You could always just pull the light bulb out.
I think having a light in the dryer is handy, but I don't know why I'd want one in the washer.
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You could always just pull the light bulb out.
I think having a light in the dryer is handy, but I don't know why I'd want one in the washer.
Yep, they both have lights. The washer light is very handy because the inside is stainless steel and can be dark. Occasionally a dark colored sock gets left behind if we don't look carefully. The dryer is white inside, so it's less of an issue.
I once left the door open as a reminder to get the clothes out and then went to bed (some reminder, huh?!). It was easily 30 minutes later and I was having a hard time sleeping because of the odd light coming from the hallway. It was the washer light on! I'm pretty sure ours don't go off after a certain time.
I guess if I felt the need to leave the door open, I'd unscrew the bulb. In over 5 years (including 4.5 of them in super humid Florida & NC) we've never had a mold issue, I'm certainly not going to start worrying about it now!
I have an Asko stacking washer and dryer. I picked Asko based on size (the W/D connection is in a bathroom with a narrow door) but I like it pretty well. There have been some repair issues.
I wouldn't normally pay that much for a washer/dryer but I didn't have a choice -- it was Asko or Miele back when I bought these. The higher spin speeds are really nice, and front loaders do put less wear on your clothes.
Pam
We are on our second front-loader and I wish I could feel the love. We had an older Kenmore (Frigidaire made, as someone above said) and it did a great job of cleaning the clothes ... but it broke all the time.
After three big repairs in six years we just replaced it with a Whirlpool Duet, and we hate it. It really seems to beat up the clothes a lot compared to the old Kenmore, and stuff just does not get very clean. We launder our own cloth diapers and the Kenmore was great for that, but with the Whirlpool they are getting stinky in spite of using very little detergent (the key to frontloaders) and rinsing with vinegar. Plus the wash cycles take forever, the default temperature is "warm" and so we've shrunk a couple of loads of clothes, and the button interface annoys me. It definitely does not feel like it was worth the money. (We did not bother with the $1,100 matching dryer, after I confirmed that it would not fold my clothes and put them away ... which for that price had better come standard.)
I am really aggravated about the whole thing.
huh.... maybe I'm just lucky cause I like low tech..
my washer is old enough that it still uses knobs instead of lcd panels... so if I forget to change the temp setting that's my goof...
I don't use powder detergent anymore, and I think that helps keep the machine from gumming up. I had to rinse out the detergent cups fairly often when I still used powdered.
I usually keep the door at least mostly closed to keep the cats out of the washer and I've never had a problem with stink smells.
I think we had a problem with it only once. Something was left in a pocket (don't remember exactly - something like a handful of washers?) that got stuck in the pump, but the hubby was able to take it apart and get them out. Other than that its been pretty much trouble free.
No way!!! :cool:Quote:
Originally Posted by TrekJeni
I used to work at a biotech company that supplies P&G with enzymes for laundry detergents. I used to work on the protease that went into Tide. An enzymologist's dream job - how to make a protease that didn't fall apart in hot water but still worked well in cold water. I used to know all sorts of arcane things about water hardness all over the world, surfactants, that sort of thing. Oh and the different types of technical swatches - BMI and the like ... :rolleyes:
But back on topic -- LeeBob is lurking this thread now, we were just discussing the possibility of stacking a front loader washer & dryer in our little laundry room. :D
I LOVE my Whirlpool Duet and none of the things Xeney complained about are a problem for us. We don't wash diapers, but my husband's work-out clothes get pretty rank. We started adding Febreeze laundry additive to those washes, and that made a difference. We have extremely hard water that leaves residue on surfaces, so maybe mine works better because of that...I dunno how all that works (but I hope the P&G folks will chime in). My clothes are cleaner with the Duet, and it's wonderful. I love it.
I just made a habit to press the "Cold" button whenever I wash. I do that to save money on heating the water. Nothing has shrunk, though, even on warm. Maybe my water heater is not up enough (the former owner put a partition around it and I've never even seen the stupid thing).
