Shopping for washer and dryer, need advice - and where to post ?

[MamaPrincess]

I am not sure where to post it as there seem not forum for this. Hope to get some help fast as the washer just gave up on me and dryer is whistling of the old age, need to buy the whole new set.. afraid to make mistake, want to go green as far as i can with certain limitations.

I am shopping for new washer and dryer and anyone who could help to get

a perspective please do so. thanks! here are my conserns:

• we have top loader, every time we do loundry now .. there is lot of volatiles coming out of it, I know that it is not as bad as using conventional detergents but even the ones we do do contain things like baking soda and borax etc.. so that stuff still gets into the air and howeverit is better it is still chemical to a degree. Therefore I hope to buy a washer with front loading that is sealed tight, I hope that it won't emit the detergent air into the house. Correct? or does it still do it.
• the same about dryer, our current dryer is old fashion front loader wthout the window, just a still door, and I wonder if newer dryer will be bettter sealed as you can really smell the air from it, hot items even if you use natural detergents.. but the items still have colors and fabrics and when they worm up they do release something into the air right? so.. do you think that sealed modern dryers are better in keeping indoor air clean? btw.. cloth line not an option... so next question...
• which of the washers would you recommend as the one that has the most powerful spinning cycle so the loundry comes out so well spinned that there is almost no moisture so that will dramatically reduce drying time.
• which washer do you think will do great job on washing with natural detergents that are not as strong as the conventional ones that we will NEVER go back to, but.. which one woudl wash great and would not use too much energy to warm up water. Or is it one of the other, I know that modern chemical detergetns aredesigned to wash in almost cold water but I don't want to use them, so am I sentenced to use hotter water to do good loundry or is there a middle ground.. a washer that has lots of power and sensors or someting thatwill do great washing job wihtout hot water and chemicals?
• can you recmmend a particular brand or features of any brand that I should pay attention to?
• what features are important in eco friendly washers and dryers
• what features I will never use.. or you never use and are totally obsolite
• how big would you recommend? biggest to do less loads or smaller to use less water and energy? we havee enough space to do either one.
• are there any bad ones that you experienced and absolutely do not recommend and why?

thanks, I really appreciate any help. It is so much money and great responsibility so I want to make a good purchase with your help.

[MarineWife]

There's a Samsung top loading HE washer that is rated best with JD Power and Consumer Reports.

I would never recommend a front loader. I got one a few years and hate it. We're going to get that Samsung as soon as we can.

[MamaPrincess]

what was that you did not like about front loader? I am curious because we also

have top loader and I really don't like it. Especially since it is so open, all the smells

gets into the air when detergent gets mixed with the hot water..

I wonder about the front loaders thoug.. if you can add a piece of something once it loads

and also I fear that the cycle will be so much longer.

hm.. thoughts?

[MamaPrincess]

oh and the noise level! absolutely crucial for me as our loundry is on the bedroom level

so now if you run washer you can't sleep, it is like the whole upstairs shakes and

the noise level of the top washer is just over the top. I know that front loaders.. some

have this super quiet mode

[MarineWife]

My front loader is older, 2005 or 2006, so there may be better machines now. It's very noisy. If it's running when anyone comes over, they say it sounds like a spaceship taking off. It's downstairs on the main floor and the bedrooms are upstairs but I can't have it running at night or it will keep us up. The inside seal gets nasty with slime and mold and has to be wiped down but never gets completely clean. It's really hard on clothes, tears things up. I had to stop using chlorine bleach completely because it uses so little water that the collars of all our white shirts frayed. You can add things after it has started.

Do you have a regular top loader or a HE top loader? My mom got a LG HE top loader while I was visiting her this past spring. Using that is what convinced me that I wanted one. It locks shut once it's on so I don't see how any smells or vapors could get out of it.

[zebra15]

I've had both types of HE models (top loading and front loading) HATED both with a passion of a thousand burning suns.

Both make a horrid sound when spinning. yes I know that's the purpose of the machine, to spin and get things super dry, but the high spin literally sounds like a jet engine.

