Washer/dryer recs

[DrSally]

I'm looking at buying a new washer and dryer. Top factors are: durability, functionality (does it clean/dry well), quietness, and energy efficiency

The mid-level whirlpool top loader we have now is sooo noisy, you can hear it all throughout our large house. It sounds like an elephant is stomping when the spinning stops. The sales assoc said it was quiet, so I trust your experiences more than a SA's word.

Thinking about a front loading pair, I remember someone awhile back said that the technology wasn't advanced enough, so that you have to buy the really high end to get a washer that cleans well. Is this still true? I noticed that when I used my brothers front loader while staying there, our clothes were kinda dingy and the soap didn't come all the way out (bad for our sensitive skin). Also, do you have to rinse the front loaders with bleach every once and awhile? TIA for your thoughts.

[Pennylane]

We purchased the Whirlpool duets about 6 months ago and I love them . They are so quiet! I have lots of tough stains too and have not had any problems with getting them out.

Ann

[ThreeofUs]

You know, I was just in the market and my nephew - who has owned several high-end (Miele, LG, etc.) pairs - gave the same advice about front loaders.

He's back to a mid-range Kenmore, as am I, because they do a good job of getting clothes clean while not costing an arm and a leg. Further, such washers are a mature, reliable technology. The HE and front loaders are neither.

Frankly, my decision point was totally based on Perceived PITA Potential. I have way too much else going on in my life, and don't need to be worrying about my washer!

Best of luck getting your new equipment, whatever you buy!

[hellokitty]

We got our frontloader back in 2000, when FL were still very rare in the US. We got a basic fridgidaire and it is a workhorse and still going strong (keep in mind I've cloth diapered two babies from newborns too). The only thing that has broken has been one of the knobs covers that my 2 yr kept screwing around with it broke (I can still use it by using a hemostat, lol!), and my bil (who works for the company) still has not gotten around to sending us a replacement part. The newer fridgidaires are a little fancier now, my brother just got one over the summer, it has more settings on it, and the opening is a little bit larger. He really likes it.

You do not need to buy the really high end for it to clean well, ours cleans great and I would consider it a pretty frills free version compared to what is available on the market now. Actually, the really fancy ones are IMO not always the best, it sometimes means that there's just more stuff to break, kwim? Europeans have used FL for ages. It's just that it has only recently caught on with americans in the past decade, so FL's are not that new. For care, sometimes I notice the rubber part looking a little icky and I just wipe it down with some all purpose cleaner. I sometimes have to wipe down the window too. Otherwise, the steel part inside always looks great. I use charlies soap for all my laundry and LOVE it. The key with FL is that you need VERY little detergent, otherwise you will have tons of suds. As for noise, I think ours is unbalanced right now (our floor is not flat in our mudroom). We told my bil about it and he was really surprised. His (same model) is really quiet. So is everyone else's who has the same model that we have. I think that it's b/c my DH is too lazy to balance out the legs properly. Otherwise, we have been very happy with ours and it was definitely worth the $, esp since the price we paid for ours is much more reasonable than that really fancy ones that are out on the market now.

PS- Fridgidaire makes the FL model that is sold as the kenmore brand at sears, just FYI for when you are shopping around.

[DrSally]

Frankly, my decision point was totally based on Perceived PITA Potential. I have way too much else going on in my life, and don't need to be worrying about my washer!



Interesting...Due to cost and PITA potential, I may end up going with a top loader again, just a better one than what I have now.

[tylersmama]

We got the Kenmore HE3 when we bought our condo in '03. I would probably consider it to be at the higher end of midrange, and I've been totally happy with it. It really does a great job of getting our clothes clean. I cloth diaper, and they come clean with very few stains.

I don't really do any maintenance on the washer. I *do* leave the washer door cracked open after I'm done washing since I noticed that when it's closed it tends to start smelling musty. I get a little buildup (probably hard water grunge) on the window occasionally, but that's easily wiped off with a rag if I do it right after the clothes come out.

The washer is very quiet, the only time I hear it is when it spins. It spins so fast that it tends to vibrate things a little bit, but it's not terribly loud. Of course, that could be because I have a lot of crap sitting on top of it, too. :p

We use plain old Tide HE from Costco, and I use a little Calgon with my diapers to prevent buildup and stink issues. Works great!

