recommendations for front load washer

[walkinbluesmama]

I am (somewhat) new to cloth diapering, I have a 10 mo old daughter and have been cloth diapering since she was 6 weeks old.

Our current washer does a great job cleaning diapers, but is NOT efficient. We are in the market for a newer washer/dryer so we are not literally watching our money go down the drain!

We like the efficient front load washer/dryer sets, but of course want the most bang for our buck if we are going to shell out that kind of money.

Do any of you have recommendations for an efficient washer/dryer set that are good at cleaning cloth diapers? Information on particular features to look for, brands/types, etc would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

[mum06]

I used to have a front loader and hated it. Nothing from cloth diapers to regular play clothes came clean. The bearings wore out in seven years and it was more expensive to replace the bearing than to replace the washer with a new one. I now have a top loader. Look for something where you can choose the water level and/or have a plain ole regular soak cycle. A sanitize cycles would be a great addition too.

[Thyme Mama]

ditto.

i *had* to have a fl for my cd's, i was told fl's get clothes cleaner. well, they DON'T!

the biggest waste of money i have ever spent in my adult life. i'm not kidding you.

if you still decide to go with a fl, though i vehemently advise against it, stay away from LG.

[Chamomile Girl]

I love mine . They do a great job with the diapers. I love the sanitary cycle option. I don't use it very often, but its great to use when my prefolds get particularly futsy.

I've only had them for two years though.

[dejagerw]

Just an FYI... there's really no such thing as an energy efficient (i.e. energy star) dryer. If you plan to get a new washer, unless you really want the dryer to match, there's really no need to get a dryer as well. Also, you can get energy star top loaders. I believe they are energy star because they don't use as much electricity as other top loaders, but the water usage is probably the same. Getting an energy star front loader would really be to cut down on electric and water costs.

[chel]

honestly, i never noticed much of a difference in $ when using different types of washers.
i've been in temp housing for almost 4m and have been using a top loader. i know my prefolds are getting cleaner. i never have stink issues. did have a few with my fl, where i either added a small amount of bleach and/or extra rinses to fix the issues.

i am finding more wear and tear on clothes in general.

hopefully i only have 1 more year of diapers

[kanga1622]

We have a Frigidaire that we really like but we do have to do an entire extra "Heavy" cycle on hot to keep the stinkies away from the microfiber. So not exactly the biggest water saver on the CDs but we like how it works on everything else.

I recommend if you do get a front loader to leave the door open when not in use so the seal dries and does not mold. We also leave the detergent drawer open so that is can fully dry between loads (water washes into it to get the soap so there is often leftover water in it).

Be prepared that all the cycles on our front loader take more time than the equivalent cycle on our old top loader. Overall our clothes come out of the washer drier, take less time in the dryer, and have less wear than with our top loader. Plus, no middle agitator means no clothes ruined by getting wrapped around so tight we had to use scissors to remove them.

[Thyme Mama]

one big problem that i've had with my fl, and i've seen others mention this, is that clothes tend to get tangled pretty badly. especially anything with ties. i've had a few articles of clothing ruined, and, yes, i still have to cut clothing apart every so often.

there was just a thread about fl's in mindful home:

http://www.mothering.com/discussions....php?t=1274680

[Galatea]

LG!!!!!!!!!!!

Many LG models have an extra water option that is great for cloth diapers.  Mine is a button called "water plus."  I do a sanitary cycle with water plus and they come out so much cleaner than with my top loader!

[laurabfig]

We have a relatively new LG brand FL washer and dryer that our landlord installed after the 25 year old top-loader died.  I've been using it for about 5 weeks to do diapers and have had no issues at all- i don't soak or anything before hand.  I just throw all the dirty dipes in and run the whole load through a speed cycle with extra rinse with no detergent first, then add 2 T of charlies soap and run a hot regular load with extra rinse and they have always come out clean with no stink issues- and I have fitteds, pf's, aio's, and covers all in there together.

I love the front loader washer as it tends to get more water out of the clothes so they come out drier and don't take as much time in the dryer or on the clothesline to dry.

[Carma]

Originally Posted by Galatea 

LG!!!!!!!!!!!

Many LG models have an extra water option that is great for cloth diapers.  Mine is a button called "water plus."  I do a sanitary cycle with water plus and they come out so much cleaner than with my top loader!

My LG also has a tubclean option, which you can use to load more hot water.

Carma

[RoamingWidgeteer]

I've used several brands of TL and FL and have reached the following conclusions:

• TL destroy clothing. All that sideways shearing action wears it out ~25 - 50 times faster. No, I'm not exaggerating.
• A single rinse cannot get clothing clean. Two rinses is absolute minimum, more is better. The individual rinses don't have to involve a lot of water.
• American brands of FL are mere approximations of European made models, and really not worth the effort or money. They don't clean well and break down quickly.
• buy Miele.

NAK but can elaborate on request :)

[camprunner]

We have a Kenmore FL that we've washed diapers for two different kids in. We love it, but I've seen poor reviews else where on Kenmore.  I will say that while I love our FL, FL machines do present a problem if you don't want to touch the dipes that have been sitting there all day (or for two or three days).  I did have to reach in the bag and pull them out as opposed to just dumping it in like in a top loading machine.