Washing machine recommendation: UPDATE post 36

[mommyoftwo]

Now that the twins are here, I do a TON of laundry. I'm trying to find ways to maximize my times because taking care of them plus my other two is so incredibly time consuming. I was considering getting a very large capacity washing machine and dryer but discovered that the only way to do that is to go HE. Right now I have a very basic top loader. I can't do larger loads but it does get my diapers clean. Unfortunately I have a tendency to forget to check on it to start the was cycle after the rinse cycle etc and so getting my daily diaper load done can take forever. Plus it doesn't spin the water out very well so things take FOREVER to dry. That being said, my clothes are diapers and clean and I don't want to get a new set and then be spending even more time doing laundry because nothing is getting clean. Also, we have fairly hard water and I know that can pose a challenge as well. I have to get a top loader I think because I keep reading that you have to leave the door to a front loader open and our cats would climb in if I did that. I was looking at a couple of LG models because they have a water plus feature that adds extra water. Although my other set is a few years old and was the cheapest we could find they don't NEED to be replaced right now. I'm simply trying to find a way to make my life a little easier and we can afford to get a new set. So does anyone have a machine that they love and can recommend? Or am I just going to upset the apple cart and be frustrated? We are in a much better place financially now so within reason, I can afford to get any set I want so please let me know what works for you. I was looking at the LG top loaders until I discovered that you can't wash waterproof things which I do regularly. Then i read that at least some front loaders have a little magnet that holds the door open a tiny crack which might work with the cats. Also I think I might want an internal heater and/or steam option. Is it worth the extra expense. The more I read the more confused I get.

[jam224]

I have an LG Tromm front loader and LOVE it for washing my cloth diapers. I can choose all my settings at the beginning and then let it run. I choose Pre-Wash, Normal or Sanitary Wash, Extra Rinse, and Water Plus. That makes it SO easy. And even on the Low spin option, it spins out so much water, the diapers dry really quickly too.

I can't help you with a suggestion on how to keep your cats out of a FL washer. Our laundry room is the "mud room" area as soon as you get into the house from the garage, so it's a small area that I can close off when the door is shut. Because DD doesn't have access to that room (and because I do laundry at least every other day), I pretty much leave the washer door open as much as possible.

I don't think I would pay more for an internal heater or steam option. As long as you can get a washer with a sanitary cycle, I think that's a really great feature for cleaning cloth diapers.

[mommyoftwo]

One of the reasons I had been interested in the LG top loaders was the water plus feature. For whatever reason you can no longer find a front loader with that option.

[KonzaPrairie]

I splurged on an LG front loader set two years ago before DD was born and LOVE them. If I can't take them with me when I move overseas in a few months I will probably cry. I personally don't like top loaders for the sole reason that I am short and it's really awkward to get clothes out without feeling like I'm diving in. Silly but true.

I bought one of the higher end models with the square door. The capacity is amazing! I'm certain it would cut down on the number of loads you have to do. My model has the magnetic stopper on the door and it works well--I've had zero issues with mildewy smell. It's not toddler proof, but I think it would be cat proof unless your cats have really strong forearms! I've only run the 'clean tub' setting maybe 3 times since I purchased it? And that was because there was a message on the machine that told me to, not because I noticed a smell :)

I have a friend who owns a front loader and CD's and she adds towels to the loads to trick the washer into using more water. Not sure if my model has an extra water option or not, never used it.

Other features I love:
-the 15 min 'quick load' setting, which we don't use often but have when we needed something for an outing and realized it was dirty.
-the 'handwash' setting. No more handwashing lingerie!
-the other myriad of settings. I don't consider myself very laundry savvy and really appreciate that the machine knows what to do with just about any load
-the 'fresh wash' option: once the cycle is complete, the washer with periodically rotate the load if you can't take it out immediately. Yes some cycles take longer (especially cycles with steam) but this has not been an issue for me because I don't sit around waiting for the load to finish. The 'fresh wash' is great for when I start a load in the morning and am out all day. Clothes are always fresh enough to go to the dryer.

I purchased the matching dryer, and probably the only benefit there is that assures me if I have a large load in the washer it will all fit in the dryer. In hindsight the expense of a new dryer was not necessary, but it is really nice and I'm sure I will miss it if I can't keep it.

