Front loading washers & dryers

[Cathy_H]

I was hoping my washer & dryer would last until we moved & built our new house but my dryer is overheating, sooooooooo.............. For those of you that have the new front loading washer & dryer please share your brand & model & would you buy it again? I know you have to buy the special detergent & my daughter said you have to leave the washer door open at the end of the day for it to dry out so it will not stink.

 

[tigeresss]

We switched to a front loader two years ago now I believe. We've never had to keep the door open to prevent it smelling...it's never smelled before. We have a maytag and I'm not sure of the model number.

Not only are front loaders better for your clothes but they are better for the environment, using less energy, less everything really. You do need to use special detergent but you use so much less of it. Even what is reccmomended on the bottle for useage is WAY too much to be using. We use a teeny tiny amount...MAYBE one table spoon (that's a lot in our books, probably more like 1/2 a table spoon) and it gets a full load cleaner than our old machine. We will never go back to a top loading washer/dryer and will continue with the front loading ones. I have nothing negative to say about them!

 

[Jetiki]

Having just had a repair man here about a month ago for my top load washer, he said if it ever broke again, to just buy a new one, he wouldn't work on it again for the way its designed. He told me that as of 2009 or 2010 they wouldn't be making the top loads anymore. He said that he works on more Fridgidaire models than any of the others, and if you look at Kenmores make sure its not made by Fridgidaire. Most of the top name brands are ok from what he told me. This is from a well reccommended appliance repair man in my area.

Karen

 

[Relic]

l've had mine for coming on 2 years now there maytag. l really like the washer and yes l leave the door ajar all the time between washings because l found that it does tend to smell in there if l don't and on mine l always need to clean between that rubber in the front it seems to hold water and fogs up the glass. As far as detergent l use regular tide now and use the scoop it comes with. Sorry a tablespoon of soap wouldn't satisfy me into thinking my stuff was clean. The only part l don't really like is l wish the opening was a bit bigger for when you stuff in winter coats or heavy stall drapes. l have a counter top over my set but would like to also get the stand for them to sit on so l don't have to bend in my old age..l wouldn't want to go back to the spinning type now though.

 

[Cathy_H]

He said that he works on more Fridgidaire models than any of the others,

oh my - that is the brand that my daughter bought this year! Thanks everyone! :saludando:

 

[minimama]

I am about to celebrate a year of front loading. I bought the top of the line LG series and I love them both. Less water, less energy, less detergent. i use teh same detergent i used before so no big deal there but I use less of it. Mine are so quiet you can barely tell they are on and I have had to go in and check to make sure I turned it on because it was so quiet. I would recommend them to anyone. And I won't go back to top load. I did a lot of research before we bought and these were the ones that came out on top each and every time.

 

[billiethekid40]

My parents have front loading stacking washer dryer combo and really enjoy them. They take up less room so they are in the kitchen and mom no longer has to go down the stairs to do laundry. Theirs are either whirlpool or kenmore, I can't remember but they came from Sears. They don't have to use special detergents in it, and it has a pull out drawer where you add your detergent (liquid or powder) your fabric softener (optional) and bleach (optional). The machine mixes the soap etc with water ans sprayes it on the clothes at the right time in the cycle so you never worry about bleaching or waiting to add your softener, or for the washer to fill to add your clothes and detergent. It uses MUCH less water and energy, yet holds sooooo much more! Mom does her Queen size thick comforter and her sheets and pillow cases all at the same time easily.

Edited to add, its also super quiet and I dont find the door needs to be left open, in factwith our old washer if you accidentally forgot to put the clothes in the dryer overnight the clothes needed to be rewashed. Because the front load leaves the clothes dryer after the cycle I have accidentally left them for a whole day and night and not had smell at all. And even right after the cycle, they are are so much less wet they take a lot less time in the dryer.

 

[Equuisize]

We have a Maytag Neptune that we bought in 1999. I love it and am

happy to say it went thru the flood, last November, and once it was

dried out neither the washer or dryer has missed a lick.

I use much less liquid detergent, less water as it weighs each load

and determines the proper amount of water and it dries efficiently.

If you use like powdered Oxi Clean laundry booster, you need to

dissolve it first before adding to the wash, the Oxi Clean people told me.

I do leave the door ajar on the washer after use to air, at the

sugestion of the Maytag people, but I always did that with my top

load, too.

+++forgot to add, that they are the GREATEST for washing horse blankets..

Although I'd only admit, under torture, to Michael that's the real reason I wanted

them..... LOL

 

[Connie Ballard]

We bought our set at Sears and I love them! I do suggest getting the extended warranty. We had issues with both at first...something small with the dryer...but the washer sounded like a jet engine going through the spin cycle...yeow. Dont remember what the problem was, but they replaced the whole inside tub...took them like 3 calls to get it all right...but its fine now. Didnt get the extended warranty at first....repairman said..hey...these things are expensive to work on and extended warranty is so affordable...bought it from him.

