Time for a new Washing Machine

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#1492507 15-Feb-2016 11:27

I'll add my vote for a front loader too, but try to get one with which you can "pause and add". I could've sworn my LG front loader had a sticker on the display model with that feature, yet it never seems to work. Quite often I'll hit start and then realise seconds later that I've forgotten to throw in something, so I have to restart the whole process (and wait 10-30 seconds for the door to unlock).

One thing I love about my LG unit is the timer, which when you set, it measures the weight of clothes in the machine so it knows how long the cycle will take, so when you set it for "10 hours" that means 10 hours until it's finished. My F&P dish drawer on the other hand has a timer that I think is only for the start of the cycle, if that makes sense. Not nearly as inituitive.

MikeAqua

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#1492550 15-Feb-2016 12:18

Maybe staying in motels/hotels etc has prejudiced me against front loaders but ...

I would go top loader any day of the week.

I'm tall and find loading and unloading front loaders rather awkward. It's very hard to check for fugitive socks, when you have to get down on your knees to look into the machine. Put a front loader on the wall or bench and I guess that problem would go away.

I simply don't believe that something which uses less water can get clothes cleaner. Cleaning is based on dilution/dissolving.

Front loaders take longer. Sometimes you just need something washed quickly. If I select the right options our smart drive will clean a small load inside 20 minutes.

Words. Top loaders generally have labels with words. Front loaders have hieroglyphics.

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graemeh

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#1492566 15-Feb-2016 12:40

Front loaders are a pain in the ...

We have a super-efficient electrolux front loader due to space issues. It has to be the worlds slowest washing machine, most loads are around the 3 hour mark to complete.

Yes it is efficient in terms of water, electricity and washing powder usage but life is too busy to wait around for a slow washing machine.

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#1492594 15-Feb-2016 13:09

graemeh:

Front loaders are a pain in the ...

We have a super-efficient electrolux front loader due to space issues. It has to be the worlds slowest washing machine, most loads are around the 3 hour mark to complete.

Yes it is efficient in terms of water, electricity and washing powder usage but life is too busy to wait around for a slow washing machine.

Surely it has some shorter options? Even the 30 min setting on my front loader does a better job than the old toploader did on a really long cycle.

Richard rich.ms

ratsun81

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#1492595 15-Feb-2016 13:10

Front loader all the way.

Replaced my top loader with an Electrolux 8Kg front loader and will never ever go back to a top loader.

Clothes are so much cleaner, don't have powder buildup in the clothes anymore.

Some people have issues with the amount of time the machines take but with the one we got you can adjust the wash time right down.

The other surprising thing was how quiet the machine is, i assumed that with a 1200rpm spin speed it was going to be really noisy but its quieter than the top load machine.

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andrew027

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#1492596 15-Feb-2016 13:10

@MikeAqua: Front loaders take longer. Sometimes you just need something washed quickly. If I select the right options our smart drive will clean a small load inside 20 minutes.

@graemeh: We have a super-efficient electrolux front loader due to space issues. It has to be the worlds slowest washing machine, most loads are around the 3 hour mark to complete.

The time thing for front loaders will obviously depend on the make and model (and maybe the age) but something that takes three hours doesn't sound too "efficient" to me. My Samsung has a quick wash option for lightly soiled items that's only 15 minutes. The standard cycle I use for most things is 1 hour 18 minutes while the cycles for woollens, delicates and hand washing are all well under an hour. Even the longer cycles for heavy soil and bedding are well under two hours.

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mattwnz

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#1492624 15-Feb-2016 13:40

Has anyone thought that if it takes a long time, then it is washing better, as the clothes have been soaking for longer etc. I have a top loader and a front loader. The top loader is rubbish compared to it, thing don't always wash well. The front loader is an asko brand, and is more than 20 years old, the only thing that has needed fixing is a new belt drive which is a diy job to do.

andrew027

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#1492654 15-Feb-2016 14:32

mattwnz: Has anyone thought that if it takes a long time, then it is washing better, as the clothes have been soaking for longer etc.

Not necessarily. If you have one or two heavily soiled articles in the wash, then a longer cycle time means all your clothes are spending more time sloshing around in dirty water, which the rinse cycle(s) may or may not be able to get out.

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#1492656 15-Feb-2016 14:34

I ususally give another rinse or 2 anyway to get rid of the soap powder smell. Not so bad now I dont have flatmates which insist on buying stuff that smelled like flowers and crap.

