Way OT: Washer recommendations needed

[tomato coupe]

Originally Posted by glepore

We leave the front door ajar on our, and open the detergent drawer which provides some venting, per our appliance tech.

Originally Posted by jlwdm

LG front loader has been great. Wipe the seal down after each use and leave the door open. No smell.

Yep, we just leave the door and detergent drawer open for a day and we've never had any smell. It's super efficient, cleans well, the clothes come out of it nearly dry, and you can wash bulky items like sleeping bags and down comforters.

[Rabaja]

In my experience - having lived in both Europe, which uses mostly front-loaders, and in the US, which favors top-loaders - high-quality front loaders are the way to go.

What the discussion here misses - imho - is cleaning performance. I have yet to find a top loader that actually cleans my clothes properly. They simply don’t work. After 30 years in the US I am still puzzled people put up with this.

The only machine that has properly cleaned my clothes is our Miele front-loader. Yes, it is expensive. But you get what you pay for. And it lasts for a long time (our current one is approaching 20 years, my parents’ Miele lasted 40 years).

[C40_guy]

Originally Posted by Nomadmax

I've come to the place in my life where I'll pay more not to have to dick with it again. Or at least, not as soon. I have money, time is what I'm short on.

I'm with you. Life is too short to have to shop for washers...twice.

[572cv]

Originally Posted by Rabaja

In my experience - having lived in both Europe, which uses mostly front-loaders, and in the US, which favors top-loaders - high-quality front loaders are the way to go.

What the discussion here misses - imho - is cleaning performance. I have yet to find a top loader that actually cleans my clothes properly. They simply don’t work. After 30 years in the US I am still puzzled people put up with this.

The only machine that has properly cleaned my clothes is our Miele front-loader. Yes, it is expensive. But you get what you pay for. And it lasts for a long time (our current one is approaching 20 years, my parents’ Miele lasted 40 years).

One reason people buy front loaders is that you can stack them, with a dryer. So they serve that function well.

But Rabaja’s point about cleaning is kind of fundamental. The Miele we now have does an outstanding job of cleaning. There is more attention to cycles which do that job with attention to the type of fabric being washed. The dryer that matches it is terrific, a heat pump dryer. If they last as long as Rabaja’s, I’m done with washer shopping!

[paredown]

Originally Posted by Rabaja

In my experience - having lived in both Europe, which uses mostly front-loaders, and in the US, which favors top-loaders - high-quality front loaders are the way to go.

What the discussion here misses - imho - is cleaning performance. I have yet to find a top loader that actually cleans my clothes properly. They simply don’t work. After 30 years in the US I am still puzzled people put up with this.

The only machine that has properly cleaned my clothes is our Miele front-loader. Yes, it is expensive. But you get what you pay for. And it lasts for a long time (our current one is approaching 20 years, my parents’ Miele lasted 40 years).

I'm with you--we bought a front loader set after we lived in Europe and came back. They were first gen Whirlpool Duets(made in their German factory) was were indistinguishable from the washers we had in Germany.

Even with our inconsistent water quality (well) it is still going strong after 20 years. Does it get odors? Yes sometimes, so I will run a hot cycle with bleach and wipe out the seal (if I remember).

What it does do well is wash clothes without beating the crap out of them with an agitator, and spin the clothes well, so that they are 90% dry when they come out of the washer. If you are not happy with the cleaning, you can extend the cycle, dial up the heat, add extra rinses--whatever. And it is large enough (as has been mentioned) that I can do my post winter wash of our down comforters which used to be a laundromat project (where I could use a large extractor) or a hefty bill at the dry cleaners.

We'd love to have a Miele--maybe next house.

[tellyho]

There's a lot of hate for front loaders, but I think they're the responsible choice for water and electricity usage, not to mention longevity of your clothing. Yes, you have to treat them differently than top loaders, but that shouldn't be surprising. They seem to be pretty solidly designed at this point, vs. when they were just being introduced in the US. The Miele is the ne plus ultra but it's super small (my in laws have one - perfect for 2 old people...).

[AngryScientist]

The thing about appliances like washers and refrigerators is that it really does make sense to research a lot before buying one because they really will last 10+ years and once you buy one, you're pretty much stuck with it for a decade, and that's a long time.

My current refrigerator for example. We just bought it a couple years ago. One of the modern barn door fridge tops, drawer freezer bottom. I literally hate it. Of course, I dont hate it enough to go through the absolute hassle and expense of replacing it, but I wish I had read more reviews, etc. before I bought it.

Oh well, small problems in the big picture.

[p nut]

I am confused as to why a front loader would clean clothes better than a top loader. Does washing at an angle clean better? 😂
I’d take a high quality front loader over a top loader. But everything being equal, top loader is less hassle.
I’d imagine front loaders are favored in EU due to smaller living spaces.