Good luck with your search! Let me know if you have any more questions!

[BunnyBee]

Can you keep your current top loader and get a new HE washer and dryer? Especially with twins in cloth diapers (wow!) right now, I'd try to keep two washers if at all possible. You can usually stack the newer machines.

Speedqueen still makes good, old-fashioned washers. They're highly recommended on gardenweb's laundry forum.

FWIW, I've had front loaders for 7+ years and my cats have never climbed in the machines. It's all cold (wet) metal inside the washer--not a cat magnet! :) We keep our litter box in the laundry room, so the cats are around them frequently. I keep the dryer closed but washer open.

[citymama]

I don't know how much room you have but we love our Maytag Bravos washer and dryer - got them at Sears outlet (separately ordered by phone from 2 different outlets in our area, and the washer was brand new and the dryer a floor model). It's a HE top loader washer, which was important to me with kids, both from a safety perspective as well as being able to open the washer and add laundry once you start it. Very sizable machine, washes well and we've had no problem with shrinkage or stretching out of fabrics as we have with washers in rental units or laundromats.

[sophiesmom03]

I love my LG front loader set (replaced a Bosch set). It has steam so our dry cleaning bills are much lower now too.

If I had had the room, though, I think I would have more strongly considered an Electrolux set that has even higher capacity.

Bought my set from AJ Madison, free shipping and no tax.

[JBaxter]

I LOVE my HE LG top loader. I went to a store called HH Gregg and the sales guy was super knowledgeable < highly recommend that store> He asked all kinds of questions on how big my family was what size bedding I had etc. He showed me several options. I did buy the dryer at the same time. My tub will take a king size comforter

Front loaders have me the irrational fear of one of my kids stuffing the other in and turning it on. I've never had mold / stink issues with my top loader though it does have a tub clean feature.

[mommyoftwo]

I have weird cats and have had them climb into the dryer while I'm changing loads or if the door doesn't get shut immediately for whatever reason. So while you would think that a cat would want nothing to do with a hard metal surface that does not seem to be the case. If the door is heavy enough though, maybe it won't matter.

I have room to get whatever size I want. I have a huge lsundry room on the first floor which is wonderful. As far as capacity goes, LG makes a front loader that's 5.1 cubic feet. Do they come bigger than that.

Jeana, I was pretty sold on getting an LG top loader until undiscovered that I can't wash our mattress pads. That happens every week or two here and I'm trying to make less work for myself, not more. Taking that stuff to out laundromat which is only open from 9-3 (yes the hours are ridiculous but I live in a tiny town and it's the only option) would not be convenient. In fact, one of the reasons I want higher capacity is so that I can wash our king size comforter because it is so hard to take it over there. We have an older cat with issues and a baby with reflux so it gets vomited on fairly regularly. I was looking at hh Gregg online and discovered that the town an hour away where we do all of our shopping does have one so I'll have to take a trip there. When I tried to talk to someone at Menards a couple days ago, I knew more than he did so it was worthless.

[JBaxter]

I've been w HH Gregg stores in 3 states and have been impressed with the sales knowledge in all 3 stores. He gave me the ins and outs of all the machines.
I dont wash the mattress pads often but I have a vinyl cover on both my little boys beds then a water resistant one over that < feels almost like polar fleece>

[mommyoftwo]

I'll definitely go to HH Gregg then. I told Dan yesterday that regardless of where we ended up getting it, we need to talk to someone who is knowledgable. I think that could help a lot.

If there was a way to still keep the beds protected and use a top loader, that would be great. Perhaps I didn't buy nice enough ones but the vinyl covers I've tried to use in the past got torn up right away. Do you wash the water resistant one in your washer? It says nothing water resistant and I'm not sure how strict I need to be about it. I know they started using that warning because it's thought that waterproof stuff caused the exploding washers.

ETA: I really just need to go in to talk to someone knowledgable. I really want to get this sorted out and we've gone the last two days to the larger city to take care of things so I doubt we will go today. I'm not a particularly patient person and once I get started on something like this I really want to get it resolved as quickly as possible because I start to totally over analyze things. I appreciate you all answering my questions.

