OT - need washer dryer recommendations

[anamika]

Hi,
We 're looking to buy a washer and dryer and I have absolutely no clue about brands etc since usually the appliances have come with the house and I don't pay much attention to these things. I'm actually scared to start looking b'cos I know I'm going to be in over my head with all the different options. So please help!!!!!!!!!!
We had a hotpoint one which I hated - it had only two load settings - extra small or large (so convenient!). I know I would like one which can do about a week's laundry (for the 3 of us) which would be a medium sized load, I guess. I don't need a lot of fancy options (I think, but I could be swayed really easily LOL). I have a vague recollection that someone told me that Maytag was good - is that still true?
SO if you really like or hate your washer/dryer, please please let me know.
Thanks in advance,

[Momof3Labs]

I'd recommend checking out the Consumer Reports online information - they have repair histories and such that you just can't get by asking a handful of people. Also, think about how much you want to spend. We spent a lot to get a set of front-loaders, and are very happy with them (but they are different than top loaders, and not everyone likes them).

My one suggestion is to measure the space that you have BEFORE shopping and buying. Our old laundry room was so small that almost any machine out there was too big; we ended up running the connections down to the basement to give us more space and options.

[KBecks]

Let me direct you to a few web sites where you can read a lot:

www.thathomesite.com has a whole forum on appliances and laundry

www.epinions.com has a lot of reviews

I'd recommend a front loader, they were just coming out when we got our top loaders, but now they are more common and people rave about them.

[lisams]

We just went shopping and ended up getting a Sears Kenmore HE set. Some things to think about:

energy efficiency rating

water usage

cycle options - some things that were important to me were having an extra rinse option and having a delayed wash on a timer

size - we got a 3.5 cu. ft. capacity, I know they make them smaller and I saw some all the way to 3.8. From what the sales person said, the one we got can wash up to 15 towels in one load.

Check out Epinions. Here's what I would do if I could do it again: I would go to the Sears website (or wherever you think you'll be shopping) and look for what you think you might be interested in and then go to epinions and see how they rate.

We get ours tomorrow so I can't tell you what I think, but I have heard good things about Maytag and Kenmore.

Good luck finding a washer and dryer!

[bostonsmama]

You're going to love your Kenmore HE washer! Both my electric bill and water bill dropped dramatically! When I saw my electric bill's bar graph of our monthly consumption over the past year, it was easily 1/3 lower than the year before when we had a standard washer and dryer. Also, did I mention that I buy like 2 or 3 bottles of Tide detergent a year? Or, you can try the Costco stuff, which is top rated by Consumer Reports and already HE and cheap, cheap, cheap! Can you tell I love my washer/dryer pair? In the beginning I even thought it made me like doing laundry more, but alas the novelty factor has worn off and it's still just housework. (LOL)

Anyways, I was very happy to learn that the Kenmore HE washers and dryers have an excellent repair history (and they're even made by Whirlpool, if that helps with the quality factor). I would browse the top 2 brands (Kenmore and Whirlpool). My parents have owned their previous Whirlpool (non HE) washers and dryers for almost 20 years with absolutely no problems until they replaced them last year with another non-HE Whirlpool. They went middle of the road and are very pleased with the washer's performance...it's just not very energy efficient and it gobbles up almost 40 gallons of water per load...but that's pretty standard for top loaders. And by the time you get a water-efficient top loader it's about $1,000 and you might as well do the front loader.

Just my 2 cents.

Happy Shopping.

Larissa

[lisams]

That's so good to know! I'm really excited to get ours tomorrow, who would have thought getting a new waching machine could be so exciting! I love that it will save on electricity, water and detergent costs!

Do you know if they make a "sensitive" version of HE detergent? We use All Free and Clear because of DD's skin and I'm going to miss it. The sales woman said she really did not recommend using just a smaller amount of regular detergent.

[Momof3Labs]

You can buy Tide Free HE. It is harder to find, but getting more readily available around us. Target also carries a Method unscented HE detergent. BTW - if you have soft water, you can probably get by with as little detergent as Larissa describes. But we have pretty hard water, and go through as much as we did before (well, adjusted for the fact that we are doing so many fewer loads of laundry).

[kellyotn]

We sometimes use just a splash of non-HE detergent in our Kenmore front loader. No problems. I talked to two sales people, one recommened that and one didn't. shrug. I researched online and found a lot of people did it. Also, there is an "extra rinse" setting, so even if we don't use sensitive skin detergent I like to think that there isn't a lot of residue. (Not positive though, none of us have super sensitive skin.)

