Whirlpool Duet front-loader----hate it. It doesn’t get clothes clean. You have to buy special cleaners and run them through a cycle every now and then. The door stays open constantly so it can dry out or mold and odors get worse.
Heaven forbid someone forgets a load in there overnight. Repairman was out a few times in the first year.
Of course the question is, what is the “real” savings, including life cycle of machine? (not trying to be argumentative)
We went thru 2 HE washers in ~6 years…what are the costs to the environment for manufacturing those $1200 machines and shipping them to California from Benton Harbor? Sure, they may have saved a few gallons of water each wash, but the per load cost to me was…
It’s water and electricity. My front loaders have all (fingers crossed) been excellent. I had the original Maytag Neptunes for a really long time (did have the seal mold issue) and then sold them in a move. Love my LG front loader and matching dryer. The clothes get clean and come out so dry from the washer that drying time is very short- and we hang a lot of our tech fabric stuff anyway.
Our water company recently installed smart water meters. H has an app on his phone that tracks water use by the hour. We were really surprised at how much water a load of laundry takes. We are in a drought and it has made me aware of setting the water level. We have what was at the time a top of the line Kenmore washer with an agitator. Our repairman has pushed fixing it when it has a problem. The newer washers just don’t last much beyond 6 yrs.
I am interested in the agitator less models since I’ve heard that clothes last longer.
My problem is going to be that inspite of having a huge laundry room I am going to have a problem with a new washer fitting into my space. We have built in cabinets both above the washer and dryer and on both lower sides. Due to one of the cabinet openings we can’t have a front loader unless we configure the doors in such a way that one would have to reach around the door to put the clothes in the dryer. We would have to go with a top loader and I’ve heard they aren’t as good as the front loaders.
We bought a top loader HE machine about 5 years ago. (I don’t remember the brand.) It’s okay, but it doesn’t clean half as well as my old water-wasting machine. Underarm odor (sports playing kids) does not come out without extra spays and cleaners. To do it again, I’d go traditional.
I have a speed queen washer I bought several years ago and I love it. It is heavy as a tank, it has bronze gears and stainless steel drum and it uses a mechanical timer for the cycles. It can be repaired (a lot of modern machines cannot be repaired, especially the drivetrains), and it washes really well. The downside is it isn’t energy star, it probably uses more water than many of the modern washers do, but given how much (or little) laundry we do now, I am not really worried about that. I have been told by repair guys that with energy star appliances they went to lighter materials and of course the electronics to comply, but that in the process it made them a lot more fragile. I suspect it is a lot more than that, cheapening up on steel and such also saves money, not to mention that a lot of the components they are using are made offshore, even if they are assembled in the US, and the quality of stuff brought in from offshore often is inconsistent.
When my dryer goes (hopefully not anytime soon) where i can’t fix it, I’ll buy a speedqueen, too.
My Maytags lasted ~ 25 years and I was very pleased with them til they gave up the ghost. I then got Kenmore front loaders, on the pedestals so they are raised / higher than the Maytags were.
- Big mistake to get the pedestals. I’ve now lost the flat surface on the top to fold clothing on. The pedestals themselves are empty - they really don’t serve as storage for anything.
- I despise how I have to keep the washer door hanging open. It’s sloppy looking, esp because in my house, you enter through the garage into the laundry room and then the kitchen. The gasket area is always looking / smelling moldy so I have to bleach it. It’s really very poor design. It should have been designed in some way where it could be kept closed.
- Even though I use less detergent than is called for, it still oversuds at times and shuts off (and yes, I’m using the HE detergent).
We bought a Maytag washer in 1983 when we bought our first house, line dry clothes for about a year, broke down and bought a dryer (not Maytag though).
Guess what, the 33 year old Maytag washer is still going strong, no repair that I can remember. Old style with 2 rows of buttons and one dial. One button is kind of loose.
We are on our 2nd dryer in 33 years, our current one is a Whirlpool.
Not sure what make we will get when our Maytag eventually breaks, I am paying attention to the suggestions given in this thread.
My LG front loader HE has a door design where you shut the door and it appears closed but it isn’t completely closed on the seal, if that makes sense. It allows the seal to “breathe” and not mold. I always wipe the seal down anyway after I do a load of wash. It takes 2 seconds. I leave the door completely open for an hour or so, although with the design of it not sealing when it is closed I wouldn’t have to. When you are doing wash, you shut the door completely and seal it.
I had the pedestals in our last house and thought they increased vibration, so with this newer unit I skipped them. The inadvertent solution is a medium height stool that was in the laundry room for the cats to get up on their feeding counter. It’s perfect to sit on and unload the washer and dryer.
Yes, my Speed Queen top load uses more water than my old Danby front load but I save my rinse water to flush my toilet. (Lots of paint buckets go up and down the flight of stairs to my basement.) Replacing my (original) toilet would be tricky as anyone with a 90 year old house will attest. Nothing is simple in an old house, and one thing leads to a dozen others. I figure it all balances out, and my arms have gotten stronger hoisting up a regular bucket to my toilet tank. DH carries the big bucket up the steps as my skeleton (vs. muscles) can’t handle the weight.
@Hopeful820, my 23 years old Maytag washer needed a rubber nozzle last week, first repair ever. The repair technician told me to replace any part that may break in the future and not purchase a new machine if I can help it. The new washers are made to last about 6 years.