Need Some Help Doing The Laundry

[Jerry Bruette]

Our clothes dryer recently took a turn for the worst. So we're shopping for a new washer and dryer.

Went to Consumer Reports and looked at some ratings of laundry sets, found some that we thought would work. Then we started looking at consumer reviews of the sets.

Seems as though everyone is in love with their dryers, but the wash machines are another story. Appears as though all of America has a beef with High Efficiency wash machines.

Major complaints seem to be soap stains on clothes, clothes not even getting wet during wash, and clothes being knotted and wrinkled at end of cycle.

What are your experiences with a HE top load wash machine?

Thanks
Jerry

[Mike Henderson]

I have a top load HE machine and it works fine. You can control the amount of water that goes into the tub (you do it based on the amount of clothes in the washer). If you want to use a full machine of water every time, you can do that, or you can set the water quantity based on the load.

I think it does a better job of cleaning than my old machine that was not an HE machine. One thing to watch for - only use HE rated detergents. If you use old detergent (not HE), it makes too much suds and the suds don't get rinsed off.

Mike

[Tom Stenzel]

Our Maytag Centennial top load HE uses a lot less water and gets the clothes noticeably less clean. We haven't had problems with clothes being knotted with the Maytag but we did have that problem with the GE non-HE top loader that we had before this one.

The instructions that come with the machine will tell you to put the soap in BEFORE the clothes. My experience is that is true. The soap will never rinse out if you dump the detergent on top of the clothes. And with less water it's easy to overdose the detergent. Pouring liquid in by eyeball doesn't work. DAMHIKT.

Our washer handles many small items like socks, T-shirts and the like with no problems. It's the larger items like blankets or a winter jacket where you might wonder if the agitator did anything at all.

(Added):
Mike Henderson is dead on. A HE washer doesn't submerge the clothes in water, if the soap suds up it'll never rinse out.

-Tom Stenzel

[Jerry Bruette]

I have a top load HE machine and it works fine. You can control the amount of water that goes into the tub (you do it based on the amount of clothes in the washer). If you want to use a full machine of water every time, you can do that, or you can set the water quantity based on the load.

Mike

All the ones I've looked at so far have a "automatic water level" feature. The consumer reviews say you have to choose the "bulky load" feature to get more water.

[Jerry Bruette]

Our Maytag Centennial top load HE uses a lot less water and gets the clothes noticeably less clean. We haven't had problems with clothes being knotted with the Maytag but we did have that problem with the GE non-HE top loader that we had before this one.

The instructions that come with the machine will tell you to put the soap in BEFORE the clothes. My experience is that is true. The soap will never rinse out if you dump the detergent on top of the clothes. And with less water it's easy to overdose the detergent. Pouring liquid in by eyeball doesn't work. DAMHIKT.

Our washer handles many small items like socks, T-shirts and the like with no problems. It's the larger items like blankets or a winter jacket where you might wonder if the agitator did anything at all.

(Added):
Mike Henderson is dead on. A HE washer doesn't submerge the clothes in water, if the soap suds up it'll never rinse out.

-Tom Stenzel

Are you dissatisfied with your washer because of these complaints?

[Jim Koepke]

I have no problem doing laundry in our machine. My trick is to not over load the machine with clothes. It would be great if the makers put a line on the tub to indicate the load size. Of course, the user would likely just tamp it down to get more in.

My wife figures the tub was made big, so it should hold more stuff… and stuff it she does. She used to poor extra water into the machine. The machine has water level detectors that just drain it out. It took a while to convince her of there being a better way.

jtk

[Jim Tobias]

Samsung front loader. Had about 1 1/2 years. Like it a lot. Had to adjust to putting in less soap and also the wash time. Now that you can see the time run down on the digital display, it seems like it takes longer to do a load.

Jim

[Prashun Patel]

Get the one with the biggest capacity and the fewest electronics. Some washers are prone to drain improperly which causes a stale water smell and worse mold.

If they still made them and they came in pretty colors so my wife'd like it, I'd prefer the old topload/turn knob washer that was basically ON and OFF.

[Brian Elfert]

High efficiency washing machines work great, in a front loader. I have had two front loaders that both work(ed) great. I only got rid of the Maytag Neptune because it vibrated a lot more than newer front loaders. I have Samsung now and it works great.

[Shawn Pixley]

We have a 15 year old Frigidare Front Load HE washer. It has worked flawlessly. I would buy it again. It has stood up well to sand, sawdust, and fish glop. The clothes come out clean. I know ouasked specifcally about top load, but ... Water is expensive around here.

We have the matching dryer. It needed a new door catch a couple of years back. But it has also worked well.

[David Weaver]

Fisher and Paykel HE top load, the plain ecosmart one that's about $550-600. We've had ours for more than 6 years, and my wife is a fanatic about splitting loads, so it does about 8 to 10 a week for 3 people (It would be half that at most if it were me doing laundry, but I've already fought the fight).

Works great, can't remember any problem with it at all, either with homemade detergent, dreft of All brands free and natural or whatever they call their low stink version.