I'm sorry your Duet is not working out for you. I'm sure someone would buy it if you decided to sell and get something else.
Karen
I have a Duet also, and I love mine. I did have a problem with my (and I know this is going to sound weird) permenant press always having a smell to it. I couldn't stand it and it was driving me crazy that only these clothes were smelling and I could not figure out what was wrong.
Finally I started leaving my door open and I try to remember to put the washer through the cleaning cycle once a month like it recommends but I know I miss times. Anyway, it has stopped. I don't know why it was ever this way or why it stopped but I no longer have a smell problem with my clothes.
The only thing I could think of was I quit stuffing the washer with clothes and started making two loads out of my permenant press. That's the only thing I ever had a huge amount of and I guess it just wasn't getting them clean since I was stuffing the washer.
It still washes a whole lot more at once than my top loader ever did and it saves tons of water.
I get irritated the the detergent is more expensive, but other than that, I love it.
My Duet 4.0 is getting delivered/installed on Friday.
:)
Unfortunately that is not an option with the diapers -- additives like Febreeze can really affect the absorbency. Plus I try to avoid things with scents, and it frankly makes me angry to spend this much money on a washer and then have to add things to mask smells that it is not removing.Quote:
We don't wash diapers, but my husband's work-out clothes get pretty rank. We started adding Febreeze laundry additive to those washes, and that made a difference.
Sounds like we have different versions of the machine -- if there were a "cold" button it would be easier, but it's that little button you have to press multiple times to get through the cycle of options. There is nothing wrong with it, it's just an annoying interface and I am irritated that "warm" is the default when most people wash on cold for the reason you point out, to save money. And our water heater is turned WAY down because we have a toddler who likes to adjust the water temperature in the bathtub.Quote:
I just made a habit to press the "Cold" button whenever I wash. I do that to save money on heating the water. Nothing has shrunk, though, even on warm. Maybe my water heater is not up enough (the former owner put a partition around it and I've never even seen the stupid thing).
I should stress that I am not comparing the Duet to a top loader. We have not had a top loader for about ten years. But it is nowhere near as good at cleaning clothes as our old Kenmore was. We really wish we had had that one repaired a fourth time rather than buying this machine. After two months, our towels (which looked like new in the Kenmore) look like old rags, and our diapers stink, and I hate this machine.
As soon as I can afford a new one I will probably put this one on Craigslist.
I hope yours works out, Irulan. I really wish we hadn't bought ours.
My friend with cloth diapers always put baking soda in the wash. She bought giant boxes of it from Sam's Club.
My Duet wash has a button that says something like "Hot Wash/Cold Rinse" Warm Wash/Cold Rinse" and "Cold Wash/Cold Rinse". It defaults to the middle one (warm) and when I press it, it goes down the list, so it goes right to the Cold/Cold. Once I trained myself, it became second nature and I don't even think of it anymore.
Karen
Borax is also a very good laundry booster. It is sometimes hard to find. Mule Team Borax is the brand that I use.
I'll toss in my two cents for washing soda added in with the detergent. Like baking soda, but stronger. Even DH's funky cycling clothes smell ok after a wash with this stuff.
just one more, love my front loader, whirpool, 13lbs, small, so sometimes I have to do more loads...love it so much that I hate to wash when I visit my mother who has a top loader, seems less clean. I have had it for 5 years and definitly wears down the clothes less, I can even throw in bras.
I'm amazed that my grass stained white socks (from mowing the lawn) are starting to come clean with washing in my new front loader - with the same brand detergent in warm water.
And after reading this thread, I'm now leaving the washer door open - no one told me to do so before, and I certainly live in a mold friendly environment!
Amazing the things you learn on TE forums!
I didn't read every word of this thread, but I'll put my seething:mad: two cents in to hopefully save some soul from the worthless equipment I own.
It's not a front loader, but "supposedly" to work the same as one... only in an upright version.
