Thank you for all the great advice you've been giving me about kitchen appliances. It's all been very useful. How about one more? Mr. Washy-Washy is on its last legs and The Mister and I have been at odds on its replacement. We have a top loader. I wash a lot of towels since I keep the critter beds covered with one and I change them daily. As careful as I am to balance it, the poor washer gets off kilter often which more than likely has led to its early demise.
When I kitty sit for Daughter I use her front loader and I love it. No off balance stuff happens with it. I want one but The Mister says no way because he swears they leak and grow mold. Any experiences or helpful advice? We are not replacing Mr. Washy-Washy tomorrow but I am trying to build a case one way or another in the event that one day I discover he has washed his last load. Thanks!
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I have a stacked Maytag it is about 20 years old. My daughter has front loading machines and she likes them, what i wouldn't like is not being able to add clothing after I select the wash cycle:)
ReplyDeleteHmmm. Well I had a front loader that we bought when we moved in here. It was really expensive because I planned to keep it a long time. And it lasted 7 years. Apparently, at least on machines made 15 years ago, the part that holds up the drum was plastic on virtually all of the machines according to the repairman. It sounded like a herd of horses running through our house because that part broke from the weight of the wet clothes. He recommended a top loader because he said he saw far less repairs on them. Now this was 8 years ago and maybe they have fixed that issue now.
ReplyDeleteI do really like my top loader and it is water efficient and I don't have a lot of problems with balance issues.
That being said, I never, ever had a problem with leaking or mold on the front loader. I always left the door open on the washer so it could dry out between uses.
I hope all of that helps. :-) Sorry I wrote a book!
Blessings,
Betsy
I have both--top loader at home and front loader at the lakehouse. I vastly prefer the top loader.
ReplyDeleteToo much bother with the front loader: mold concerns, having to clean it with bleach or special front loader cleaner to prevent mold, leaving the door open to prevent mold, etc. I detest it.
No helpful advice about front loading machines - I also have a stacked which is over 20 years old. It's the dryer that's had some repairs.
ReplyDeleteI have a top-load (it's apparently 25 years old and still going!), and have never had a front load (though I like them). Upside of front load - they use less water. Downside - it's hard to felt knit items (it can be done, it just takes longer).
ReplyDeleteAnother option (not that you probably want one), is a top-loader with no centre agitator - mom has one and she loves it. Not only does it give more room for stuff, it's gentler on clothes, and doesn't go off balance as easy.
I would never have another front-load unless absolutely necessary. I had two in my last house (life span 5-7 years for me). It was necessitated because the closet like space with the bi-fold door did not have enough space to accommodate most larger machines. There was always the issue with mold in the rubber seal around the door. I would dry that after each load and leave the door open but still mold would develop. It did not do well with large loads (things like my quilts). When I moved, I gained a real laundry room and bought a top-loader with no agitator. So, I would have to agree with your husband.
ReplyDeleteWe HATED our front loader. HATED! HATED! HATED! it. Hated it so much, my husband got fed up with it, yanked it out of the laundry room, onto the second floor deck and threw it off into the yard. And after a few months of it laying dented and mangled in the yard, he took it out to a friend's shooting range and used it for target practice. As for why we hated it, it was constantly moldy and didn't wash well. In fact sometimes, half the clothes would still be dry after being washed. And the clothes coming out of it not only still smelled like sweaty construction work but they'd also pick up the mold and mildew smell from inside the washer. And you couldn't felt your knitting in it.... Unless you accidentally put your most favorited and expensive pair of socks in it. Those felted. But the things you wanted to felt did not.
ReplyDeleteWe needed to get a washer and dryer the last time we moved (about 19 months ago now). We bought an LG model and so far it has worked well. I love that it senses for each load and adjusts water and time accordingly. My clothes wash well and spin out really well - drying time is much less too. I don't close the door fully, stopping just short of it latching (you can barely tell that it is open) and I've never had mold or mustiness issues. The washer does have a "hand wash/wool" feature -don't get fooled by this! I felted a brand new, never worn sweater (a test knit no less!) using that cycle. I think the wet wool was heavy and threw off the spin cycle. It keep wetting and trying to spin and I wasn't paying attention.
ReplyDeleteIn my old top loader I could soak and spin my knits (hate doing the towel thing!) but I can't do that in the front loader, so I do miss that. I also like the 'sanitary' feature on the washer. It gets my dish clothes and dish towels really clean so I don't need to use bleach anymore.
Good luck in your decision!
I have a top loader--there modern ones for that style, too.
ReplyDelete