ETA: my MIL went with the Maytag Neptune to try and get the high-efficiency with the top loader and she hates it (and the dryer, too). She says it doesn't get the clothes very clean, and her dryer has a horrible tendency to shrink things. Just another thought to add...

[daniele_ut]

I would definitely take a look at Consumer Reports before you commit to which type of washer to buy. Their most recent look at washers found that the latest crop of TOP loading washers (which are made to comply with the lastest government energy and water efficiency guidelines) do NOT clean as well as those of past years. They basically found that you needed to spend at least $800 to get a washer that cleaned well. They suggested that you either go for an HE front loader or wait a couple of years until the manufacturers figured out how to follow the new federal guidelines.

We were in desperate need of a new dryer and found an awesome deal on a closeout Whirlpool Duet (for $314!) so we snagged it, but we are waiting for a bit to buy a washer until we really need one. My 18 year old Kenmore works fine for now. I have to admit that I seriously LOVE my new dryer, though. The dryness sensor feature is awesome. It automatically senses whether the clothes are dry and adds more time if necessary. It also gets out far more wrinkles than my old dryer did, even on low.

[tylersmama]

Just thought of something else to add...you may want to check with whoever supplies your water locally if you're in any kind of area that is frequently affected by drought. We got a decent size rebate (I want to say $150) from our water board for buying a high-efficiency washer. We were leaning towards HE anyway, but that definitely put the decision over the top.

And one more thought...not only will you save on water with HE, but you should save electricity too. The HE washers are so efficient at extracting water during the spin cycle that your clothes don't take as long to dry, since they aren't as wet when you put them in.

[trentsmom]

I don't have any recs, but I do have a site that might help you. These people are SERIOUS about their washers & dryers! http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/laundry/

[Lilysmom06]

We have an LG frontloader that we bought about 4 years ago. At the time, I think it was their higher model, but now they have so many new ones, I don't know. I LOVE it and would highly recommend it. I have not had any problems at all, and it has been moved twice. We bought the extended warranty at the time, because we were unfamiliar with the brand, but so far so good. We also bought the dryer (have to match!) and that is good as well. My sister just bought an LG set because I recommended it so highly. The clothes come out very clean and practically dry. Even baby stains come out without much effort. Uses less water and energy. My DD likes to watch the clothes go around too :).

If you do buy a frontloader, I would recommend getting the pedestals, because they raise the machine enough you won't kill your back unloading it :)

Kathy

[DrSally]

ETA: my MIL went with the Maytag Neptune to try and get the high-efficiency with the top loader and she hates it (and the dryer, too). She says it doesn't get the clothes very clean, and her dryer has a horrible tendency to shrink things. Just another thought to add...

I just saw this one at Home Depot tonight and I thougt it looked intriguing. Good to know!

[DrSally]

I would definitely take a look at Consumer Reports before you commit to which type of washer to buy. Their most recent look at washers found that the latest crop of TOP loading washers (which are made to comply with the lastest government energy and water efficiency guidelines) do NOT clean as well as those of past years. They basically found that you needed to spend at least $800 to get a washer that cleaned well. They suggested that you either go for an HE front loader or wait a couple of years until the manufacturers figured out how to follow the new federal guidelines.

.

THat is very interesting!! I am planning on renewing my online subscription, I've let it lapse b/c I always forgot to read it (thought it would be more convenient than paper). I will definitely be reading what they have to say.

[DrSally]

Just thought of something else to add...you may want to check with whoever supplies your water locally if you're in any kind of area that is frequently affected by drought. We got a decent size rebate (I want to say $150) from our water board for buying a high-efficiency washer. We were leaning towards HE anyway, but that definitely put the decision over the top.

And one more thought...not only will you save on water with HE, but you should save electricity too. The HE washers are so efficient at extracting water during the spin cycle that your clothes don't take as long to dry, since they aren't as wet when you put them in.

ITA, I'd love to get these benefits, just want to make sure the washer works well. If it doesn't it's not really worth it. I'll have a hard enough timeconvincing DH to buy a HE washer/dryer that I'll never hear the end of it if we have peoblems.

[DrSally]

I don't have any recs, but I do have a site that might help you. These people are SERIOUS about their washers & dryers! http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/laundry/

Thank you for the site!