[JBaxter]

I have but not that often. I was also told not to wash rubber backed rugs < bathroom type> if they were pealing on the back. My little guys are 9 & 4 so unless someone pukes we dont have many wet beds

FYI my sister had no clue about not washing water resistant / repellant clothes in hers. She has 3 hunters in the family and has been doing it for 3 yrs in hers.

[AnnieW625]

When I have to buy another washing machine (I have an 8 yr. old Kenmore front loader made by Frigidaire) I will most likely buy a Speed Queen. Had I known 8 yrs. ago that they made non coin op residential machines I would have bought one in a heartbeat as I had been using them for the previous 10 or so yrs. in college dorms, and rental units. If DH insists on a matching set well get the base model Electrolux (have the base model dryer).

[mommyoftwo]

I've heard great things about speed queens but they don't come in a high capacity version as far as I can tell which I really need. I thought about trying to use both washing machines but I think that would require running new plumbing which I would rather not have to mess with. I'm not sure my husband would go for that.

[gatorsmom]

We just went through this a week or so ago. We replaced a washer that started to leak with the LG top loader washer. Like you, I'm doing loads for 4 kids (although I'm not washing diapers anymore). I will warn you right now- the new HE washers take FOREveR to wash a load. The setting on the LG top loader for towels took 1hour and 15 minutes to wash. I don't have over an hour for one load of towels!! And that was the average wash time!! And half of the top loaders out there will not allow you to wash water-proof bedding. It has a warning sticker on the machines saying it will cause the machine to become unbalanced and could caused injury as well as damage to the machine. So- no waterproof mattress pads, no waterproof diaper covers, no water proof bed pads. Don't get the LG!

If your machine is working well, keep it. The stuff coming out nowadays is total junk. You will regret replacing it. (we ended up buying back the 13yr old washer from our landlord. It has no circuit board on the front and take 20 minutes to do a load. Also- it doesn't lock me out. Love it!:thumbsup:

My suggestion as a mom of twins and obscene amounts of laundry (I do about 15 loads per week- I started keeping track recently), is to send some out to be washed at a dry cleaners/launderers. Just ask them to wash and fold and send it back in the bag you brought it in. Ask if they will wash and dry by the pound. Have your DH drop off the bag on his way to work. We did this for 6 months until the kids had stopped going through so much laundry and it really helped. Also, if your DH needs clothes pressed for work, ask him to do his laundry himself or have the cleaners do it. It's just a temporary solution while the twins are so little. Once they get a little older and don't need you so often and so much, you can go back to doing their laundry. But this age and stage is hard, I remember so well.

[gatorsmom]

When I have to buy another washing machine (I have an 8 yr. old Kenmore front loader made by Frigidaire) I will most likely buy a Speed Queen.

:yeahthat: When our landlord's 13 yr old wash machine finally bites the dust, I'm buying a Speed Queen. I would rather have a smaller-capacity machine I can rely on than a bigger one that takes hours to wash a load. Oh, and then have the circuit board lock me out or malfunction and end up in a landfill in a few years. :shake:

[gatorsmom]

Oh, just went back and reread you need to wash your king size comforter. Can you get a duvet cover to protect your comforter with? It would be easy enough to wash in a standard wash machine.

[egoldber]

About 2 years ago I bought the LG HE top loader. I really loved the capacity. I didnt have any issue with the cycle times? I mainly washed everything in permanent press, even towels, and everything was fine.

What I didn't like was how clothes would always come out in a tangled knot. It was very frustrating and it was harder on clothes. It was also always going out of balance. I had never heard not to wash water repellent items in it and I did all the time.

When we moved recently we left the washer dryer in our old house on the advice of our realtor. We bought a LG front load set, the 3070. So far I am very pleased. It does not have the capacity of the top loader. There are larger capacity front loaders, but for us I couldn't justify the extra money. We got ours at Sears and they had a pedestal special when we bought ours. I'd didn't think I needed the pedestals (we are all short) but I do enjoy having them.

I also dot think the wash time is that long. But I very seldom use anything besides the regular wash which is about 40 minutes.

[mommyoftwo]

Oh, just went back and reread you need to wash your king size comforter. Can you get a duvet cover to protect your comforter with? It would be easy enough to wash in a standard wash machine.