When it goes, I'll buy another one. Expensive washers are a total waste of money, and both CR and Clark Howard have both said for a long time that price doesn't get longevity or reliability. There's just enough options on the ecosmart to do whatever you'd want to do (wash and rinse temperatures, water levels automatic or manual), but no bunch of shiny color-coordinated car body style colored metal on it nor some flashy LCD screen display. But it's efficient on water and energy.

MIL didn't like our washer because it has a plastic lid (still trying to figure out why that matters), and she bought a neptune washer for twice as much. It lasted less than 3 years doing about the same number of loads per week as ours for 3 people (the apple doesn't fall far from the tree).

[Mike Henderson]

I'll just add a comment about why I went with a top load instead of a front load. At the time I bought the top load, I had a small laundry room so I used the top of the washer and dryer for folding clothes. Front load washers are most convenient if used with a pedestal - it makes it easier to get clothes out of the washer. But the pedestals cost extra (quite a bit extra) and they raise the height of the washer/dryer so that you can't use them for folding any more.

It was just more efficient for me to get a top load.

Mike

[Ben Hatcher]

You can make your own pedestal of any height you choose.

[ray hampton]

the washer with a wringer are still for sale and I would buy this style if I need a new washer

[Eric DeSilva]

+1 more happy Samsung front loader owner.

[Tom Stenzel]

Are you dissatisfied with your washer because of these complaints?

Our first impression wasn't too good. My wife is OK with it but she now takes blankets to the laundromat that she used to be able to wash at home. I take my insulated coveralls to the laundromat too.

My wife was against a front loader because of the mold problem. That wasn't just from what reading stuff on the 'net, it was from friends of hers that owned them. If the mold problem was the fault of something they were doing wrong I have no way of knowing.

I would have preferred a front loader even if the total cost of ownership was higher. My experience (worth every cent you're paying for) is that they clean better.

Friday one of my co-workers was complaining about household problems and home ownership in general, she mentioned that her HE top loader took 1-1/2 hours for a cycle, seemingly forever. I know ours takes its good sweet time but I've never timed it. My wife noticed it too but it isn't a deal breaker for her.

-Tom Stenzel

[Mike Henderson]

You can make your own pedestal of any height you choose.
Yep, thought of that. Once you raise the front load washer enough to make it easy to get the clothes in and out of the washer, you make the top of the washer too high for comfortable use for folding clothes. And even if I make the pedestal, it's extra cost. The ones they sell match the washer so they look nice and they have a drawer for storage. And yes, I can put a drawer into a shop made pedestal.

Mike

[ray hampton]

I am unsure what you call a cycle but my washer will run thru. the complete steps from start of the wash to the final spin -dry in about 30 minutes


I timed my washer machine by the dryer, first remove clothes from washer, into the dryer, then set the dryer timer, usual 60 minutes and start washer , washing are usual finish long time before the dryer stops

[John Coloccia]

I inherited a Miele when I met my wife. I think it's close to 20 years old and works as well as it did day one. It will die one day, and when it does I will buy another Miele. The initial cost is painful, but there's nothing else like it.

[Matt Meiser]

My mom went shopping for a new washer/dryer this week as they are looking at a remodel that would, among other things, create a 1st floor laundry. There's only room for a stacked set though and her ancient but good dryer wouldn't stack and her front loader's door is rusting out (yeah, really) and not stackable without some relatively expensive conversion kit so she's probably going to buy new. The local appliance shop they've bought all their appliances from since they swore off Kenmore in the late 80's recommended she go as basic as possible for longevity.

And Saturday morning I picked my daughter up from a sleepover at a friend's house. Their side door goes through the laundry and I noticed her mom has the ubiquitous towel holding the door on her front loader open. Why don't they make these so that they latch the door open a crack when not in use?

[David Weaver]

recommended she go as basic as possible for longevity...



That has been the advice I've seen on every type of appliance for at least the last 15 years. The expensive ones are for you to have if you want someone else to see them, but you'll be repairing them more often and they'll have expensive parts and service because the manufacturers know that if they can separate you from your money for a large machine, you have the money for repairs and they have the leverage in collateral.

They make 20 to 1 cheap to expensive models, and if the basic stuff isn't reliable, they go out of business. They get the repetitions and spend the engineering dollars to make the plain stuff last the longest. If the expensive stuff isn't reliable, someone who is worried about what an object looks like and someone who has $20,000 buried in kitchen appliances will pay to get it fixed.

[John Lohmann]

Samsung top load

[Greg Portland]

I inherited a Miele when I met my wife. I think it's close to 20 years old and works as well as it did day one. It will die one day, and when it does I will buy another Miele. The initial cost is painful, but there's nothing else like it.
Careful, the new Miele units seem to have taken a dip in the quality control department. Samsung and -SOME- of the LG front loaders seem to have the least problems. We let our 15 year old Maytag go with the old house (mechanical switches, motor, belt & metal drum... bombproof!)... the new machines all seem to have at least some problems / complaints.

[John Coloccia]

Greg, could you point to anything that would indicate a poorer quality from Miele? Generally, the only thing I can find is a couple of complaints about one of their espresso machines.