The top loading model just twists clothes and ruins them in no time.  Neither model got the clothes clean.  Both models STUNK like mold, the inner ring got slimy, you would need to 'clean' the washer after 45-50 washes with 'Affresh' - a special detergent made for cleaning HE washers or I just used bleach and hot water.  If I missed a cleaning the mold smell and slime got horrible.

The wash cycles on both models was over an hour long.  IDK about you but an hour per load is just insane!

We now have a traditional washer and my laundry is done quickly, my laundry is clean and the machine is quiet.  (and the machine was about $400 each piece).

[MarineWife]

I have the same problem with the slime and smell with my machine. I can't just wash it with that cleaner, either. I have to wipe down the seal inside and out to get all the slime off but it never gets completely clean. Before this I had a regular top loading machine that we found left on the side of the road that worked great until it finally died. I was going to go back to one of those until I saw my mom's new HE top loader. I only watched it wash. I didn't watch is spin and it's in the basement so we couldn't hear it upstairs.

My main thing is having something that's gentle on clothes. My front loader tears up my diapers. The Samsung HE I was looking at is supposed to be gentle and quiet.

zebra15 ~ Did the top loading HE you had have an agitator? My mom's does not.

[zebra15]

Originally Posted by MarineWife 


zebra15 ~ Did the top loading HE you had have an agitator? My mom's does not.

NO agitator and it still managed to tear up clothes like there was no tomorrow. Plus the spin cycle sounded that jet engine everyone is referring to.  The clothes became horribly tangled and twisted in the washer.  I couldn't wait to get away from that thing.  Plus the cycle ran for a minimum of 1 hour, 'super wash' or 'heavy' was 90 minutes.

[MarineWife]

Originally Posted by zebra15 

NO agitator and it still managed to tear up clothes like there was no tomorrow. Plus the spin cycle sounded that jet engine everyone is referring to.  The clothes became horribly tangled and twisted in the washer.  I couldn't wait to get away from that thing.  Plus the cycle ran for a minimum of 1 hour, 'super wash' or 'heavy' was 90 minutes.

Hm...Ok. Maybe I need to rethink this again and go back to just a regular top loading washer. That was my plan before I saw my mom's new one. It's certainly worth it to save at least $600.

[grahamsmom98]

We have a Samsung front-loading washer and LOVE it.  There has never been any bad odor, mold or mildew inside it.  I wipe the seal after every wash (I make it a habit before I even unload the clothing into the dryer) and leave the door open so it can't get musty or stay damp.

We use 7th Generation, unscented liquid for the wash and white vinegar for the rinse (haven't used bleach in 16+ years).  We have a huge garden and dh can get pretty dirty during planting and harvest (plus, he cuts our 8+ cords of wood for the winter), so we are no strangers to grime. I also used to wash my elderly Mom's clothes, as well, and dealt with incontinence issues in her clothing.  The clothes are so much cleaner than our original washer and we use so much less water (we're on two wells and saving water was a big consideration when purchasing the new washer!  No stains, no smells, and they are drier coming out of the washer, so less time in the dryer! 

I almost always use the perm-press cycle, for pretty much everything (even jeans).  In fact, I've used the sanitize cycle just once (for some of Mom's clothes) and saw no real difference.  I have used the gentle on my big dresses (reproductions of Victorian dresses and for my hoop skirts), and there has been no tangling of clothes or anything.  I've never had clothes tangle any worse than in my old top-loader (which was a very good machine).  Again, I don't over- or under-load!!!  Keeping it balanced really helps.

If you don't over- or under-load the washer, the vibration during the spin is minimal.  We keep ours set at "medium" spin and have had no vibration problems.  We were also careful about balancing it when we installed it (a very important step and one a lot of people overlook!).  One the rare occasions when it does spin heavily, it automatically slows and re-sets itself.  I've never had concerns that it is going to topple or "walk" while on the spin cycle! 

Our is also on a riser with a drawer.  Can't say enough good things about having it higher!!

Noise?  We check on it, more often than not, to make sure we turned it on as it runs so quietly.  It's another thing we love about it. 

