CULTURE SHOCK LESSONS #101: MOVING TO MEXICO--No Dishwasher, No Garbage Disposal, No Washer or Dryer

And No Air Conditioner!

Downsizing & Simplifying, Life in Mexico is Pretty Restful

     More and more people are expressing interest in moving to Mexico, living a simpler life on less money. Simplifying means living with some inconveniences and fewer luxuries. Adjusting to fewer amenities is not for everyone! 

Where is the Dishwasher?!!

     Possibly the most frequent comment from others about our new life in Mexico is, "I couldn't live without a dishwasher!" I recall saying those very words myself at one time in my life. How our perspective can change! While I was washing dishes today, I thought, "How much time did I spend loading and unloading the dishwasher in my old life in the United States?" Now, I wash dishes once or twice a day while Jon dries and puts them away. I'll bet the 30 to 45 minutes we spend doing dishes each day is about the same as it was when we had a dishwasher. That's time we stand together each day now, working and talking about our plans for the day. Not such a bad thing.
     Why do most homes in Mexico lack a dishwasher? First of all, it is a relatively large expense to purchase a dishwasher, especially when living a frugal life where every peso counts. Secondly, dishwashers are water and electricity hogs. In Mexico, if something uses electricity, it is an expensive luxury. If there is another way to do the job without using electricity, then that's the way it is done.

What? No Garbage Disposal?

     Another common question from those unfamiliar with life in Mexico is, "Why wouldn't you have a garbage disposal?" The first reason is that a garbage disposal is just another expensive, unnecessary appliance that uses electricity. We scrape our dishes into the trash can as quickly as we would scrape them into the sink, so no time saved by having a disposal. An important reason not to have a garbage disposal in Mexico is that the sewer systems cannot handle grease and solid materials, even when ground up by a disposal. We put drain screens in each sink and shower to keep solids from clogging the drain lines and we clean the screens at least daily. It is much better to put food waste into the compost pile or the landfill.

Who Needs a Clothes Washer and Dryer at Home?

     We are frequently asked, "How can you live without a clothes washer and dryer?" Easy. We take our dirty laundry to the Lavandería once or twice a week and pick it up clean, neatly folded, and bagged for a very reasonable price. Since my skin is sensitive to fragrances and dyes in most Mexican laundry detergent, we take our own Kirkland UltraClean Libre y Transparente, Sin Tintes Sin Perfumes, purchased at Costco in Puerto Vallarta. We include one Rubbermaid container with a one-load measured quantity of our "detergente especial" in the top of each bag of laundry. The ladies at our Lavandería know us well, so they always use our detergent, no fabric softener, and return our Rubbermaid containers each time for reuse. Who needs a clothes washer and dryer at home?

     "What about an air conditioner?" When we bought our little Mexican house, there were ceiling fans in every room, but no air conditioner. Many Mexicans and expats live without air conditioning year around in their homes. We lived with that just fine through the first winter. By April I could see that I was going to need the bedroom cooled for sleeping at night. We soon took a bus trip to Home Depot in Puerto Vallarta and a taxi ride home with a new Rheem® minisplit that Jon installed in the bedroom. Beginning sometime in May each year, we start using our air conditioning when we sleep, set at 25°C which is 77°F. Around mid-June, it becomes hot and humid enough in the afternoons that we close the exterior doors and windows and run the minisplit to cool the three main rooms of our home. With fans pushing the air from the bedroom, that one little air conditioning unit keeps our home at about 83°F in the afternoon, just cool enough that I can sit in my office and work. 

We Added One Air Conditioning Minisplit in the Bedroom

     Or we turn off the air conditioner and take our boogie-boards to the beach and cool off in the ocean.

Jon Catches a Wave on His Boogie Board

     We adjusted to Culture Shock Lessons #101 easier than many would because we lived full-time in our motorhome for a year before we purchased our small home in Mexico. We still live in our motorhome three to four months of each year and enjoy the RV life. It's not so different really. In the motorhome there is no dishwasher, no garbage disposal, no washer and dryer. But, there ARE TWO air conditioners. We have not yet adjusted completely to the summer heat after living in Mexico for almost three years. That's when it's time for an RV trip to the Redwood forests of California and the beaches of Oregon.

Cooling Off in the California Redwood Forest

Read more Culture Shock Lessons we experienced when moving to Sayulita in my book, Living in Mexico Lessons Learned. 

Healthy Living in Mexico Book #3

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Terry L Turrell, Author

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