We've had it for nearly 6 years I think. I have just loved it. There is no load size setting. You just put the clothes in and it spins it around for a bit at decides on a water level. It also spins the clothes VERY dry, so dryer time is greatly reduced. And, I feel that shrinkage is less of a problem b/c clothes don't spend as much time in the dryer and you can easily use the lowest heat setting.

We have had one problem, and it was fixed promptly. There was a leak from the bottom and it needed a new "tub". It was WAY past the warranty. I called Sears to schedule a repair and they offered me a new service warranty contract. It was weird, but for $100 I got a new warranty and repairs were covered with a $50 deductible. And if the repairs would have been more than $500 we'd get a new machine. If it didn't need a repair at all, I could ask for a refund. (Though the service call alone would have been nearly enough to cancel out the $100.) As it turns out, the repair was nearly $400. So, no new machine, but the warranty was a good thing. ;-)

After it happened I did some research to see if this was a common problem, and did not find that it was. Plus, mine was one of the first models, so I'm sure if it was it has been changed.

[anamika]

Thanks for the recommendations. I had never heard of the HE before so I will definitely check into it. For the posts, I'm guessing it needs a special detergent?
Thanks again,

[bostonsmama]

Yes, I've read similar things. There is a website (home/garden something or the other) that a PP mentioned where owners talk at length about regular vs HE detergent for their HE machines...and I mean AT LENGTH. There are so many factors. I would trust Lori's advice about hard water necessitating an abundance of HE detergent (and you really should NOT use an abudance of regular detergent b/c of the oversudsing factor). The most compelling thing I've read so far is that there are "ultra" detergents out there which are already formulated to be low sudsing, so you don't necessarily need "high efficiency" detergent as much as you need low-sudsing (which Tide HE is under another name). People seemed to rave about the Costco Ultra Liquid Detergent (in a 300oz red bottle which clearly states is also HE formulated). Costco also offers a "Dye & Perfurme Free" version of this ultra/HE detergent, which would mimick ALL Free/Clear, but be less sudsing. Frankly, I'd continue to use ALL, just less of it. I just hand washed some lingerie in ALL Free today and couldn't get it to suds for the life of me! I think that's a good sign. The good thing is that if you've used too much, there are fail-safes w/ the Kenmore that will go into a de-sudsing rinse/spin if it detects excess bubbles. It only happened once (when I washed our non-permeable boat cover), but that's it. Also, after much debate about the HE washer manufacturers demanding owners use HE detergent or it voids the warranty we've found it's balogna! The manufacturers said owners who used non HE detergents were reporting a moldy/musty smell as bubbles were moving dirt and bacteria into the mechanical parts of the washer. But a whirlpool repairman said any of these effects can be aleviated by leaving the door open so the machine can air out at the end of a cycle.

When it comes to regular detergent, I just use 1/3 the normal amount, but I've heard recommendations for as little as 1-2 tablespoons to as much as 2/3 cup. I have been using about a 1/2 cup of Tide w/ Bleach for the past 3 years maybe and just recently experimented with all sorts of detergents: Kirkland Signature Ultra Detergent, Tide Coldwater, Tide w/ Downy, Sun Ultra Liquid, and Tide HE liquid and Tide HE powder. Honestly, I never noticed a difference, except that the Tide HE liquid and Sun Ultra had less of a perfumy smell at the end of the cylce. OH my, I've been long-winded. Just trying to get out everything I know.

Larissa

[bunnisa]

>Let me direct you to a few web sites where you can read a
>lot:
>
>www.thathomesite.com has a whole forum on appliances and
>laundry
>
>www.epinions.com has a lot of reviews
>
>I'd recommend a front loader, they were just coming out when
>we got our top loaders, but now they are more common and
>people rave about them.
>
>

Just wanted to second the rec for thathomesite! I heard about it on here (although I'd already known about GardenWeb) and it was great! We got our wonderful Danby frontloaders (no longer avail in the US) based on recs from the board.

It's my understanding that Mieles are the best. Be sure and do lots of research -- some of the "popular" brands are plagued with problems.

Also wanted to add that getting front loading machines has been one of the best decisions we made. We literally cut our water bill in HALF! We go through detergent very, very slowly (2T per load), and the clothes get cleaner with less wear and tear.


Bethany
mom to one and one on the way!
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