Do high-efficiency machines actually clean anything?

[VocalMinority]

We just got a great deal on a scratch-&-dent high-efficiency laundry machine, at Lowe's.  I love the idea of using less water, less electricity and less detergent.  However, I also have 6 people (all males, except me!) and a dog, to clean up after.  As I peek through the fascinating glass top of our new machine, it looks like (depending on the cycle) it gently stirs, or softly rocks, the wet clothes, then spins them dry.  There is no agitator.  I admit, I don't have the time to stand there and watch an entire cycle!

So, how do these things work?  Do they actually get things any cleaner than if you soaked them in soapy water in a bathtub and hung them up to dry?

[RoamingWidgeteer]

Oh yes they clean, better than the top loader but it does take longer. And because the clothes aren't being torn from side to side by the agitator, the clothes last a lot longer. There are, however, significant quality differences between machines - I've used a high end Samsung that was meh at best (towels got smelly after only 2 days) while my little Miele gets everything clean and towels don't get smelly even after a week.

[VocalMinority]

Originally Posted by RoamingWidgeteer 

Oh yes they clean, better than the top loader but it does take longer. And because the clothes aren't being torn from side to side by the agitator, the clothes last a lot longer. There are, however, significant quality differences between machines - I've used a high end Samsung that was meh at best (towels got smelly after only 2 days) while my little Miele gets everything clean and towels don't get smelly even after a week.

Funny!  The one we got is a Samsung and it's a (perhaps rare?) high-efficiency top-loader.  Maybe the gravity of the clothes falling from the top to the bottom of the front-loaders is a cleaning function we're missing out on.  Oh, well.  We've gone years, buying used machines for $100 on Craigslist - or getting them free, when friends upgrade - and keeping them 'til they die.  After actually buying a new one, we won't be replacing it any time soon!  And it does have an absolutely astronomical capacity.  I've never seen a washer (designed for home use) this big.  In that respect, at least, it's exactly what we need!
 

[RoamingWidgeteer]

Originally Posted by Jeannine 

Funny!  The one we got is a Samsung and it's a (perhaps rare?) high-efficiency top-loader.  Maybe the gravity of the clothes falling from the top to the bottom of the front-loaders is a cleaning function we're missing out on.  Oh, well.  We've gone years, buying used machines for $100 on Craigslist - or getting them free, when friends upgrade - and keeping them 'til they die.  After actually buying a new one, we won't be replacing it any time soon!  And it does have an absolutely astronomical capacity.  I've never seen a washer (designed for home use) this big.  In that respect, at least, it's exactly what we need!
 

Oh dear - I hope it works as well as advertised! How long is a regular cycle?
 

[VocalMinority]

Quote:

Originally Posted by RoamingWidgeteer 

Oh dear - I hope it works as well as advertised! How long is a regular cycle?
 

1:15.  For the most part, it seems to work well.  It gets dirt out of our boys' jeans, which is noteworthy!  It's just that, #1 - watching it, I can't fathom how it's cleaning anything; and #2 - the day I posted, I did a load where everything with visible dirt came out cleaner, except one of my 4-year-old's favorite sweatshirts, which I swear was dirtier than when I put it in!  I had poured a little detergent on a spaghetti sauce stain (because I couldn't wash it immediately).  It looked like the sauce had simply relocated to a different spot on the shirt and there's a noticeable outline, where the detergent was.  ??  Hopefully, just a fluke!

[justmama]

I have a HE front loader and have had it for nearly 2 years and it's got some quirks that I dislike but overall it's a good machine.  It gets stuff clean.  I have done diapers in it and wasn't pleased with the performance but I think that was mostly related to lack of water instead of the actual performance of the machine.  It took a lot of tweaking to get the diaper routine down but it's do-able.  But for regular clothing(even mud-caked outside play clothing) it's great.  I've put clothing in there that was literally saturated with water and sand and it came out lovely and clean.  It routinely cleans up berry juice, chocolate, coconut oil, strawberry stains, etc.  So yeah, I do think it gets clothing clean though I have no idea how since like you said, it rocks the clothing back and forth.  And we use homemade detergent so it's not like I'm putting scary chemicals on our laundry to compensate for a crappy washer.

[mom2grtbunch]

i have a HE now after we retired our much beloved gifted washer (at least 20yrs old that was still working) the key is getting the soap just right.  by that I mean depending on your water type the amt of soap can affect how the clothes get cleaned/or lack of it.  It takes a little to tweak it jsut right imo.  Like I learned how much detergent to add to the kids clothes vs. say diapers.  I think the HE machine does have a learning curve.  Now, 1 yr later, I think I have it down but the first few weeks I found myself re-doing laundry because I didnt feel it was clean enough or I thought I could feel residue left on the clothes. 

[Thyme Mama]

No.
 

[34me]

I've had a middle of the road Fridgedare for the last 5 years and our clothes do come out clean. With much less battering. I do agree that there is a learning curve for how much detergent for which load, a sprinkle of borax for some and a vinegar rinse for some things. My ds1 plays ice hockey and there is no smell like it (dd works at an alpaca ranch , so I know stink!) and it gets all his gear smelling pretty good.