Spinner wanted

Further to my entry (when we first arrived in Manila), where I wondered why fabric softener was such a big thing here, I have now discovered another reason. Clothes without fabric softener get stiff when they have to drip dry.
Our washing machine (a beloved Fisher & Paykel) has broken down. It's been on the blink for a wee while now, and we've had a repairman in twice to check it out. Seems it needs a new fandangle, which will cost about $300. Whether or not we bother investing the money to repair it is one issue, but in any case, we have to wait till next month's paycheck to address the situation. In the meantime, the school has lent us another couple machines. Yes, two. The first one was small, and only semi-automatic. I thought it was very cute. It's size meant we had to do about 4 loads per day, instead of our regular 1-2. But then that one broke, too! So the school came (again!) and replaced that one with their next best, which was also a semi-automatic, but one that didn't work very well. In fact, it didn't spin, it didn't rinse, and it didn't drain automatically. It could probably better be described as an agitator.
Washing with this agitator goes something like this:
Put clothes in the tub, add washing powder.
Get a hose, and point it on the clothes.
Turn tap on manually.
Make sure drain hose is suspended higher than tub.
Wait till all clothes are wet, and water level looks reasonable.
Turn off hose.
Turn agitator on.
Wait till the timer has stopped.
Let drain hose down to a drain on the floor, and the water falls out.
Leave drain hose there, point water hose back onto clothes.
Turn on water hose again.
Fiddle with the clothes with one hand, while holding the water hose with the other hand. (Warning: Try not to get sopping wet during this 'rinse' phase.)
Turn off water tap when clothes look sufficiently sud-free.
Take each item of clothing out of tub, wring like hell, (see warning above) and hang up to dry.
There is not much wind in manila, so everything that we have washed this way ends up coming off the line looking as though it were still suspended. Our sheets are stiff, our T-shirts are rough, our socks are unrecognisably long and our underwear is scratchy. I never did get into fabric softener, but I think next week, it will be on our shopping list.
I am once again reminded that we live in a 3rd world country, and even the ability to contemplate having a fully automatic washing machine is a luxury. One which I no longer take for granted.