We have a duvet cover and sometimes I can get away with just washing it but it's cotton so things seep through pretty easily. I definitely don't want my beddi to smell like sour milk or cat vomit.

[gatorsmom]

We have a duvet cover and sometimes I can get away with just washing it but it's cotton so things seep through pretty easily. I definitely don't want my beddi to smell like sour milk or cat vomit.

I can certainly understand that! I don't know how often you need to clean it but I will tell you after going through what I just did with the new LG washing machine fiasco, I'd consider sending out that king-sized blanket to be washed rather than get a new wash machine to accommodate it. Or, I'd get a new blanket for the bed.

We cover our bed with a king size quilt which I can wash in our standard size washer. I put that over a king duvet stuffed with a down-alternative comforter. They all fit in my machine separately. Previously we had a beautiful decorative bedspread and I generally kept it off the bed except if I wanted the bedroom to look nice for guests.

[mommyoftwo]

I forgot to add that I did send some laundry to the laundromat to be washed and it cost me over $60 to wash several loads. It just seemed like a lot of money and I also worried that they wouldn't be washing each load in the appropriate cycle (ie delicate, cold water,etc).

[gatorsmom]

I forgot to add that I did send some laundry to the laundromat to be washed and it cost me over $60 to wash several loads. It just seemed like a lot of money and I also worried that they wouldn't be washing each load in the appropriate cycle (ie delicate, cold water,etc).

Do they charge you by the pound? I agree it can add up, even by the pound. And no, they won't wash in the appropriate cycle. But, this is not a stage that will last forever. I just hate to see you give up a good wash machine and replace it with the undependable, inconvenient stuff on the market now. Especially if it breaks down and you are stuck taking 4 kids to the laundramat with you!

The first load I did with the LG top loader took 5 hours because it put up an error code on the digital circuit board of 1E (whatever that means) twice. So, my trial load of towels that normally took over an hour to wash in this machine (which is already too long, IMHO), took 6 hours while DH tried to figure out what went wrong. It really set me back on laundry for the week while we waited to replace it (thank God our old landlords came the same day we talked to them to help carry out the LG and bring their old washer and carried it up a flight of stairs for us!! :love5:)

If you do decide to replace your washer, don't trust Consumer Reports. The reviewers who wrote in continually commented how unhappy they were with their top-loading LGs yet it ranked 2nd in CR's choice of top picks. People did write in with their praise about Speed Queen yet it ranked low. I believe this was due to the fact that SQs are not HE and don't have the bells and whistles of the new fancy models which is what really impressed the CR staff. I don't know about you but I can live with out the fancy stuff if it's going to die in 5 or less years and leave me stranded with a ton of laundry.

Do a google search for washer reviews. There is a lot of info out there, but as a mom of twins doing a lot of laundry, you won't necessarily need all the bells and whistles that impress many reviewers. You need DEPENDABILITY.

[AnnieW625]

Have you considered a diaper service for your twins? I think I read before they are cloth diapered, right?

[mommyoftwo]

Have you considered a diaper service for your twins? I think I read before they are cloth diapered, right?

There's no diaper service in the area or I would be all over that.

[AnnieW625]

Are you using prefolds and covers? You can easily wash more prefolds in a load IME than the all in one or pocket diapers that need to be wash very specifically and can take multiple loads to actually get clean. You can easily wash them with rags and towels as well and can wash with regular bleach and detergent. I use the Imagine prefolds from Nicki's Diapers with Flip brand covers. Also I might just consider disposables for my own sanity with young twins until diaper changes become a little less frequent.

[gatorsmom]

Do you have a closet or cabinet that is close to a sink or water lines that you could plumb for a second, stackable washer and dryer in your house somewhere? How about the garage? It would really cut down on the amount of time you are spending on laundry. Also, if one machine breaks down you at least have one working machine and dryer? It's worth considering- stackables are not as expensive as full size. I don't know how much the plumbing charges would be, but it might be worth it to find out.

[Nooknookmom]

Ours just died after 14 yrs and we got a Maytag top loader...it's awesome! I do NOT like front loaders, I open and close the lid way too many times and I tend to "scrub stains" over the open washer bc I don't have a washtub.