[Marisa6826]

We have the Kenmore HE3T set (bought 4yrs this Jan) and love them. Nary a problem - well, except when I wasn't paying attention and didn't stuff the kingsized down comforter in the washer all the way. It kind of got stuff in the rubber gasket of the washer. But the guy came and fixed it for less than $100 and told me to have a nice day .:)

I've never had a problem with stinkiness. The repair guy told me to always remember to leave the washer door open between washes to make sure the wash bin dries between loads.

Oh, and *I* just switched out the dryer vent line all by myself last weekend. How cool is that?! So, pretty low maintenance, I'd say!

BTW - about those pedestals. I was lamenting about them to the repair guy. He said to be happy I didn't get them. Apparently they increase the vibration on the machines and cause problems down the road. Instead, for storage, I have some of that rubber cabinet liner stuff on top of the machine (so stuff doesn't slide off during the spin cycle) and one of those stackable wire shelf thingies. Works just fine and it cost me less than $20.

[Marisa6826]

ITA, I'd love to get these benefits, just want to make sure the washer works well. If it doesn't it's not really worth it. I'll have a hard enough timeconvincing DH to buy a HE washer/dryer that I'll never hear the end of it if we have peoblems.

I think the front loader I have now TOTALLY cleans better than regular ones that I had in the past. The water gets hotter, the spin is faster, the machine is just more efficient overall.

Have you looked at Consumer Reports?

-m

[daniele_ut]

It looks like CR just updated their washer recommendations in November 2007 and the results were different than the last report that I read. They recommend several top loading machines, with the GE WJRE5500G[WW] being listed as a Best Buy at $480. The 5 top loaders that they recommend above that are all HE s at $800 and up. The Maytag Bravos HE top loader was first at $950. For front loaders, the LG Tromm Steamwasher was top of the list. It's $1500, though! Part way down, the Frigidaire for Gallery GLTF2940F[S] for $650 was a Best Buy

[hellokitty]

It looks like CR just updated their washer recommendations in November 2007 and the results were different than the last report that I read. They recommend several top loading machines, with the GE WJRE5500G[WW] being listed as a Best Buy at $480. The 5 top loaders that they recommend above that are all HE s at $800 and up. The Maytag Bravos HE top loader was first at $950. For front loaders, the LG Tromm Steamwasher was top of the list. It's $1500, though! Part way down, the Frigidaire for Gallery GLTF2940F[S] for $650 was a Best Buy

We have the frigidaire gallery. It's a diamond on the rough, I think ppl overlook it, b/c it is one of the cheaper FL, but ours has been wonderful. I'm glad to see it is still ranked decently, they were one of the first FL's available in the american market.

[thomma]

We made the switch from top loader to front loader (LG) a few months ago. We were going back and forth until I heard the sales guy say "22 towels" for one load...SOLD! It takes me half as many loads to get my laundry done now. We had a few glitches at the beginning (using too much soap...depends on your water) but the LG people were really easy to deal with and haven't had any problems since. We went with the pedestals because, well, I'm old and I can't stoop the way I used to. :) Surprisingly, while I love the washer, I'm having a harder time getting used to the dryer. I find it doesn't always get the clothes dried but I know it's something I'm doing wrong. I just haven't had time to read the manual.

We bought ours at Home Depot because it ended up being the cheapest place we could find the set. We went with extended warranties for both.
Kim
ds&dd 5/03

[DrSally]

You guys have given me a lot to think about! I will definitely check out CR when I renew my online subscription too. It's not as easy as it used to be! When I bought my first set in grad school, we went with the 2nd least expensive and they lasted 8 years before we left them during a move.

[kijip]

We have and are happy with the HE2t from Sears. The Kenmore HEs are made by Whirlpool and just about the same machine as the Whirlpool Duet. No stink issues, no noise issues (and our laundry closet is in the third floor bathroom which everyone predicted would be noisy---we even sleep in the next room. The HE5 were are first pick but proved too darn big for the space.

Our clothes are super clean, even on the express wash cycle, and come out dry enough that I can hang them to dry in side with no dripping issues and they dry really fast.


The 2t gets an efficiency rating in line with the 5t and the 3t is a little less...our water rebate program gave the 2t and the 5t the full rebate ($100) but the 3t only is eligible for $75 rebate so it uses a bit more water.