Whirlpool Cabrio
OMG:eek::mad:... THAT THING IS THE MOST WORTHLESS ***INSERT PROFANITY OF YOUR CHOICE*** $2K+ PIECE OF BLEEEEEPP I HAVE EVERY SPENT $$$ ON.:mad::(
*deep breath*
It has no center aggitation, and weighs the clothes itself. You can't over-ride to soak with more water. THEREFORE, I have to hand wash things FIRST before putting them in the washing machine. THEN, it's questionable if you need a re-do.
The only plus is the spin cycle is fast. Long story, but I didn't use it until the return period had passed. Otherwise that thing would have gone back. I have dreams at night of how to blow it up to get $ to buy something else.
Ahhhh, much mo better now:rolleyes:... rant concluded.
Happy Shopping (for ANYTHING) other than what I own.
LOL, like that TV commercial.Quote:
I have dreams at night of how to blow it up to get $ to buy something else.
That is how I feel about mine. I have a first generation ( and last generation ) of a "high efficiency spray rinse" unit that has always done a crappy job on clothes. It hides dirt in it that collects at the bottom of the tub. I will wash a couple of yards of brand new fabric, and it comes out with silt on it.
Normally we are a "drive it til it breaks" family but I am just sick of this thing.
An early death by stone washing your new jeans with rocks? "Honest Honey, I don't know what happened." :rolleyes:Quote:
Originally Posted by Irulan
just trying to help
The only washers I've had have been Sears Kenmore. I've never had a front loader, and unless Sears makes one, I'm not going to get one. In any case, it will likely be many years before I need to replace my Kenmore.
But my brother and his wife love their Bosch.
I don't believe Sears actually manufactures any of their large appliances. Frigidaire front loaders are private labeled under the Kenmore brand, have been for nearly 15 years.
Quote:
Originally Posted by tulip
Kenmore Elite has been around as a front loader for years, who knows who it's built by. Depending on your price point, they relabel different manufacturers.
YES! That is what this stupid thing does. The clothes just lay in the bottom piled up with not even enough water to cover them. It's about like if I took my kitchen sink sprayer shooting from a distance to damp wet the clothes. They say is was suppose to be "smarter". Oh brother:rolleyes:...Quote:
Originally Posted by Irulan
HA! I like you way you think. Do you need any laundry done? Come on over via cyberspace to my washing machine crash and burn party. :DQuote:
Originally Posted by bmccasland
Just another note about my Front Load dryer. It really does a nice job of melting crayons and adhering them to Columbia coats.
What colors does it do best? :p
Another nice thing about air-drying. :pQuote:
Originally Posted by Flybye
I'm on a brink of a mental breakdown due to my recent troubles with washers and dryers.
Oh how I knew so little about them...
Now I know they all stick out a good two inches in the back, and they never are the size they claim they are on their websites. And damn those bubble-doors that stick out.
The compact apt size is expensive and takes forever and a day to do a single load of laundry. Using my neighbour's apt size LG took a whopping 4 hours to dry my sheets.
Samsung has a stupid stacking kit where it pushes the washer 3 inches. Absolutely no sense to this, and I had to return my bling washer/dryer.
Built-in heater apparently will give me a sanitizing option to my washing, which is great for pet bedding.
I've been without a w/d now for 6 weeks, and I'm finally getting the Frigidaire Affinity 8000 on Sunday and it's not my dream machine nor my first choice. But due to space restriction I've had to sacrifice my sanity and my desire for a set I really wanted.
Never in my wildest dreams did I think this will become such an all-encompassing nightmare. All this because I just wanted my clothes washed :(
That problem is what I mentioned before, that any front loader will wash more than a dryer of the same exterior dimensions will accommodate.Quote:
Originally Posted by badger
So even though you can fill a front-loader full and it will function just fine, you only want to actually do that if you're air-drying all or most of the clothes.
I'd put money that your sheets would have dried in two dryer loads of 1 hour each.
