Washer/Dryer Questions (floor, how much, washers, front loader)

[GottaBMe]

We are in the market for a new washer and dryer. Its been a while since I have shopped for these and there are new features I am not very familiar with and I don't have a lot of time to do research since we are in the middle of a move.
Any feedback, especially personal, would be much appreciated. Specific questions I have, but anything else is welcome.

What about the new "steam" feature? Does it help remove/reduce wrinkles? Is it worth the $ ?

New appliance size seems to be given in cubic inches, while my old set size is inches across. How do these correlate? What would be a good size for a family of four?

Front loaders vs. top loaders pros/cons.

Is "high efficiency" worth it? What about the special laundry detergent needed? A pain to find? Expensive? Can you use regular detergent in a pinch?

Brand recommendations?

Thanks for any responses.

[Momma_bear]

Originally Posted by GottaBMe

We are in the market for a new washer and dryer. Its been a while since I have shopped for these and there are new features I am not very familiar with and I don't have a lot of time to do research since we are in the middle of a move.
Any feedback, especially personal, would be much appreciated. Specific questions I have, but anything else is welcome.

What about the new "steam" feature? Does it help remove/reduce wrinkles? Is it worth the $ ?

My husband replaced the washer/dryer in our last house while I was out of town. He got the Whirlpool Duet with the steam feature. I never really used it. It did remove wrinkles but I found that if I ran the regular wrinkle release cycle it removed wrinkles well enough. I love the Duets. Our new house has the older Duets.

Originally Posted by GottaBMe

New appliance size seems to be given in cubic inches, while my old set size is inches across. How do these correlate? What would be a good size for a family of four?

I have no idea. Do the web sites have dimensions?

Originally Posted by GottaBMe

Front loaders vs. top loaders pros/cons.

Is "high efficiency" worth it? What about the special laundry detergent needed? A pain to find? Expensive? Can you use regular detergent in a pinch?

Brand recommendations?

Thanks for any responses.

LOVE front loaders, especially the larger ones. They fit a queen sized comforter easily. Even though I have 3 kids who play sports and generate lots of laundry I don't have to do that many loads. My Duets hold A LOT of laundry at one time.

HE detergent is not that difficult to find around here. Target has it, the supermarket has it. The box is more expensive, but you use MUCH LESS of it so it costs about the same.

If you are environmentally conscious the front loaders use less water and the dryers use less energy (because the loads of laundry come out dryer). They are more expensive then top loaders.

Front loaders are much gentler on clothes than top loaders so clothes last longer. I get much less "pilling" on the kids nylon stuff.

[nightcrawler]

There is no such thing as a an energy efficient dryer.

A clothesline works best and uses no energy at all.

[Okey Dokie]

I agree with everything Mommabear said above. I did a lot of research about "steam" washers prior to buying my new set and the consensus seemed to be it was unnecessary unless you were doing laundry for an oil field worker or mud football team.

[CSD610]

Originally Posted by GottaBMe

We are in the market for a new washer and dryer. Its been a while since I have shopped for these and there are new features I am not very familiar with and I don't have a lot of time to do research since we are in the middle of a move.
Any feedback, especially personal, would be much appreciated. Specific questions I have, but anything else is welcome.

What about the new "steam" feature? Does it help remove/reduce wrinkles? Is it worth the $ ?

New appliance size seems to be given in cubic inches, while my old set size is inches across. How do these correlate? What would be a good size for a family of four?

Front loaders vs. top loaders pros/cons.

Is "high efficiency" worth it? What about the special laundry detergent needed? A pain to find? Expensive? Can you use regular detergent in a pinch?

Brand recommendations?

Thanks for any responses.

Personally I never liked the front loaders, made me feel like I was in a laundromat. Anyway, I replaced my W/D several years ago, went to Lowe's I think or Menard's and bought a no frills set for less than $600.00 for both. It is the best dryer I have ever owned and the washer is wonderful. The one thing Sneakers insisted on was a stainless steel tub in the washer. I prefer a clothes line but have yet to be able to get one put up where I am right now because of drainage issues the landlord has had with the pipes. Technically I have had the issues but he is the one who had to dig up the pipes and replace them. Laundry lines were up right where the digging had to be done so it is all dirt now and mud when it rains so no laundry lines for me until the grass grows in again.

Point being my set washes and dries, simple, basic and I can use powder or liquid with liquid being my preference.

[fallingwater]

We just replaced our old set a few months ago. I went with front loaders and researched till my head was spinning. I ended up with LG front loaders and if a woman can love an appliance, well I am proof. The machines are wonderful. They hold a lot more and I can honestly say they are a lot easier on clothes. What made me go with the front loaders was that we are on septic which is also new to me. I was always on city services in past homes so I never thought about the water output with the standard top loaders. Generally, a front loader will use about 50 gallons of water for one load. For us, that is a lot of water going into our septic tank. It pretty much limited me on only a load of laundry a day. Front loaders use about 13-15 gallons, so as you can see that is a huge difference. I used to get so behind on laundry because of my limitations.

