My DS & I spent a few hours this weekend creating a way to use the wash water outside. Our biggest hurtle was getting the water "up" to the ground. Our washer is in the basement below ground level. Here's what we did: Bought a 55 gallon drum. Set it next to the washer. We use the existing hole to put the washer hose in. We cut a hole in the top that was big enough to drop a utility pump into (Be sure to cover the hole so nothing falls in!). We then attached a regular garden type sillcock to the outside of the house. On the inside of this sillcock is a section of garden hose that attaches to the utility pump. When we want to save the water from the wash, we put the washer hose into the drum. When the load is finished I attach the section of garden hose to the pump, drop it into the drum & plug it in. I then use a garden hose that is attached to the outer side of the sillcock to direct the water to where ever I want it. Cost of this project: $10 for drum, $3.59 for sillcock, $7.94 for garden hose, $.59 for extra garden hose end, $57.00 for utility pump. Total $79.12. I already owned the utility pump, bought it last year for my rain barrels. Lessons learned: If you buy a utility pump spend the extra $10 & get one with a float switch. Mine has no switch at all, it is strictly plug-in & un-plug. That means someone has to stand & watch it, because if the pump runs without water for very long it will burn up. Keep the washer hose out of the water, other wise it will suck the used water back into the washer machine. Use some screens to filter out the lint. I use one on the end of the washer hose, one over the end of the pump & another on the outside garden hose. This is so I can use the water in my soaker hoses if I want too. This was a very easy project that almost anyone can do. We were surprised at how much water is used, about 35-40 gallons for a single load. ThatÂs a lot of water for the gardens! If a person wanted to, they could set up some drums outside & drain the washer water into them so the water could be used in the future. If my rain barrels run empty during the summer, I can refill them with washer water if I need too.

"Miele W1, Miele Little Giants or Miele Professional will all provide proper heating of the water to the temp selected. No need to set house common water heater to an unsafe temperature." Miele has temp options Cold tap, 85, 105, 120, 140, and sanitary 170. Very customizable, and heater wastes no time going to work. Most machines you have no idea what the temps are at all period. If a huge drum which most do not even utilize is not important to you, Miele is the bomb. It will hold as much as a full size top loader.

You said your duvet is "not down." Is it more like a quilt (stuffed with not-very-compressible batting or wool) or is it filled with some kind of down-alternative that will deflate when wetted? The long running Miele W1 thread here has numbers of posts about successfully washing even king-size duvets/comforters in those models, but I'm not sure if any of those were non-down duvet/comforters. You might try asking your question there. Posters such as Luna123456 and Cal may be able to clear that up for you.

It wouldn't be kind to lock a cat in with a motion scare any more than it is kind to lock them in with a scent deterrent. The laundry room is pretty much the only safe space that cat has known since a kitten- they got it last May and it's still considered too young to be left alone in the house. It's locked in there during night hours and probably during day hours when they are out of the house too. So a lot of it's training, bonding, and comfort time is spent alone locked in the laundry room. Putting scent deterrents or jump scares into the little safe space they are locked into and can't escape is just cruel. It's not nice to do it to an animal that can escape the fear and get out of the room/space with it, but it can be effective training if used humanely. To do it to to a trapped animal is just not OK. It would be kinder to rehome it, even if the kids do like playng wth it when it's allowed out of the room.