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Is anyone out there happy with a front-loading washing machine?

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I had to replace my dryer about a year and a half ago and went with a top loader and I am so regretting it. I have been drooling over the Samsung front loaders they have on sale at Lowes. The reason I passed is because I have allergies and Cheer free is the only detergent that doesn''t seem to make me itch. At the time they did not have Cheer free in the He detergents. Now they do. My MIL has Maytag front loaders and loves them.
 
The other thing I was concerned about was the length of time it takes to do a load of wash. Erica and Kelli do you find the wash time to be over long. My top loader was
less t han a half hour and I think the samsung says its about 70 minutes. Hopefully, the amount of clothes that can be washed at one time compensates for this.
Maybe all front loaders have a longer was time. Did anyone notice a difference.
 
Date: 1/3/2010 7:48:46 PM
Author: luv2sparkle
The other thing I was concerned about was the length of time it takes to do a load of wash. Erica and Kelli do you find the wash time to be over long. My top loader was

less t han a half hour and I think the samsung says its about 70 minutes. Hopefully, the amount of clothes that can be washed at one time compensates for this.

Maybe all front loaders have a longer was time. Did anyone notice a difference.
Click to expand...

My machine has many different settings, the quickest of which is a 15 minute wash... I don''t think front-loading machines are any slower.
 
Date: 1/3/2010 7:47:22 PM
Author: marcyc
The reason I passed is because I have allergies and Cheer free is the only detergent that doesn''t seem to make me itch. At the time they did not have Cheer free in the He detergents. Now they do. My MIL has Maytag front loaders and loves them.
Click to expand...

I''ve used regular liquid detergents in my front-loader with no problem. I use about 1/4 the amount recommended for a normal load, which seems to do the trick.

L2S -- I hope you''re pleasantly surprised with your FL! I love being able to use the 2nd rinse option (it''s my default, actually) without too much guilt about using the extra water. I also like how much water the FL spin cycle extracts -- less time in the dryer is great!
 
Our front loading machine does take a lot longer to wash and doesn''t have a quick cycle. However that is a feature the more expensive models have. If you''re spending $5k I am SURE you''ll have that feature! Ours were the cheapest models they had.

But yes, it does hold much more so it compensates in my case. I don''t mind.
 
People spend $5,000 on a clothes washer?
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I like mine. Although I have to say, after doing 8 loads of laundry today, I like it a bit less than usual
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I do think it gets the clothes cleaner. Mine takes just under an hour.
 
I'd wait and check around on both brands...I know we didn't pay full price for our mediterranean blue electrolux [$3,400] so I'd wait for sales and/or pick white to save some $, most if not all of them have 18-20 minute quick cycle. Good Luck
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i'd check and make sure the samsung has a quick cycle. i just ASSUMED that our bosch would, but it doesn't. it has delicate which is 41 minutes and hand wash which is 26 minutes BUT if you want to do a regular load then they don't have a short cycle. our old cheapo FL kenmore had a short 35 min cycle regular wash...loved it for smaller loads. the bosch regular cycle is at least an hour but it's usually more like 70-75 min, bah!! 15-20 would be a dream. now that i will have 500 pairs of tiny baby items to wash prob every few days i really wish we had a short cycle.

btw i cannot imagine $5k for a set...wow!!! our bosch were on sale at sears for $1400 after rebates i think. oh and our front loader is supposed to be 'super' capacity i think 5.5+ cu ft but i feel like it holds the same as our old one.
 
Date: 1/4/2010 12:39:08 AM
Author: Mara
i''d check and make sure the samsung has a quick cycle. i just ASSUMED that our bosch would, but it doesn''t. it has delicate which is 41 minutes and hand wash which is 26 minutes BUT if you want to do a regular load then they don''t have a short cycle. our old cheapo FL kenmore had a short 35 min cycle regular wash...loved it for smaller loads. the bosch regular cycle is at least an hour but it''s usually more like 70-75 min, bah!! 15-20 would be a dream. now that i will have 500 pairs of tiny baby items to wash prob every few days i really wish we had a short cycle.


btw i cannot imagine $5k for a set...wow!!! our bosch were on sale at sears for $1400 after rebates i think. oh and our front loader is supposed to be ''super'' capacity i think 5.5+ cu ft but i feel like it holds the same as our old one.
Click to expand...

You won''t want the short cycle with baby clothes Mara. You''ll want the heavy duty cycle with all the grossness that is on baby clothes!
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We have an Electrolux front loader -- think it''s either 4.5 or 5 kilos. We bought it when they were getting ready to bring out an updated model, so paid something like 30% of the recommended retail. Great buy, love it. Only bad thing, like you mentioned, is the long wash cycle. The normal wash cycle is over 2 HOURS! The quick wash is something like 58 minutes. I use the short/eco cycle, but make the stinky boy do his on the long cycle.
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Wash times are long. On full sanitize with silvercare, for example, the cycle exceeds 2 hours, but most regular cycles range from 60-90 minutes. BUT you can do huge loads, sanitize a cold water wash (silvercare), use steam to heat water (instead of using all your hot water), and the spin is so effective that the clothes come out barely damp, which greatly decreases your drying time and energy consumption (not to mention much lower water consumption).
 