I have a first floor laundry and read the horror stories about front loaders on the main floor but our machines have the vibration technology and I do not have any issues. Honestly, our old top loader made more noise. I have yet to use bleach because the machine works well without it. I had an old college t shirt that was a bit yellow and I was surprised how much whiter it got after washing it in my new machine. Its not brand new looking but taking that much out of an old shirt impressed me.

[DanBev]

We use GE LG stacked excellent combo,clothes come out near dry,takes a short time in dryer.I also like clothes line.One point on washer you have to make sure it is dry,I place towel across opening with door ajar for short period,otherwise moisture will cause problem.

[Squirl]

We also bought the LG front loader set a couple of years ago. Has steam setting; I've never used it. If I did another purchase I'd get a top loader. The rubber seal on the washer door collects water and unless you leave the door open the washer develops a mildew smell. This is a common problem. Its easier to leave the door open on a top loader.

[NJGOAT]

I had to buy a new pair a few months ago. After doing a ton of research this is what I came out with. We had to eliminate top loaders from the beginning as the laundry room is small and also contains the furnace and hot water heater. There were front loaders in there when we bought the house, but they were small and we wanted to go with stackables to save space.

The one thing I found out real quick was that pretty much every company is owned by someone else these days. The top 2 manufacturers for front loaders are Samsung and LG. The LG lines are also reproduced as the new Kenmore models and those tend to have a couple extra features at a given price point over the LG's, but Kenmore doesn't offer an entry level model, they start at the mid-level based on price. So, the decision is really between LG (Kenmore) and Samsung.

Price point is entirely dependent on features alone. All of the materials and construction methods are identical. The $2k washer has the same drum, drive unit, etc. that the $600 washer has. Where they differ is the "tricks" that they can do in terms of settings like "comforter, delicate, wool, etc." On top of that you also have options for steam and sanitizing. My wife and I have always washed our clothes on "regular" and "cold/cold" and have never had a problem. Moral of the story is buy the cheapest one that has the features you NEED.

On the steam thing alone, I personally feel it's a bit of a gimmick. There is a significant jump in price between the more basic models and one's with steam, the price is almost doubled. Given that the HE machines inherently cause less wrinkles I didn't think it was a big deal. Unless you have a ton of dry clean only clothes I don't think it makes sense.

On the size front, you want at least a 4.0 cubic foot washer. This is the smallest that can handle a king size comforter. You will notice that the really cheap ones are all 3.5, this size can have trouble even with queen comforters. For the dryer, just get whatever unit pairs with the washer and you will be good, most dryers for 4.0 cubic foot washers are around 7.2 cubic feet.

Vibrations can be a major concern depending on where they are going in the house and the type of floor under them. Different companies each have a different method for dealing with it. Generally, Samsungs VRT (Vibration Reduction Technology) is considered the best out there. If the units are going to be placed on a second floor or in the middle of the home or placed on something besides a concrete slab, this should be a major area to look at.

You also need to decide how you will place them. If they are going on anything but a slab, they generally recommend that you buy the pedestals that go with them. These are usually rather pricey at $200+ a piece, for what is essentially a reinforced plastic bin. If you are going to stack them, make sure you are comfortable with the height and can reach the controls, as they are quite big when stacked. Another thing on placement is the direction the door opens. Some allow you to select or even switch the way the door opens, but the large majority are fixed to either the right or left, think about this as it can make a big difference.

On the benefits side, the biggest one is simply the fact that the new front loader HE machines use significantly less water and detergent. In addition since the clothes are pretty much spun dry in the washer, the dryer runs for only a short amount of time. Finding HE detergent is easy and every brand now has an HE equivalent. The other added bonus and this is where the real savings are IMO, is that you can put way more stuff in a single load. For my family of 5 we generally did upwards of 7 or 8 loads of laundry a week. Now we do the same amount of stuff in 4; darks, whites, baby clothes, towels and bedding. Our clothes come out cleaner, less wrinkled and it takes a lot less time to do the laundry.

For what it's worth we picked the entry level Samsung brand with the VRT. The pair ran us about $1,300, which was a decent deal. Like I said, we do our clothes on "normal, cold/cold" and couldn't justify paying more for features we wouldn't use. Maybe we're missing something, but I just couldn't see spending $3k+ on a washer/dryer combo and our clothes still come out great.

We also strongly considered the LG models at the same price point. The difference for us was in the vibration technology. I read a ton of reviews on how much of a leap forward the Samsung solution was and how well it worked, that's what sealed the deal. They are generally equal in every other way, with LG having a longer quality reputation in the washer/dryer market, but Samsungs other products are very highly rated and have a good reliability record too. The vibration was an issue for us as the laundry room is in the middle of the house and directly under my daughters bedroom. I can tell you now that I have been standing outside the laundry room door and not known the washer was on until it chimed that it was done, it's that quiet.

[cp102]

I also purchased LG, I love the fact I can wash a King size comforter easily in it. I like the steam feature as it can remove wrinkles from sweaters or skirts I can't iron. I love the handwash feature and use it on all of my clothes. Sweaters look so much nicer.