that I *really* want. After all, isn't it better to buy a $150 dollar cashmere sweater I will keep forever than to buy two cheapo rayon sweaters I will throw out in two years? (Well, maybe not. Turns out cashmere is not exactly "environmental.")

But in some cases, I am sure this strategy works. For example, my really nice Shun knife will probably last me until the end of my days if I take care of it properly, whereas my mother has probably filled half a landfill with cheap knives.

There are some things, however, that even if they are nice, we are tempted to chuck them out and get a new one. Why? Because they are gross and disgusting and sometimes smell. Some common things around the house that tend to fit into that category:

• Shower caddies
• Garbage cans
• Wafflemakers
• Toaster ovens

All of these things (and I am sure there are others) come in contact with water or food. In my house, the garbage can is the #1 thing that fits into this category. No matter how often I clean it, or buy nice garbage bags, or try to be careful, I end up with crumbs on the flip top lid and a gross smell deeply embedded in the plastic.

This got me thinking about a possible business plan: a place to refurbish things. The ThingWasher. It would be kind of like a laundromat, but for things, not clothes. Mostly it could have a giant cleaner: something between a dishwasher and a carwash where you can get some serious detailing done. And of course there would be powerwashing tools (self-serve or full-serve?) Stuff could be gotten out of cracks and crannys. Things could be polished or buffed to a shine.

You won't throw out that old plastic wastebasket or that soap-scum encrusted shower-caddy because you can make it "new". And you can buy the super-cute one you have been wanting at CB2 or Restoration Hardware because you can justify the cost!