Washers & Dryers

[r0xikat]

I want to be a good daughter and buy my mom a nice washer and dryer for a belated birthday/early retirement present within the next couple months.

Has anyone bought either recently or have any strong preferences towards front loading/high efficiency and old school/top loading ones? Or even those fancy 2-in-1 things?

The ones we have are crazy old and probably older than most kids in high school right now. I'm sure our dryer is the least energy efficient thing in the house.

TIA

[kenw]

Sears scratch n dent

[carrbowl]

I have had a front loader...6 people in the family. My mother is also a laundry queen. And as tight as the day is long. She has used my front loader a few times and cusses at that sorry thing every time she uses it. A few reasons why. #1 they always make the clothes stink because of the "front loader" the water sits in it unless you are neurotic about running some sort of cleaner thru it. #2 once you start it, you can't add any clothes to it #3 none of them add enough water to wash anything clean. #4 the cycles take too damn long!!

I finally after two years sold mine for almost nothing..basically gave it away. Bought a $400 top loader that doesn't use the great effeciency of low water....and viola in 30 minutes I have clean smelling clothes. Best thing I ever did...

[cooltouch]

We bought ourselves one of the expensive front-loader computerized wonders from Lowes a couple years back. Used it twice before it broke. Had the repair tech out here to fix it and he ended up replacing everything electronic in the machine that could be replaced and it worked great. For another two loads or so, then broke again. Had the tech come out here again and he did the same -- replaced everything. But this time, he still couldn't get it to work right. So we gave up. Had Lowes come out and take it away, and replaced it with a nice top-loading model. A mid-level Maytag -- but from what I understand there is only one major appliance mfgr left in the US -- Whirlpool -- and all the rest are just Whirlpools with different brand names. Well, anyway, we've had the Maytag for a couple of years now and it hasn't missed a lick.

Same goes for our gas dryer, which is also a Maytag, that we bought a few years before the washer. It was a mid-line model. Plenty good enough for us. You pay a small premium for a gas dryer but it is much cheaper to operate in the long run.

Me, I just can't see paying the high price for a temperamental computerized washing machine because I just don't have any faith that they will last nearly long enough to justify their high costs.

[princer7]

Have had the same front loading washer and dryer set for the past 9 years. Absolutely love them. Clothes stay nicer as they are not damaged from a middle aggitation bar, more efficient with water usage, and take less time to dry. I can also put in comforters and thick blankets that I would not dare attempt in a top load machine.

One thing I wish I would have done differently is the stand. Should have purchased them. Bending over to load a machine can be a back breaker.

[revjvegas]

I guess we've had ours for about 6 or 8 months now.
Got the LG front loader steam model: 3.9 cu. ft. Extra Large Capacity Front Load Steam Washer at The Home Depot and the matching dryer.

Yes, if you read the directions they do advise you to either leave the door of the washer open to allow it to air dry or use a towel to wipe the water off the door and out of the seal to prevent stale smell.

I just leave the door open while the load finishes in the dryer and by the time that cycle is done its dry and I close it.

I also do run the cleanser through it once a month...its worth it.

I will tell you this, if you go with the front loaders, you are going to want to get the pedestals or you'll be cursing your back. Ask me how I know.

And yeah, the cycles do take longer, but the thing uses less water so go figure. I'm ok with that, I'm in no race to do laundry.

And I don't know about other models, but I've added clothes to mine after it has started, you just have to press the pause button.

Also really like having the steam function. This works well for us because I like being able to run the pillows and other such items through. I also use the allergen cycle every time we do the bed sheets. Now that's a long cycle, but it reportedly removes 95% of common household allergens...I don't know if that's 100% true, but those puppies sure do come out fresh

So far I'd say I'm very satisfied with the ones we got.

And yes ladies....a man that does laundry. But the wife folds.

[venchka]

When Sears told us the that the not very old uber fancy Calypso ("the greatest washing machine EVER") cost more to fix than it was worth.........

Based on our experience with a Bosch dishwasher, best dishwasher EVER (my words after 5 years), we bought a Bosch front loader. Mrs. Wayne taught Renae's mother how to be "a laundry queen. And as tight as the day is long." She loves it. Lisa was ready to buy an Electrolux until she saw the NOT Made in USA label.

We leave the door open. It's fine.

[Tom]

We have a front loader and love it. Leave the door of the washer open when you aren't using it to let it air out.

[d2creative]

Our front loader experiences have been horrible. Two of them so far. Never again.
The main problem is the mold. I don't care what their marketing says, they have NOT fixed this issue. And I'm tired of having to leave my washer's door open all the time (the laundry room is somewhat open to other areas of the house) and having clothes that stink. It's nasty. Also tired of buying special cleaner and wasting water/electricity to clean it.
Second, it's really annoying trying to transfer from the washer to the dryer and having half the clothes land on the floor.
Third, I believe the top loading washer can have a larger tub than the front loaders.

Can't wait to go back to top loading.


EDIT: And after re-reading above, i agree about the long wash time! Over an hour? Holy crud. I didn't realize that was due to it being front loading or supposedly saving water. Now i hate it even more.

[tomdrink]

Check out tomorrow's Home Depot specials:
Home Depot Catalogs & Circulars

They offer no interest for 6 months, free delivery, and special savings on Energy Star appliances.

TomD

[jkderby]

Rock by a stream.

[ChrisTX]

Get higher sitting front loaders. With age, it will be less difficult to load and unload those types.

[d2creative]

My parents have top loaders and we have the front loaders on top of the storage pedestals and the front loaders are still a PITA in comparison. They prefer the top loaders.
Unless you custom build something that sits the front loaders about another 2-3 feet higher so you don't have to bend over and crane your neck.

[cajunautoxer]

When I bought my house last yr I went everywhere to find the best deal. We ended up getting a GE top loader. We wash alot of clothes so my wife wanted a large capacity. I did get an extended warranty thru GE bc of the stress and load of the items. I think we went middle of the road on price. Somewhere around $600 for each item

I ended up getting them from Fry's. IIRC they were $100 cheaper than Sears, HD, Lowes, But I didn't have a problem with delvery and the manager there is really an idiot. They ended up having to delivery my W&D after hrs bc of him

[carrbowl]

Originally Posted by venchka

When Sears told us the that the not very old uber fancy Calypso ("the greatest washing machine EVER") cost more to fix than it was worth.........

Based on our experience with a Bosch dishwasher, best dishwasher EVER (my words after 5 years), we bought a Bosch front loader. Mrs. Wayne taught Renae's mother how to be "a laundry queen. And as tight as the day is long." She loves it. Lisa was ready to buy an Electrolux until she saw the NOT Made in USA label.

We leave the door open. It's fine.

Uh...Mr. WAyne...we had a Bosch...bought it because it was a great name. The dryer is awesome. We ALWAYS left the door open. IT stunk...did not wash the clothes worth a flip...would not take out any stains no matter what stain it was, no matter how many times you washed it, and no matter what type of detergent you used. : (

Glad to know where all the washing skills came from : )