We have a Sears Kenmore HE2 washer and dryer and we really like them. In the first year we had an issue with the washer eating thongs and my smaller socks, but we figured out how to fix that on our own. Knock on wood, we haven''t had any of the issues with mildew in the washer at all.
 
Looks like Luv2Sparkle has a great set coming. That is exciting. And new fresh laundry room in which to house them. Your first load is going to feel so great and be so fun, I envy you! Can we request photos? Maybe some hand shots? Oh PLEASE!
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I wanted to add my entry, for potential consumers after this thread is current. After all PS is a great research tool...I am sure others will use this thread for reference often.

I have the duets. I have the negative terrible mold problem...as Mara said it takes months to get the odor out of your clothing. In the meantime you think perhaps you lost your freshness, and it makes you explain to everyone that gets within a 4 foot proximty...it is my washer''s fault. Honest. (for those readers who don''t know...the rubber seal in the front loaders is so effective keeping water in...that when you close them after a cycle, while still damp the mold just has a happy dance and multiplies in hard to reach dark nooks and crannies. So in your next cycle...WHAM! mold gets into you mentionable and unmentionables! Oh, They make a tablet that you are to use weekly/monthly in an empty cycle to correct this. Arrgh there were no tablets near the set when I bought them! Why tell the consumer there is a problem BEFORE THE SALE?) SO to fix the mold issue, I leave door open during non wash times... I will call that a neutral.

Another negative I have experienced with my washer is the drip or residual bleach from the previous load. Several fav black items now have these orangey bleached out spots. I look like I am in college trying to learn how to do all loads in one cycle. Argghh. Couldn''t figure out where and how I was dripping bleach onto the dark laundry pile (I knew I wasn''t). When I stayed with the new cycle I watched as the cleaning solution as it dripped down from the cups across the inside glass...and realized it had to be bleach water or rinse water that follows or remains in the bleach tray. If the load that follows a bleach load is not conducive to bleach, I have to remove the additive tray, walk it across carpet to the nearest sink and really wash it out. No more ORANGE SPOTS FOR ME!

Another neutral thing I miss and love with old conventional machines; I would fill the tank up and throw in new sheets, or new denim, new towels...and douse them with fabric softener/allow wash cycle to run and agitate and stop it just before draining. I did this often until the newness and stiffness was gone. These front loaders don''t allow a full material soak. But a gentle politically correct non abrasive toss in a puddle that lasts about 30 minutes. I can''t abuse my fabrics anymore!!!! (positive side to front loaders...pilling of fabrics is no longer an issue for me)

All in all, my review of front loaders is not a complete love affair. Even though I love love love their look positive, I will switch back when the opportunity arises. Glad to hear I am the only naysayer.

final tally...two negatives, two neutrals, and two positives. But one of the negatives is smelly mold...so technically that really counts as three.
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I can''t tell you how much I appreciate all your info! I didn''t pay 5K for the washers I purchased but that is what the Electrolux broke down to. Here is how it went-Each machine
was 1699. the pedestals were 300. each and the extended warranty 169, plus tax of about 9%-so about 4400. When we went to Sears and checked them out, their warranties
were 200+ per machine, and in addition they charged for delivery and set up, so theirs came out over 5K. The reason I checked with them is I read that they have a 90 day
complete satisfaction guarranty, and so many people had problems with their machines in the first month or two. Electrolux is like Tacori, in that, if a dealer sells it for less
they lose their contract to sell Electrolux at all. Electrolux had a 10% rebate that they send you on a Visa card. I pretty much didn''t factor that in, because I find that such a
huge pain. You wait and wait for those darn rebates and I hate keeping track to make sure I received them.

Lowe''s were on sale, the salesmen discounted the pedestals and gave us an additional 10% off, so the set was 2403. out the door-so it was almost exactly half of the Electrolux.
Okay, getting old disclaimer-I have been married almost 30 years-so I have been through a few washer sets. My first two lasted total almost twenty years (ten each)-my
third 8+ years and my last 5 years. I really just wanted something that would last past the darn extended warranty. However, the last one I paid a total of $305. for as a clearance
when we moved into a new house 5 years ago. I almost bought a front loader then, but we didnt go with builder upgrades and were doing it all ourselves so we were spending
a lot of money at the time. I bought the cheap one knowing that with all my kids they take a beating and when I did replace I would get the front loaders.

We always try to do as much research as we can when making any large purchase. (probably like all PS''ers) I want to make sure the value I get is equal to the price I pay. However,
there is so many negative reviews on many of the machines. I wanted to ask you folks because I felt I would get a sampling of people who have had their machines for longer
than a few months-which is what you find in most reviews. So this is so very helpful!

A couple features I liked on the Electrolux was a shrink guard setting on the dryer-and the washer had a short wash cycle and the regular setting on the washer was 20 minutes
shorter than the samsung. I just couldn''t justify the price since I wasn''t sure I would get longer than 5 years from the machine. My mom and I have had Electrolux vacuums
and they are really long lasting. I inherited my moms and I think it is over 30 years old. It still works great. I just recently bought a Miele for inside my house-and sent the
electrolux out to the garage for cars. I felt comfortable with the brand.

