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Ok, so our dryer just died on me (thank goodness it's summer and I line dry a lot!) so I'm getting a new washer/dryer. The washer still works but lots of little things on it that either don't work well or whatever (like the fact that whenever I want to use hot water I have to fill it directly from the top with the hot water hose!!).
Sooo, I need to educate myself on my options. I'm seriously leaning towards a front loader for a few reasons. Surprisingly energy savings isn't that big a reason. We almost never use hot water except to wash diapers and since my littlest ones are only using diapers at night that's not much of an issue for us. But I really like the fact that they remove more water from clothing so that they dry faster. I also like that they tend to have larger capacities (doing laundry for 6 people this is important!), that they're quieter (they'll be right next to our living room so this will be nice) and that they're gentler on clothing. I also like that I could put a countertop over top of both to have a large flat work surface for whatever (the laundry room is also a mudroom and 'landing pad' for the kids). And I have to be honest, they just plain look great too!!
So, spam me with suggestions here! What brand/model do you have? Do you love it or hate it? What features should I look for? Any brands or features that I should avoid? I have a bit of time to figure all this out as we're moving in a little over a month and it's just not worth having the new stuff delivered here so it'll be going directly to the new place. But then again, since we are building (and doing a fair bit ourselves) and still trying to sell our old place I don't have a ton of spare time to do a bunch of research or visit 20 stores.
I just saw a commercial on tv for the Whirpool Duet on at Leon's for $1899 for the set (plus some kind of scratch & save promo where I'd save another 5-50%). Is this a good price? Is this a good/worthwhile model?
Thanks for any help, suggestions or advice!
Karen. |
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Karen - I'm fairly new to this forum so for the last few weeks I've been catching up on all your great advice and am so happy I can actually give you my two cents on this!
Okay - I have Maytag front loaders which I love, love, love. They aren't super duper fancy but they hold a ton of clothes and get everything clean. The one feature I love the most is the dry sensor. The dryer automatically senses how dry your clothes are and will adjust it's timer to accomodate which means I never dry my clothes longer then needed. And speaking of drying, the clothes come out of the washer alot dryer then from a top loader so they don't take nearly as long to line dry (I can line dry a sandy's in the basement overnight and it's dry by late morning - just tried this the other day for the first time)
Something to think about, if you're not putting a front loader in the basement you need to build some kind of stand or it will shake your entire house. Since they weigh about 300 pounds you may want to look into this before they're delivered so the delivery guys can drop them right into place for you.
I know you said that energy efficiency isn't such a big deal but keep in mind they use ALOT less water then top loaders and with a family of 6 wheather you are using cold or hot water that amounts to quite a bit of savings for the environment and on your water bill.
I'm in Canada - so talking Canadian dollars here - and just saw an add for a front loader set of Inglis which were new but scratch and dent for $600 plus tax for the set which is a great deal around here. Usually you're looking at about $1200 - $1500 depending on how many features you get. I personally wouldn't look at anything more then that as I think you're paying for features you'll never use but of course, only you can decide which features you'll use for your family.
Just another small consideration - I've recently been trying out new natural detergents and am finding that while alot of them say they are compatible with HE washers they don't really disolve very well. My opinion is that you need HE detergent in an HE machine so you may want to consider that there is a good chance you'll have to switch your laundry soap.
That's all I've got - hope it helps  |
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Thanks, hadn't thought of the stand part. Do those pedestal thingies count or do I need something seperate? The house is being built so now is the perfect time to build little things like this that need doing...
I'm in Canada too, never thought I could get a good quality front loader set for that little, that's good news! I don't really want anything super fancy either, just basic good quality, large capacity and good spinning speed to draw out as much water as possible. We'll be on a plentiful well at the new place (and we're in QC where we don't pay for water anyway) so the water savings are attractive in ecological terms but not economically.
What detergents have you used in yours? Man, it just occured to me that I have a HUGE stockpilling of detergent to go through and obviously none is HE detergent. I will be switching to using soap nuts exclusively once my stockpile runs out (and these are great for front loaders because they don't really suds up which, from my understanding, is the problem with regular detergents) but in the meantime I don't particularly want to see all that go to waste. Suppose I'll just end up donating it but it's still too bad that I won't be able to make use of it!! Darn!