I don't need a $1,000 washer-unless it actually dries, folds and puts away the clothes!!!

http://m.sears.com/productdetails.do?partNumber=02623872000P&reviewCount=226&itemSrc=Online&threshold=0.0&fullFillment=DDC

Ours is similar to this but I can't find the exact model and I'm out and about....

[jjordan]

We got a Samsung HE top loader last summer and I love it. It says not to wash waterproof things but I do wash diapers in there. The "normal" cycle time is 50 minutes. It will fit a king size comforter.

[kellyd]

I get what you're saying about twins an laundry!! W/ my crew I do between 12-15 loads a week and the only workable solution is for me to start a load at night before bed, put a load in in the morning when we wake up and fold laundry 1-2 times a day. I also had very refluxy babies and did a good bit of washing my bedding because of it. I'd suggest for now putting a thinner blanket on your bed that WILL fit in your washer and not upgrading to a new machine... CD laundry is SO sensitive especially w/ a front loader... some of them work some of them don't.

[daniele_ut]

All Washers in general these days don't wash as well as they used to partly because of the new energy efficiency guidelines and partly because of the changes in formulation of detergents. I don't think it's a washing machine crisis, though, that should keep you from replacing your machine if you need one. I have a front loader and have for 5 years now. We are all still walking around with clean clothes and I've adjusted to the cycle times. My washer has a tumble fresh option and a delay time cycle. Sometimes I start a load before bed and set the delay ( need to use powder detergent) so it will be done when I wake up. For cloth diapers I will do a rinse cycle and then run the long cycle (whitest whites, heavy soil, deep clean and max rinse) and use tumble fresh so I can take them out and dry them in the morning. My washer has a 4.0 cubic foot capacity and cut my laundry loads in half.

Sending out wash would not be practical or affordable for us at all. I probably do 50 lbs of laundry a week.

[hellokitty]

We used to have a fridgidaire FL, but I hated that thing for cloth diapers. Ended up with a electrolux FL and omg, I love that thing. It washed CDs like a dream, I can fit king sized comforters in it and it looks gorgeous too, plus it is not that loud. Our security system guy was here and was blown away by how quiet our unit was and said he'd have to tell his wife, since she can't stand how loud their washer is. Electrolux only has two models of FL, we have the one that doesn't have the steam option. I highly recommend it.

[scrooks]

We used to have a fridgidaire FL, but I hated that thing for cloth diapers. Ended up with a electrolux FL and omg, I love that thing. It washed CDs like a dream, I can fit king sized comforters in it and it looks gorgeous too, plus it is not that loud. Our security system guy was here and was blown away by how quiet our unit was and said he'd have to tell his wife, since she can't stand how loud their washer is. Electrolux only has two models of FL, we have the one that doesn't have the steam option. I highly recommend it.

We have the same unit you do. So far it's been great...

Add me to the list of people who didn't know not to wash water repellant items in the washer...

[sophiesmom03]

We used to have a fridgidaire FL, but I hated that thing for cloth diapers. Ended up with a electrolux FL and omg, I love that thing. It washed CDs like a dream, I can fit king sized comforters in it and it looks gorgeous too, plus it is not that loud. Our security system guy was here and was blown away by how quiet our unit was and said he'd have to tell his wife, since she can't stand how loud their washer is. Electrolux only has two models of FL, we have the one that doesn't have the steam option. I highly recommend it.

Ah ha! I knew I was right to consider the elex if I'd had more room. :) glad to know you like it.

My LG has a speed wash that's done in 15 minutes - I use that fairly often and things come out clean. I also use the cotton cycle for towels and regular wash - it runs 40-55 minutes depending on load size. The steam cycles in the washer rock, ESP since we are on septic so no bleach. And each wash takes about 1T or less of detergent (we use biokleen).

The dryer has steam too, a towel cycle that gets them totally dry, and a speed dry for when you need just a couple of items dried pronto.

I hope it lasts. It has done great since November '11.