So thank you again for all your info. I will try to post photos
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Although I have to remind you I haven''t posted ring picks of my upgrade from last June. Hey, it''s not easy
on a Mac!
 
can someone tell me what this magic tablet is named for the mold/bleach cleaning of the washer? so far we just do the air out between loads and i make sure i wash when i am home only or coming back within 70 min so that i can immediately remove clothes to dryer, but it''s inconvenient to not just be able to put a load in and leave for the day like i used to. esp with 70 min cycles. and some of our towels from our original months with the washer seriously should just be tossed i think. i can''t even use them.

nf...i was afraid someone would say that!!

luv2sparkle, what you said re: shopping and researching was SO true for me too. i am a huge researcher but the FL thing was so confusing. i would settle on one thing and then find all these negative reviews somewhere else. it was more painful than any other household appliance search! and given how important W/D is and how much they can be, you obviously want to make the right decision for you.

i was going to get LG since they seemed highly recommended BUT a local appliance tech told me that their parts are horrible to have to get/order and take forever since it''s a European company. then i read this online too. so i thought well washer out of commission for 3 weeks would suck, nevermind on LG.

duets didn''t fit in our space i think depth was too big. i wanted stackables which bosch i think was able to do but then we decided that wouldn''t work as well. anyway the bosch are not THAT BAD, they do the job but just in a more ''finicky'' way than i would prefer AND i hate the tangled wad that all my sweaters and pants come out as. but at least we didn''t pay $5k i guess to find that out hehee so could be worse!

i hope that the samsung are fabulous for you!!
 
I think Tide makes a washing machine cleaner now. I usually just run vinegar through every once in awhile to clean it out.
 
I saw those tablets Mara-dang I can''t remember what they were called. Something like Agree-I saw them at Sears and they were 8.98 for two and the Matag top loader with
the clear glass-has a setting that tells you when to put them in-after about 50 washloads. I thought I would buy them as well.

I also forgot to mention that the Electrolux washer and dryer set were going to take 21 days to get! Who the heck can wait that long unless your set works and you just want
to upgrade. The samsung will take a week and that is a bit long. Of course, it seems now I can''t wear anything with getting a spot on it right away.
 
Mold explanation I think they touch on the tablet in conversation.

Tablet Link Orama tells you where to buy in your area.

Mara, you can find the tablets on the end caps of the appliance department at Lowes etc. There are many blogs on the subject and cheaper home remedies such as HH provided. Vinegar, baking sodas, and dishwashing products. But all of these items are only going to help you AFTER your machine is empty.

Using them at least once though, may help you get a clean slate...they did the job for me. But I now never close the door completely after a wash. A few days go by and I will. PRACTICE MOLD SAFE WASHING TECHNIQUE takes effort-but the price of the tablet is enough motivation for THE CHEAPO in me to leave the door open.
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I think they run about $7.00 a bag.

PS...I hope you get it figured out before you begin to launder those oneseys!
 
Mara-when our microwave broke a few months ago we did the same thing. When I went to replace it, I found that they no longer make 36 inch micro/hoods, now everything
is 30 inch and you have to try to find stainless pieces to match your unit. Those were very often backordered. Every review on the different makes said that brand was basically
junk. Plus, when you went to look at them, they were often not plugged in so you really couldn''t check what features they had because they were digital. I had one salesman
tell me that I was making this decision too hard! The prices were greatly different and there wasn''t one model that was generally reviewed as good. Finally, when we left-I told
my husband, ''lets just fix the one we have'', even though this was the 3rd repair in five years and not covered under warranty. I didn''t realize how much we used the microwave
until we didn''t have one anymore. So far, so good. It does seem like they have an internal button that as soon as the five years is up, they break.
 
We have the Electorlux front loading washer. (washer & dryer died at different times so we only have the washer)

I LOVE it. It is amazing. Our clothes come so much cleaner -- it even managed to get Gorilla Glue out of a pair of B''s pants. Sheets are so soft and nice. And the spin cycle -- WOW. Maximum or even high spin leaves stuff almost dry when it comes out. Cut the drying time in half.
Also has settings gentle enough to handle my delicate stuff with no problems.


The optional stand to lift it off the floor a bit would be a huge help (just for comfort and ease of use).


We did get last year''s model on sale so it wasn''t as much as you are looking at, but it is absolutely worth it. (my mother has a front-loader too and she nudged me into paying extra because she loves hers so much - Whirlpool?)
 
That''s good to know TooPatient! Thanks.
 
That''s good to know TooPatient! Thanks.
 


A couple of days ago I wrote about my Miele washer (Mara's mother has one). The computer ate my posting. I bought it because every washing machine that was highly rated by Consumer Reports (is that the official name? I subscribe to it now because of that washer) was hated by at least half of the real consumers who used it and wrote reviews of it. It was downright frightening to read about what people went through with highly rated washing machines! Everyone loved the Miele, though. So I bit the bullet and spent the extra money. I do love it.



AGBF
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