Where was this $600 scratch & dent? That's an awesome price and unless there's a huge gash in the middle of the washer I couldn't really care less if it's got a scratch on it somewhere, my kids will probably give it a couple more matching ones within a month of having it at our place!!
Which Maytag do you have? How long have you had them?
Thanks so much for the advice!
Karen.
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I use HE washers at the laundrymat. I use less soap and don't seem to have a problem. I do use liquid but people don't seem to have a problem using using regular powder. For a double and triple loader washer, it says to use 1/4 of your laundry cup. I would say that a home HE set even super capacity wouldn't be any bigger than a triple which is three small baskets. They say because it uses less water, you need less soap. So, I would try that to use up your stash and save you money from buying special soap. Karen
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I do love having a FL. Here in CO the water use is a big deal, but I loved mine in the UK, too. When we moved and I had to use a TL for a while I really noticed how wet the clothes coming out were. I like the larger capacity (of a NA FL, that is!), and the fact that without the agitator I consider just about every load to be a "gentle" cycle (unless there are overalls with flailing buckles!).
I have a Samsung, and one of the reasons I went with it was that it's supposed to jiggle a lot less than most other front-loaders (specifically LGs, which I'd been seriously considering), and was recommended for main and second-floor laundry. I have a main floor laundry with the machine on the floor (no platform, etc.) and haven't had any problems. I've been pleased with it, but I also really liked the Bosch I had in the UK. I probably would have gotten one of them, but I couldn't find anything of theirs that was stackable, and someday we'd like to do that.
When I was looking, the most important feature for me was high spin speed. It sounds like you're already on that one, but I feel like it's so worth the money because you're saving dryer energy or hanging time. I do like having a delay wash/timer feature, too, since I have time at night to throw in a load of wash but don't want to wait up for it or have it sit all night wet, so I set it all up, set the timer, and it doesn't start until 6 am (or whatever), so it's freshly washed in the morning and ready for me to hang up. I wouldn't insist on that, but I sure do find it handy. I wasn't interested in the steam options because we wouldn't use it, but if you have a lot of dry-clean only clothes, my understanding is that the steam cycles can be used for many of them.
I have been working in non-HE detergents that I'd bought before, just using way less. I haven't had a problem with them over-sudsing.
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We have the Whirlpool Duet washer and dryer. We are really pleased with them (have owned since 04). We bought the floor models from Lowes for about a 35% discount due to a couple of scratched on top (do not affect use at all, purely cosmetic). About 2 years ago we bought the pedestals, they are a great feature. I put the little drying racks on top of the w/d and that is how I dry diaper covers.
One little issue and I believe this is a FL issue (not a brand issue). On the inside there is a rubber ring that helps seal out water, be aware little items (ie baby socks) can get stuck in there. We had a funky odor a couple of years ago so I googled FL and mildew smell and A LOT of stories came up. One lady had a sock in there for almost 4 years! Sure enough when I looked in that ring there was one of my little peds in there - with a stinky odor. To prevent this from happening they recommend 2 things: first, check that internal ring area often and secondly, when not using the washer, keep the door ajar to prevent any water remaining in the unit from getting stinky. So , we do this and have no further issues. gl |
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Hi Karen,
I have a Kenmore Front Loader. I bought it at Sears in Jan 2004. I know Sears will make a print out of different brands if you want to compare and I think they will price match. I love my washer. It is very gentle on my clothes. I have a friend who has the same washer (it looks almost identical) but isn't a Kenmore it is a Maytag (I believe). I think most washers/dryers are made by 2 or 3 main companys and then sold under different brand names.
I use HE soap. I have heard that if you use regular soap in an HE it will suds up too much (even if you use less than the regular amount) and void your warranty.
The door broke on my washer and I was able to replace it, so buy from somewhere that has great customer service. The door broke because my boys like to pull on it sometimes. Or I would put clothes that needed to be line dried on it while I was putting clothes in the dryer.
HTH
Elizabeth
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Hi Karen,
We bought our set at Corbeil (we are in Ottawa) in 2002. They are Maytag Neptune and at the time were super top of the line with touch screen control and all the bells and whistles. Needless to say we bought the floor models for way cheaper. Prices have really come down too since 2002. The features we use can most likely be found on the majority of washers now. We use the max extract spin which is awesome for removing extra water. The Neptunes, from what I have read, have had a lot of problems, but we have not had a single one.