[Jerry Bruette]

My mom went shopping for a new washer/dryer this week as they are looking at a remodel that would, among other things, create a 1st floor laundry. There's only room for a stacked set though and her ancient but good dryer wouldn't stack and her front loader's door is rusting out (yeah, really) and not stackable without some relatively expensive conversion kit so she's probably going to buy new. The local appliance shop they've bought all their appliances from since they swore off Kenmore in the late 80's recommended she go as basic as possible for longevity.

Matt, when you say go as basic as possible do you/they mean not going HE? I'd really like to go with a HE washer, probably top load, because we have a rather small laundry room.

Jerry

[Matt Meiser]

Since she needs front load for a full size stacking set, I'm not sure non-He is possible?

[Marty Paulus]

My mom went shopping for a new washer/dryer this week as they are looking at a remodel that would, among other things, create a 1st floor laundry. There's only room for a stacked set though and her ancient but good dryer wouldn't stack and her front loader's door is rusting out (yeah, really) and not stackable without some relatively expensive conversion kit so she's probably going to buy new. The local appliance shop they've bought all their appliances from since they swore off Kenmore in the late 80's recommended she go as basic as possible for longevity.

And Saturday morning I picked my daughter up from a sleepover at a friend's house. Their side door goes through the laundry and I noticed her mom has the ubiquitous towel holding the door on her front loader open. Why don't they make these so that they latch the door open a crack when not in use?


My Kenmore front loader has that hold open feature. It is built into the latch so no towel necessary. It is a great little feature. Although the wife will still leave the door and soap tray open for a few hours after we are done just to make sure everything is dry.

As far as washing times go it all depends on what cycle is running. When we wash the bed spread (Read huge and bulky) it take upwards of 90 minutes to wash. What I noticed is the majority of that is the machines attempt to balance the load for the high speed spin dry. The high speed spin is a great feature. Most things come out slightly damp. I went with the most features I could get with the least electronics. I stayed away from the touch screen models as those seem to have the most complaints. Soap add is at the beginning of the cycle and it is into a tray. The soap is then washed from that tray into the drum. Eliminates the soap stains I guess. The one thing to keep in mind with the front load HE machines is PM. We run an empty cycle with just bleach (per the instruction manual) about once every couple of months. So far we have not had any odor or stain issues. Our neighbor mentioned that she was told to drain the lower filter once a month as some machines tend to stagnate water in that area.

[Andrew Pitonyak]

Greg, could you point to anything that would indicate a poorer quality from Miele? Generally, the only thing I can find is a couple of complaints about one of their espresso machines.

I purchased one of the half size dishwashers (cheaper than a kitchen remodel to accept a full dishwasher). It was the best dish washer I have ever owned or used from a features perspective..... Sadly, it had an intake pump that failed. It may have been related to little white hard balls that come through the hot water every now and then (calcium??). Every month or so I would shut off the water, take apart the connection, clean everything out (even when there did not appear to be anything there, it would still report problems). Sometimes that would fix it, sometimes I just had to start it, stop it, start it, stop it....... Until it would magically work for another two weeks.

Replacing the pump fixed the problem, but I would first pay a repair person to come to the house, diagnose the problem (by calling tech support and doing exactly what I did). They would order the new part. The wrong part would come, so I needed a third service call (last time, they just took the dish washer with them for a week). So, I ended up paying for two service calls and the part.

I had the pump fail a second time in less than one year. It was cheaper for me to purchase a new lower end diswasher with extended warranty, than to replace just the pump that is in-line with water intake (in other words, it is a hose with a built-in pump). If Miele would have simply solve me the pump hose (I think it was under $200 for the part), I could have just replaced it myself and saved the extra $200 or so for the repair person. It was a hose with a small pump. It was not rocket science.

So, I really liked it when it worked, but it was very finicky about what it accepted, and paying hundreds of dollars once or twice a year in maintenance was a deal breaker for me, so I dumped it. My new cheaper unit has been performing with no problems for a couple of years so far with no issues. But Miele scares me.

[Andrew Pitonyak]

Eight years (or so) ago, when I bought a house, I bought the top of the line front loader washer / dryer from sears (Kenmore). It was top rated by Consumers reports. I don't even remember who makes it for real. So, why was the Kenmore better than essentially the same machine without the Kenmore name? It seems that Sears had them create custom cycles or something.... Not sure if that is a good or bad thing, but..... We only use liquid HE detergent, and my cloths are always super clean and my wife loves the units. When we were married she told me flat out that Laundry was her domain, not mine. I only use the machines myself when either she goes out of town, or if she just needs me to pull things for her.

[Greg Portland]

Greg, could you point to anything that would indicate a poorer quality from Miele? Generally, the only thing I can find is a couple of complaints about one of their espresso machines.
For example: http://www.amazon.com/Miele-W3033-Washer-German-Engineering/dp/B000Y8WQKK/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1344968914&sr=8-3&keywords=miele+washing+machine

I'm not saying avoid them (or to trust internet reviews), just be careful about which model you're getting and do some research. There will always be negative reviews especially on front load machine where people keep the door closed. The amount of negative reviews on -all- FL machines caused me to get an extended warranty on our machine. BTW, I own other Miele appliances and have had minimal problems.