[Gsinill]

Originally Posted by Rabaja

In my experience - having lived in both Europe, which uses mostly front-loaders, and in the US, which favors top-loaders - high-quality front loaders are the way to go.

What the discussion here misses - imho - is cleaning performance. I have yet to find a top loader that actually cleans my clothes properly. They simply don’t work. After 30 years in the US I am still puzzled people put up with this.

The only machine that has properly cleaned my clothes is our Miele front-loader. Yes, it is expensive. But you get what you pay for. And it lasts for a long time (our current one is approaching 20 years, my parents’ Miele lasted 40 years).

I could have written this, down to the "30 years in the US" part.

First thing I bought when I purchased my first house in the US was a Miele washing machine.
As far as I remember, it was the only front loader you could get at this time and insanely expensive.

To the OP's question, depends on what you are looking for...
Speed: top loader.
Washing performance: front loader all day long.

If smell/mold worries you, use a ball filled with detergent inside your drum instead of the drawer and keep the door ajar when not in use and this is a non issue.

[zap]

We had a front loader in our Maryland house that lasted years. It was made in Germany and performed well. It was still working like a charm when we sold the house.

When we needed new washer/dryer here in NC, based on positive reviews here on Paceline I looked at Speed Queen. Meh, the reviews I saw elsewhere including CR were not very good. Cleaning abilities were criticized and at the time reliability for new(er) models was not very good.

We ultimately purchased a LG front load washer and companion dryer. The LG's perform well and can wash/dry a king size "winter" comforter. No smell, no mold......do have to do some maintenance such as quickly cleaning the dispenser (even when left open) every 3 months and draining the unit.

[Gsinill]

Originally Posted by p nut

I am confused as to why a front loader would clean clothes better than a top loader. Does washing at an angle clean better? 😂
I’d take a high quality front loader over a top loader. But everything being equal, top loader is less hassle.
I’d imagine front loaders are favored in EU due to smaller living spaces.

1. The load is constantly moved without being "agitated" (and destroyed over time) by a pretty useless stick in the middle that rubs against a very limited surface of the fabric.
2. While this might not be front loader specific, all European FL washers have heaters that bring water up to 190 degrees F for whites, compared to washers that are limited to the hot water temperature in your house. There is a reason why folks in the US add bleach.

[eri]

I once worked repairing commercial washing machines.

We had a long line of used washers that each lasted 4-5 years. The last used one was some generic GE 'low water' model and it was terrible because it didn't wash the detergent out of the clothes.

We bucked up and bought the speed queen. We were delighted because it was fast and soap is out of clothes. We also noticed that our clothes were being damaged, old t shirts getting ripped.

About 3 years ago there was a guy on craigslist selling a miele washer/dryer combo for $200 so I decided to give them a go. The washer was 260 pounds and I had to put in a plywood floor plate across the joists in our 2nd floor laundry room. Huge chore to get it up there. The dryer had a minor problem with moisture detection that I fixed with a $100 part from miele.

So... immediately... it is clear we are never going back to a regular washer. The clothes are really clean now, the washer spins the water out so the drying is faster. Its going to be expensive when these mieles die.

The units we got were the special 'large' models for the usa market and there are a ton of negative reviews but wow do we like them. Our dryer vents outside and works like a regular dryer.

The speedqueen is going strong in my rental.

I guess my point is the speedqueen sort of sucks compared to our used miele. There's so much marketing and hyperbole and disappointment in washer sales that I am really surprised that we are materially happier with our miele.

I use the sanitize option for my work clothes and there's a delicate option for the sports stuff, both come out really clean.

[Mikej]

Originally Posted by AngryScientist

The thing about appliances like washers and refrigerators is that it really does make sense to research a lot before buying one because they really will last 10+ years and once you buy one, you're pretty much stuck with it for a decade, and that's a long time.

My current refrigerator for example. We just bought it a couple years ago. One of the modern barn door fridge tops, drawer freezer bottom. I literally hate it. Of course, I dont hate it enough to go through the absolute hassle and expense of replacing it, but I wish I had read more reviews, etc. before I bought it.

Oh well, small problems in the big picture.

Why do you hate it? We were looking at the French door versions..

[Fat Cat]

We bought a new tract house in '95. It came with Maytag washer(top)/dryer(front). I replaced the rollers in the dryer 6-8 years ago. The washer has had zero issues and zero maintenance other than a heavy bleach run maybe once a year just fer grins since '95.

FWIW

[superbowlpats]

FWIW Consumer Reports really likes the LG washers, both their front and top loaders score well. We have small space for W/D so we have to stack them (and use the more compact variants). We have the LG and its been great so far, about 7 years. Prior to that we had a Bosch stackable and both w/d sucked.