I second the moldy inner rubber ring thing in the tub. Be careful. ALso be careful about keeping the door open to dry the machine out as many models have lights inside like a fridge that will stay on if the door is left open. Not good.
My laundry room in upstairs where the bedrooms are. No stand and not needed. It does not move even on the super super crazy spin. The machines are however in a bin that I think is part of the building code for having machines upstairs. THere is a drain in the bottom of the bin in case of overflow. THe bin is basically like the base of a shower and made of similar material. THe lip is about 6 inches hight at the front.
Good luck with the buy and finishing the house!
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| In a bit of interesting timing, my Samsung dryer has started to make a slightly different noise, and since it's still under warranty, I figured it was worth having it looked at. I called Samsung yesterday, and they had some local on the phone first thing this morning to schedule an appointment. The service guy who came out said their store also sells Samsung, but that they don't get many service calls on them, and that his service manager has a set and that's what he'd get if he could afford them. Ultimately, he greased some rollers, that didn't solve the problem, so he's ordering both a new motor and a new roller set, figuring that he might as well blitz it while it's still covered for me. So I guess I drew the short straw, but he did say several times that he rarely sees anything other than transit damage on Samsungs. He said that they have trouble getting parts for LGs. He didn't mention any other brands; if I'd thought about it I should have pumped him on all the name brands! I just thought it was interesting to get the service man's opinion, since he's seeing another side than the sales floor. |
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Thanks for your input everyone. Still gotta go shopping but at least now I've got some info to work with. I've also heard good things about Samsung and LG as well so maybe I'll start out with those.
Is it bad that I've seen ads for beautiful sets that come in chocolate brown and the thought just occured to me that I should just skip all the research and just buy whichever comes in the prettiest color? LOL! I suppose that's not the best decision making method but it sure is the easiest! ;-)
Karen. |
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| It's probably worth reading some reviews and consumer reports, but it really does seem like there are so many good options out there. Maybe voting by color isn't a bad way to go at all. :-) |
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Exactly! I haven't done that much research yet on the washers (although I read one article with about 10 pages of comments, each comment more confusing and contradictory than the previous!) but I remember when trying to research fridges that I just got soooo confused! The same fridge one person would say was absolutly the best, the next person was recomending avoiding at all costs! And apparently for washers, the three highest rated ones are also the ones currently involved in class-action law suits from people who had mold issues!!
What's a shopper to do? I say I narrow it down with the ones that have the features I want, then further elliminate the ones that are just too expensive (I'm expecting these will mostly be the ones with lots of features I don't care about). Then when I'm down to a few reasonable choices, I pick the prettiest set!! LOL! Sounds like a plan to me!
Karen.
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I've never had any mold trouble, although the gasket on my Bosch would get a bit musty-smelling because it was difficult for me to leave the door cracked open (it was in the kitchen) or the dispenser open (boys would close everything). Here it's drier, but I have "washer-dolly," a small doll (she's maybe one-inch deep and a few high) we found in the back of the yard and I originally washed up to be able to donate. However, she just works so nicely to sandwich in the door to keep the boys from closing the door completely that she's earned a spot in the household!
Strangely, the TL that came with the house smelled horribly musty, no matter what I did to it, so I was glad to move that one along! |
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Yeah, I'm glad to know about the mold thing so I can do a little preventative stuff but I'm not terribly worried about it. Good idea to just sandwich something in there, I'll have to remember that!
Karen.
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Hi,
I know this may be a little late but I just went through the same thing about 1 1/2 mos and LOVE my washer. I bought a Bosch 300 series washer and dryer (and they were red ;o). They are so quiet and the machines are very sturdy and substantial with simple settings - no bells and whistles. All cycles work amazingly, but the best part - they have a setting called 'Kidscare'. This setting heats up the water to 155 degrees and is a heavy duty 2 hour cycle. I use this with an extra rinse on my diapers and they come out perfectly clean and fresh. It is so nice to be able to set the washer and go about other things instead of running down to run another cycle through. With my old f/l washer, I had to set 3 different cycles to get the same results. Also they come out near dry - much drier than my old Frigidare f/l. Saves dryer time or great for the line. |
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