Is getting a HE washer worth it?

[mariekitt24]

Our washer broke so we are looking into buying a new one.
-For those of you that cloth diaper, does your High Efficiency washer get the job done as well as a top loader?

-Also, has anyone figured out how much money you saved switching to a HE washer?

We don't have a lot of money so I'm not even sure if we could afford the intial cost of a HE washer, but I do hear they save lots of money in the long run. I have also heard mixed reviews about whether or not they work as well, so I was hoping to get some more opinions.

Thank you so much for any help!

[MamaMelis]

I have never figured out the cost savings ~ we got our new HE at the same time as we moved into a much larger house, so Its impossible to figure out for us. I will say that I don't think that HE washers are necessarily that much more expensive ~ so if you could find one that you could afford I bet it would be worth it for you in the long run. We are soon to be a family of 5 and do a ton of laundry around here (ugh!).

I will say that I had two in cloth for over a year and it did a fantastic job! I only do one double rinse cycle and one (heavy duty) wash cycle and I have never even had to strip my diapers....with two in cloth full time.

No complaints here

[4JMJ]

We have an LG front loader, which we LOVE!
For the dipes, I do a cold pre-wash on "speed wash" (about 25 min cycle).
Then I do a extra-hot wash/cold rinse on "sanitary" with an extra rinse (takes about 2 hours). Plus I always use the "extra water" option. We have no stink issues and minimal staining (nothing a little sunning doesn't take care of).
I'm not sure about how much money/water/energy it saves, so I can't help you there!
HTH!

[Katie T]

We had a fl that I had to constantly fight w/2 get dipes clean. It didnt have the xtra h2o feature or sanitize which could have been the prob. I broke down & got a tl & have had no prob since. Our water bill went up 10$ some months but is the same others.

[sparkygirl74]

Originally Posted by 4JMJ

We have an LG front loader, which we LOVE!
For the dipes, I do a cold pre-wash on "speed wash" (about 25 min cycle).
Then I do a extra-hot wash/cold rinse on "sanitary" with an extra rinse (takes about 2 hours). Plus I always use the "extra water" option. We have no stink issues and minimal staining (nothing a little sunning doesn't take care of).
I'm not sure about how much money/water/energy it saves, so I can't help you there!
HTH!

We have this same washer and used the same routine. Never had a stink problem!

[Galatea]

If you get one, you have to get one with the "add extra water" feature that will function at any temperature water.

[tayndrewsmama]

Originally Posted by Galatea

If you get one, you have to get one with the "add extra water" feature that will function at any temperature water.

I didn't know they had that feature on any. I hope I am not toast with our diapers.

[cristeen]

We have a Kenmore HE3T set, and it does great with the dipes. It took a little tweaking to figure out the best routine, but now that I have, we haven't had any more problems (we had stink issues before I figured it out). My machine has a row of option buttons that include a prewash, a 2nd rinse and an extended spin. Added to a Heavy Duty wash (Hot/Cold, long wash), and in conjunction with Country Save, BS and vinegar, it all does a beautiful job on my dipes. I even managed to avoid having to strip them, even though we have hard water.

So if you're looking at FL machines, definitely look for ones that allow you to add steps to the wash - it'll save you time money and water over having to put it through 2 or 3 full cycles.