[teresah00]

When we bought our house two years ago it had a 3yo ken more elite FL. Hated that thing. It wasn't well maintained and smelled. I scrubbed it out many times. We have hard water here too. I stopped CDing bc I couldn't get things cleaned. Finally decided to buy a new washer after being frustrated w laundry not getting clean. I was so worried that a FL wouldn't get things cleaned. We bought a speed queen. I've been happy with it. I like to soak in the washer. Pros: fast. Regular cycle is ~35 min. Can soak in it. Lots of water Cons: not Eco friendly bc not HE, little louder than the FL, smaller capacity.


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[mommyoftwo]

Still haven't figured out quite what to do but I did a little research and discovered that it's totally fine to split the existing water lines to feed two washing machines. If I buy a stackable front loader set I have room for both washing machines. We would need to get an electrician to install another outlet for the second washing machine but that's a lot easier than new plumbing. If I go this route I won't have to worry about changing my working diaper wash routine and I can get more laundry done. Our dryer takes forever and a day to dry stuff so my laundry gets backed up just from waiting for the first load to dry. I don't think it's ever worked quite right because it can sometimes take me two hours to dry a full load of diapers which is crazy. So even though I would only have one dryer, it's got to be much more effective than what I have now.

So if I go this route, I still have to figure out what set to get but I won't have to worry about the LG top loader no water resistant items issue and I won't get rid of my current machine in case I hate the new set for washing diapers for some reason. And if it dies soon, I can get a speed queen or other basic top loader to go in the same spot if necessary. I have to get my husband on board but I think this might give me the best of both worlds. I still confused about what HE set to get though because for every person who says they love a set, I see someone else who says they hate it. It really makes me wonder what makes such a difference in people's reactions. I think the next step is a trip to HH Gregg to talk to them about my options.

Does this seem like a reasonable option or is the lack of sleep getting to me and this is a crazy idea?

[mommyoftwo]

After much deliberation and frustration I picked out a washer/dryer set last night and thought I could be done with the whole process. It's supposed to be delivered on Friday. I picked out this LG frontloader
(http://www.hhgregg.com/lg-5-1-cu-ft-steam-front-load-washer/item/WM8000HWA) because of it's giant capacity and because I thought that the no waterproof items was limited to top loaders (so far i've seen the warnings on LG, Samsung, and Kenmore top loaders but there may very well be others). Also, I love the fact that the door is propped open a crack to air out the machine but held in place by a magnet. That should solve my cat dilemma. And as a bonus, they gave me an extra $200 off the set. Then I was reading the manual online and saw that it saw that it also has a warning about not washing waterproof clothes. AFAIK they haven't changed the design of the machines at all but have added that warning because some people washing large waterproof items such as mattress covers caused the washers to go off balance and the machines exploded. It seems more like a user error issue than a defect in the machine but I guess there is no way of knowing for sure.

I had ruled out Samsung because the large capacity model that HH Gregg caries was out of stock but I also looked at their manual today and they had a ridiculous list of things you can't wash (some not even waterproof items) including diaper covers. My other option is this electrolux (http://www.hhgregg.com/electrolux-4-3-cu-ft-front-load-steam-washer/item/EIFLS60LSS) the capacity is only 4.3 cu ft verses 5.1.The electrolux manual does not list any restrictions. Since I'm doing a load of diapers every day and most of my diapers are pocket diapers and all in one's so lots of waterproof fabric. Both machines have very similar options, spin speeds etc. It's no problem to exchange the set I bought for a new set but I don't know if it really necessary to do so. I mean gobs of people have used LG front loaders to wash diapers without any issues. The department manager said that all HE machines are headed towards included a warning because waterproof items are more like to cause the machine to go out of balance. Also, the fabric can block water from draining out the holes of the drum.

I'm so frustrated and confused. I had no idea this would be so confusing and difficult. I need to be able to wash winter jackets, matress pads, diapers, sleeping bags etc in addition to regular laundry and if I follow the instructions to the letter, I can't wash any of those things. So am I overthinking this or am I better off getting the smaller machine and dealing with the door staying wide open. I'm concerned about my kids accidentally running into the doors and breaking them or hurting themselves as they run through the laundry room to go outside. I just want to make a decision and be done with it. I'm doing multiple loads a day but with the long dry time and the extra rinses with the diapers, I'm getting more and more backed up so I really think the extra capacity will help a lot even if the loads take longer. Any thoughts about what I should do?