Let's talk about washers & dryers

[Ironhorse]

So this weekend, the old Ironhorse domicile washing machine has decided to start leaking water out of the pump in the bottom somewhere, and deposit it all over the basement studio laminate floor. Since this a "bottom end of the line" Maytag that is roughly 15 years old, we don't really want to sink any money into this thing.

So now it looks like we need a washer & dryer, and fairly soon. We would like to consult the CP braintrust on

• What type to purchase (top load / side load).
• Gas or Electric dryer (current one is electric)
  • Is the steam feature any good, or even needed?
• What brand to purchase.
• Where to purchase said machine.
• What else to look out for

Your input and discussion is appreciated.

[Handsome B. Wonderful]

I've used the steam feature on my dryer more times than I can count. It's great for tossing in wrinkled items and getting them out ready to wear.

[bubbsy]

i recently had to make this purchase myself.

we went front loading (less water usage and supposed to be more efficient). do note, we were replacing the existing front loading washer (left over when we bought new house) due to a key design flaw. Because it is more difficult for moisture to escape after a load is complete, there is risk of mildew (and that nasty smell). Be sure that if you go front loading, it has precautions against this.

We went with samsung, middle tier models. This comes with a self clean mechanism that supposed to tackle the mildew problem. Though we still leave the washer door and soap dish piece open at least a few hours after using the washer to help moisture escape.

i found it an annoying thing to research online, as due to the fact that people are more likely to write a review when something goes wrong than when things go right, practically every brand/model i researched scared the crap out of me.

I also think that appliance manufacturing has gone the route of most products, where they just aren't built to last a long time. We didn't buy top end, and kept costs relatively minimal (middle tier models) with the expectation that we'll likely have to replace anywhere between 5 to 10 years.....

[bubbsy]

Originally Posted by Handsome B. Wonderful

I've used the steam feature on my dryer more times than I can count. It's great for tossing in wrinkled items and getting them out ready to wear.

i connected the waterline to the drier up for this feature, but have yet to use.

Are you saying i no longer need to iron!

[Hockeyguy15]

We have the Bravos XL top loading washer and front load dryer with steam. Have had them since May I would say they are working well. People complained about them online about not using enough water because their clothes weren't 'wet enough' after a cycle. I guess people don't understand that the more energy efficient the less water it uses.

We got the top load washer (they no longer have the aggitator in the middle) because we didn't want that mildew problem that front loaders can have. Also ours is in a closet, so leading the front load door open wasn't really an option.

[ah123]

We bought a new washer/dryer a couple of years ago and found that the best place to get fairly objective information was a place called "The Laundry Store" near IKEA. They spent a ton of time with us about the pros and cons of every model/brand. If you're confused about all the options, go talk to them.

My wife did the research and was most keen on a Miele, so we ended up buying the entry level Miele front-load. I like the front-load, I am not sure I am too keen on the features of the entry-level Miele (compared to Samsung and others at the same price), although Miele is considered to be a high quality machine and backed by a 10 year warranty.

Good luck.

[Northendzone]

We have Sears feont load machines. I like them, expect for the time the washer quit working on certain cycles. Called a repair guy and after a month of trying to fix it, he gave us our money back.

Called Sears and it was a $700 repair as the main board was the issue

[Handsome B. Wonderful]

Originally Posted by bubbsy

i connected the waterline to the drier up for this feature, but have yet to use.

Are you saying i no longer need to iron!

Well, I'm saying you can do a lot less ironing.

[Erick Estrada]

Samsung front loading with steam function. My wife loves it.

[PIMking]

Originally Posted by Hockeyguy15

We have the Bravos XL top loading washer and front load dryer with steam. Have had them since May I would say they are working well. People complained about them online about not using enough water because their clothes weren't 'wet enough' after a cycle. I guess people don't understand that the more energy efficient the less water it uses.

We got the top load washer (they no longer have the aggitator in the middle) because we didn't want that mildew problem that front loaders can have. Also ours is in a closet, so leading the front load door open wasn't really an option.

I'm torn on this, Our hotel has industrial front load washer and dryers and we don't have a mildew issues. But with that being said I wanted a top load for that reason alone, I just don't know if it will clean enough for a king sized comforter. HOw many towels can you wash at once?

we have a old set of sears (like 1970's old) that do okay but they beat the hell out of our clothes and you cant wash much at a time.

[Hockeyguy15]

Originally Posted by PIMking

I'm torn on this, Our hotel has industrial front load washer and dryers and we don't have a mildew issues. But with that being said I wanted a top load for that reason alone, I just don't know if it will clean enough for a king sized comforter. HOw many towels can you wash at once?

we have a old set of sears (like 1970's old) that do okay but they beat the hell out of our clothes and you cant wash much at a time.

Yeah the new top loads without the aggitator in the middle are way easier on clothes than the top loads used to be.

I don't usually wash the towels so I'm not sure but I can ask my wife. I do our king sheets no problem and we have also washed our king duvet cover. I believe my mother-in-law washed a queen sized comforter and had no issue.

[Hugh Jahrmes]

Originally Posted by Hockeyguy15

We have the Bravos XL top loading washer and front load dryer with steam. Have had them since May I would say they are working well. People complained about them online about not using enough water because their clothes weren't 'wet enough' after a cycle. I guess people don't understand that the more energy efficient the less water it uses.

We got the top load washer (they no longer have the aggitator in the middle) because we didn't want that mildew problem that front loaders can have. Also ours is in a closet, so leading the front load door open wasn't really an option.

I've had the same set for going on 3 years and have been very happy. The steam / auto refresh is handy.



Re: capacity
Unless things have changed, we went with the Bravos because the capacity listed was also quite a bit higher than front loading units in the same price range. Is this no longer true?