Is there any other kind? ( besides clothesline, that is...)Quote:
Originally Posted by Flybye
that is, unless your HOA thinks clotheslines are ghetto.Quote:
Originally Posted by OakLeaf
We thought this was a great idea and it was one of the reasons we were glad to upgrade to the Duet (the old Kenmore/Frigidaire did not have a sanitize cycle). But the sanitize cycle ruined our towels, shrunk the cover on the dog's bed, and made our diapers look old and worn in one shot.Quote:
Built-in heater apparently will give me a sanitizing option to my washing, which is great for pet bedding.
We just use "heavy duty" now. The sanitize cycle is REALLY hot.
I was already to defend myself when it dawned on me................Quote:
Originally Posted by Irulan
Guess not! :o:o
What I meant to say was..................aw, nevermind! :):)
I love my clothesline for sheets and beadspreads. Of course I'm in the country and already gettho so I dont' care what the neighbors think. LOL
It's one of the advatages of living in the country although I'm finding fewer and fewer as I get older.
I still have my 15 year old dryer, and I am of the use it till it breaks families. In fact my husband will fix things until he can't anymore to keep from spending money on a new one. Sometimes that's a good thing, and sometimes not.
The one I got has that, but it wasn't a selling point for us. I was more interested in the larger capacity for all our sleeping bags.Quote:
Originally Posted by xeney
I actually air dry almost all my clothes and underwear and just put sheets and crappy in-house clothes in the dryer.
A lot of my clothes have that 1-2% stretch and found that they became baggy after a couple of months. After I started hang drying, I don't have them become limp anymore and last much longer.
Maybe the newer machines won't do that, but it's become habit for me now that I'll probably continue after I get my laundry crisis sorted.
My dryer came with the house and is very old, but it works when I have to use it so I won't replace it until it dies and cannot be repaired. The washer came with my house, too, but it's newer and the same Kenmore model I had in my previous house. I MUCH prefer to dry things on the line outside. That is one reason that I will never live in a development with an HOA. Give me a real neighborhood any day!
When we bought our home 20 years ago, we made our realtor dig out what few CCR's there were. No one even knew our neighborhood even than them. But sure enough, they existed. Fortunately, they were very simple: no livestock, junkyards, or garages taller than houses and that was it.Quote:
Originally Posted by tulip
(CCR is COmmunity Covenants and Restrictions)
I was talking to some recently who has lived in her home in a non CCR are for 30+ years. New people are moving in that are offended by laundry out on the line and are harassing the neighbors. That whole mind set of keeping thing so "nice" that you can't live your life, ie hang your laundry out... ( or put up a basketball hoop, etc) is just out of my comprehension..
For me the key is making it easy. We put up our rectangular on a corner of the deck so all I have to do is go out the back door and the line is right there!! I love my laundry breaks on the sunny days.
I'm with you! Right now I only have a folding rack that I put out in the back yard, but I want to get a real clothes line or one of those Australian (Hill) umbrella drying racks that'll hold a whole load. There's nothing better than sleeping of sheets that have been dried in the breeze!Quote:
Originally Posted by Irulan
Florida law prohibits HOAs from banning clotheslines. :cool:
You know the people who don't want clotheslines in their neighborhoods come back from Europe with stacks of photos of other people's colorful laundry. :rolleyes:
I've just got a couple of lines strung across our second-floor deck.
I recently helped a friend move into a renovated apartment house in the older part of the city (New Orleans). Because of termites, much work had to be done, and the owner had just finished his unit, including rebuilding his balcony (upstairs apartment), and the renovation included the old laundry line fittings. Friend (a guy) didn't get it :confused:. I was in lust for the space.... the character of the old place..... Then again, my mortgage is less than his rent.
I LOVE the smell and feel of line-dryed sheets. We have a retractable line (4 lines total) that we pull out and attach to a removable pole when in use and the lines retract and have a home on the back of the house when not in use. This past summer, new neighbors moved into the house with a bullseye view of our line so I asked if it bothered them. They said absolutely not, they love it and they want to get one for themselves!