Yes, the wash cycle does take a longer than a regular top-loader.  But, for us, the huge water-savings, using less soap and quiet are worth the small bit of extra time.  I don't understand what the deal is with people complaining about it being a little longer?

Dh likes it and so does ds (age 13). 

We didn't get the matching front-loading dryer (bought a different brand) and I wish we had.  Not for the bells-&-whistles it offered (steam, etc), but for the riser height and ease of access.  Our dryer has a huge capacity (I can dry 12+ pairs of jeans in one load) and works fine, but it is a royal pain-in-the-back to unload because of its depth and height of the drum.  I am considering buying the matching Samsung dryer just for the body ease it will offer.  -> -> -> Note to self:  Do this soon, before the snow arrives and ice arrive and make delivery difficult! 

Based on our raves about the washer, three of our neighbors, on local farms, bought the same washer and they all love there Samsung, as well!  One bought the matching dryer and she can't say enough good things about it.

Feel free to ask me anything about our Samsung, we LOVE it!

[Mosaic]

I'm guessing this should go in mindful home, maybe? I'll move it for you.

FWIW, I have a Consumer Reports Samsung high efficiency TOP-loader, and I don't like it. For regular clothes it's ok, and it does have a large capacity. But I frequently find gunk still in the washer after even the sanitize cycle. That's not a problem when it's grass, but diaper solids? GROSS, even if it is "sanitized."

[SweetSilver]

I live in the Capitol of Mildew, and you *have to leave the washer door open when not in use*-- top or front.  This can be really inconvenient, but there is no other way.  Front loader instructions I have read usually say you must leave the door open.

Anyhow, the reason I posted was because I just gave my 7-yo Kenmore front loader to our renters, and bought a new (closing-priced) GE set.  I don't like the controls as well, but it's huge, and cleans and dries really well.  Why I bring this up is because the set is still off-gassing petrochemical crap from the materials even 2 months after we installed it.   It's not just the tubing (you can purchase flexible metal tubing, which would help.)  I can't smell it now, but I know it's there still.  I would absolutely not worry about baking soda compared to this!  (BTW, my stinky, air-polluting new washer would probably clean just fine with no soap at all.  My standards are pretty low, but I'm convinced.....)

[Basylica]

I had a front loader I inherited from my dad when he lost his house (I did pay 400 to container ship several items plus like 150 for a uhaul) and I didn't care much for it.

my main complaints was smell (gotta leave that door open!) and the slime (on the gasket...gross!)

the sound was pretty bad, anytime family stayed with me they wouldn't listen about soap and pour in like a full cup of reg liquid detergent and i'd have to run the washer like 12x with a few towels until it stopped foaming. ugh.

when any of the fancier high end machines break down the circut boards are like 300+ to fix (mine blew during a storm. nothing else was effected) which with the service costs was like 400+ and new identical washer was like 600. um...no.

and I didn't have the stands for mine and while I was still crawling under desks with the greatest of ease, I really struggled to move wet clothes to dryer at 9m pregnant with my 11lber. thankfully my older son loved to "help" and for once he actually WAS a help! lol.

if I ever bought a HE washer again, i'd probably go with a toploading one.

I went with cheapest set possible, my washer fried about 2w before my second was born. I was having to take unpaid leave and my ex made barely anything so I was breadwinner, and our outside AC/heat thing went out and cost quite a lot to fix right after.....etc.

6 years later it's still working like a charm, and I think we paid like 700 for the washer/dryer set at conns.

[MarineWife]

Originally Posted by Basylica 

I went with cheapest set possible,..
6 years later it's still working like a charm, and I think we paid like 700 for the washer/dryer set at conns.

What set or brand did you get?

[Basylica]

Whirlpool -

http://www.whirlpool.com/laundry-1/laundry-2/washers-3/-[WTW4800XQ]-1001699/WTW4800XQ/

similar to that one. Since mine are 6yrs old they have likely been upgraded by now.

I'm a warm/cold reg wash for everything sort of gal. I was doing cloth diapers when we bought it (and for next 3+ years) so I did a variety of settings back then, and I occasionally do a hot wash for towels/sheets, and cold/cold for some of my work clothes.

so far no complaints!

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