The dryer does such an awesome job...really dries doesnt FRY my clothes, wrinkle them or leave them damp as challenging as my old dryer could be...almost moody! LOL

I do use the High Energy (HE) detergent...doesnt take much at all. I wouldnt go back to the top loading...once they got mine set up right....it NEVER goes off balance even if I wash a heavy 30"x40" woven rug. LOVE that part!

 

[CrescentMinis]

Whirlpool Duet front loader w & d

We've just replaced our 10-year old Fisher & Paykel set with these 2 months ago and they outperform the old ones by far! The clothes come out cleaner even when someone (not complaining...glad I'm not the only one doing the laundry nowadays!) throws in something with a stain that should be pretreated, but isn't.

 

[Kathy2m]

I too have the whirlpool Duet W/D I love them I got the largest tub size that will fit a king size comforter, now instead of doing 2 to 3 loads a day, I do laundry about 2 to 3 times a week. I did get the stands they are pricey, but they have storage, and you dont have to bend over. My niece has the kenmore she likes them too, and she said the samething about leaving the door open, but only if you arent going to be using them for a few days. Kathy

 

[SweetOpal]

Well I must be the odd ball, I bought the Duets when they first came out, paid $ 2,800 for the washer and dryer, bought the 5 year extended warranty. Had problems with them from about 2 years on, after the warranty was expired I GAVE them away, bought top loader, for next to nothing and love them.

I had several problems, first and foremost after about the 3rd year the clothes always smelled like mildew, nothing would get them smelling better, found that stains would not come out unless I sprayed them with some kind of special stuff, and no I didn't stuff them, then the dryer started taking longer and longer to dry, sometimes in excess of a 150 min, we are on propane, repair man couldn't find anything wrong. I had several floods as the little rubber thing that connects the barrel thing to the front would rip and tear, flooding my entire laundry room

: , it is also good for catching kids socks, they seem to be just the right size to fit in there. But really the smelling problem was the worst. :new_shocked:

Since they have been gone, I bought a cheap washer and dryer from Sams club, an electric dryer at that and I kid you not, the first month my electric bill was $ 200 cheaper and I have not had to refill my propane tank in 6 months when I was filling every 3 months, call it coincidence or not, but they new washer and dryer have already paid for themselves since April!!!!! I will never pay that kind of money for a washer and dryer again. Lets face it, they are there to wash and dry clothes, a set that cost 3,000 has not proved to do a better job than a 600 set.

 

[maplegum]

Front loaders are very popular here in Australia and have been around for years.

I have only ever owned front loaders and love them! We are not on town water, we have water tanks, so we have to be very careful about every drop of water we use. If it doesn't rain, we don't have water!

These machines are so much more gentle on your clothes and on the enviroment. They can take longer to go through a wash cycle compared to a top loader, but that would be their only disadvantage.

I LOVE mine.

 

[Filipowicz Farm]

We bought the Sears frontload washer and dryer about 2 years ago and I LOVE to do wash. The clothes come out cleaner uses less water etc.

 

[JumpinJackFarm]

I have had the Whirlpool Duet since July (washer & dryer)

I am very happy with the way it washes the clothes...and it almost half dries them in the spin

: The dryer dries the clothes...but it is NOT an amazing machine.

My only peeve about the units are the with the Washer ...

it has a detergent drawer... and if you pull it out just a tad too far the detergent you just added goes down the front of the machine?? Has this happened to others with the Duet??

I have only had it for 3 months.... and so far I like it.

 

[Warpony]

Every good thing that has been mentioned before I agree with. All my life I had bottom of the line top loads because, well... I've been dirt poor all my life and I just took what I could get. Many years ago I worked for a woman doing housekeeping and she had a nice frontloader that I fell in love with. Hers was OLD but I loved it anyway.

When we moved back here from our nice house I had one request: I don;t care if I am living in a ratty old trailer in the middle of nowhere, I want a GOOD washer and dryer!!! We went to Sears and found a kenmore washer and dryer in their clearance area. They were floor models and we got them for about half price (and still paid what I consider a lot for them) but I could not be more pleased with them. I do a load of laundry about every other day and never have a problem with it getting a musty smell or anything else even with the door shut. When I was gone to Oklahoma for almost two weeks it did have a slightly musty smell when I got home (I don't think the husband did a single load of laundry the whole time I was gone) but I ran a load of bleach water through and it was just fine.

*whispers* sometimes, when I feel a little sad, I go in the bathroom and watch the laundry tumble and it makes me giggle. I'm easily amused, but it is cheaper than happy pills and it gets the laundry done more often, lol.

 

[mininik]

We've got some sort of Fridgidaire frontloaders and THEY ARE FANTASTIC! Not only do we use them for our own laundry (about 3 loads per week), but I also do the dog towels in them (about 1 load per week). I use one small cap full of a natural, super concentrated laundry liquid detergent by BioKleen for each load of wash. I can really cram the clothes in there and they still get clean and smell fresh. Both the wash and dry process is FAST and efficient.