[mrkajz44]

Just bought some myself. Went with Samsung's in the higher part of "mid-range". They were on sale at Trail Appliances for about $2,000 with tax.

Based on the all the information I sifted though, it seems like Samsung was the way to go and paying a bit more for features like steam / speed cycles / more capacity was worth it in my opinion. I haven't used them yet (delivery in a few weeks) so I cannot really say first hand, but Samsung seems tops based on my online research.

[Bill Bumface]

Originally Posted by ah123

Miele is considered to be a high quality machine and backed by a 10 year warranty.

Not true unless you paid a bunch of money for an extended warranty. My in-laws just had their washer go at 14 months and were informed it's only a 1 year warranty.

[Hessen]

I also have a Samsung front load set. I looked around at deals and found Futureshop had the best price.

[Drury18]

+1 to anyone who has said steam dryer. Once you go steam, you'll never go back. I've used it for everything from steaming work suits that are dry clean only (and they come out just fine), to quick steam to get the wrinkles out of a dress shirt to tossing in bed and couch pillows to freshen them up. If you have pets or kids, it pays for itself quickly because all those unwashable things can be thrown in on a steam sanitary cycle and comes out like you've washed it.

I also have a top load, agitator free washer and love it. Again, no problems with washing more delicate clothes because nothing to get stuck and no fears about it leaking out the front like the front loads do. Lots of family have a front load and I kept hearing how it leaked and ruined floors. It also has a tub clean setting that I liked because you can toss in some bleach or cleaner and run a clean cycle once a month so you don't get mildew and crap growing in there. Or again, if you have kids and one gets sick all over everything, you can wash the stuff that was hit and then clean the washer of any remaining "chunks".

Mine aren't a matching set (my laundry room is in the basement behind closed doors so I went with the savings over aesthetics) but I have these:

http://www.lg.com/ca_en/dryers/lg-DL...lectric-dryers
http://www.lg.com/ca_en/washing-machines/lg-WT1101CW

Bought them at Lowe's because they would price match plus 10% and threw in delivery. When all was said and done i think I was maybe $1,900. And quick delivery, took it in the house, set it up, took all packaging and I paid the extra I think $50 or $75 for them to haul away the old ones with them. I've bought from Sears and The Brick before, and the service at Lowe's blew them away. I was shocked since I figured I was taking my chances going to a hardware store but they were pretty awesome.

[Drury18]

Originally Posted by PIMking

I'm torn on this, Our hotel has industrial front load washer and dryers and we don't have a mildew issues. But with that being said I wanted a top load for that reason alone, I just don't know if it will clean enough for a king sized comforter. HOw many towels can you wash at once?
.

I have a 5.0 cu ft top load washer and a King sized comforter might be a tight fit. I can put a Queen in there with a little bit of room left, but not sure on a King.

As for towels, I've easily tossed 4 oversized bath towels in there along with a twin sized sheet set and a queen sized sheet set, dish towels and hand towls and still had room. And minimum issues with it going off balance. I think once in the last 18 months I've had to go down there and rearrange the stuff in the washer for the cycle to keep going.

[Jimmy Stang]

About 2 years ago, we bought a Samsung front-loading set for about $2000 from Future Shop. We were also moving from an old set that came with the house (10 years old, top-loading, bottom of the line, etc.).

The difference really is like night and day. It washes better, faster, and with less water. And the dryer takes half as long to get everything fully dry. I can't speak for other brands, although I'm sure they're all fairly similar, but I have been really impressed with my Samsung set.

I have never had a mildew problem. I just leave the washer door open when it isn't in use. My laundry room is in the basement though.

Steam in the washer doesn't really seem to do a whole lot. You can add steam as a function of the "sanitize" feature, but when you're practically boiling your clothes anyway, having it pump a little air into the water seems unnecessary an gimmicky. I have never noticed a difference in the end result.

Steam on the dryer, however, can save your bacon if your shirt is wrinkly and you just need to get it up to respectability. It won't replace ironing, but it will freshen up a shirt that has some light wrinkles in it, which is good enough for some situations.

[PIMking]

no one mentioned that the top loads dont have to buy the pedestal for them

[DoubleF]

I heard that LG and Samsung are actually pretty good bang for buck for washer/dryers. They play a nice little ditty here and there too.

At my parent's place, we have a Samsung set. Bought at Futureshop years ago. Works great, no issues so far. Super easy panels make it easy to open up the washer to drain the filter. Dryer thought is a friggen maze to figure out how to open it up to clean lint that falls in the lint trap slot (apparently it's two screws on the inside which are difficult to see and all the other 4-6 screws have nothing to do with it). I would definitely suggest Samsung though. I just randomly feel the need to dismantle stuff to see if I can keep it running more effectively.

At my condo, I use a Kenmore front load stacker. I like the idea of stacking a lot. However, I cannot access the stupid screws to remove the panel on the front of the washer to reach the filter. I also felt the door was a little more flimsy (lock and seal not as good as the Samsung) and I've had minor issues with leaking when something gets trapped in the door seal (such as a piece of cloth. That being said I think the Kenmore is like 7-8 years vs 3-4 on the Samsung. The tech may have improved greatly in the mean time.

Steaming is awesome in a dryer. If you ever dry something and forget the load, use the steam function so it's less wrinkly/warm when you pull it out and can just straighten out the fabric. It's also great to help certain clothes that need a quick refresh and not a full wash (such as slightly smoky clothing, or a dusty smelling sleeping bag pulled out of storage). Another bonus is using the steam function (will be dry when pulled out) and having toasty warm blankets for a movie.

For sure ask the delivery people to cart off your old one unless you want to try to sell on Kijiji or something. Doing it yourself is a huge PITA.