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Fred99

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#1492668 15-Feb-2016 14:51

mattwnz: Has anyone thought that if it takes a long time, then it is washing better, as the clothes have been soaking for longer etc. I have a top loader and a front loader. The top loader is rubbish compared to it, thing don't always wash well. The front loader is an asko brand, and is more than 20 years old, the only thing that has needed fixing is a new belt drive which is a diy job to do.

I think that the difference is primarily the mechanical action, the drum of a front-loader lifts the clothes and drops them, it's very effective at gently forcing water through the fabric compared to using shear from an agitator in a top-loader. Transferring tech from another industry here - tanning leather - where drums are much better for getting tanning chemicals penetrating the leather than the equivalent of top-loading mixers. Also, they can work effectively with much less water, where a device with an agitator needs to have everything covered with water, so the concentration of soap in the wash-water is probably higher for a front-loader than for a top-loader.

I do hear complaints that some front-loaders don't do a great job with rinsing - with too much soap residue left in the clothes. There's an article discussing this here.
Bottom line basically that you need plenty of water to rinse, but energy/water savings seem to be a high priority with marketing folks. It may be that the clothes from a front loader need more rinsing than a top-loader, as there's more soap in them after the wash cycle due to the higher concentration of soap:water.

Consumer recommend for best results that you don't use water-saver cycles in either front or top loaders, and they do not use those cycles in their tests.

From my past experience working with supply of chemicals for washing powders, while advances were made in formulations for "cold" washing meaning that some of the ingredients hydrate more quickly in cold water, those cold-wash detergents will still not wash very well when temps are <10-15 deg C or so - you should get much better results with water temps 15 deg C or higher. I have our machine set to add a little bit of hot for lukewarm wash, but cold rinse.

If towels etc are crunchy when dried (from soap residue), then I wouldn't recommend adding a separate fabric softener - I'd be more concerned about possible health effects (skin irritation etc) from fabric softener residues than from the soap powder itself.

jonathan18

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#1492696 15-Feb-2016 15:22

Fred99:

If towels etc are crunchy when dried (from soap residue), then I wouldn't recommend adding a separate fabric softener - I'd be more concerned about possible health effects (skin irritation etc) from fabric softener residues than from the soap powder itself.

My experience of CTS (crunchy towel syndrome) with my siblings' front-loaders is one of the key reasons why I'd be likely to stick with top-loaders. Googling this problem does suggest it's related to detergent residue, but, other than reduce the amount used, what else can be done to avoid this problem? (Given fabric softener's not an adequate solution.) I'm not a masochist so wouldn't get my kicks from having towels that can border on the scratchy.

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Fred99

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#1492702 15-Feb-2016 15:34

jonathan18:

Fred99:

If towels etc are crunchy when dried (from soap residue), then I wouldn't recommend adding a separate fabric softener - I'd be more concerned about possible health effects (skin irritation etc) from fabric softener residues than from the soap powder itself.

My experience of CTS (crunchy towel syndrome) with my siblings' front-loaders is one of the key reasons why I'd be likely to stick with top-loaders. Googling this problem does suggest it's related to detergent residue, but, other than reduce the amount used, what else can be done to avoid this problem? (Given fabric softener's not an adequate solution.) I'm not a masochist so wouldn't get my kicks from having towels that can border on the scratchy.

It might help to:

Use liquid laundry detergent rather than powder, especially if doing a cold wash.
Turning off any "eco" water saver feature.
Increasing number of rinse cycles - if that's possible - and/or override auto water fill level and set it to maximum.
Possibly a "gentle" cycle may mean lower spin-speed - a higher spin spin speed on a heavy-duty cycle probably means less water retained after each cycle - so less soap to rinse out.
There are soaps/detergents with "included" softener, I'd be less concerned about residues from those than with residues from the fabric softeners which are added in the rinse cycle (different chemistry).

I have crap(TM) skin. Detergent residues in clothes definitely do irritate my skin.

ratsun81

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#1492713 15-Feb-2016 16:01

jonathan18:

Fred99:

If towels etc are crunchy when dried (from soap residue), then I wouldn't recommend adding a separate fabric softener - I'd be more concerned about possible health effects (skin irritation etc) from fabric softener residues than from the soap powder itself.

My experience of CTS (crunchy towel syndrome) with my siblings' front-loaders is one of the key reasons why I'd be likely to stick with top-loaders. Googling this problem does suggest it's related to detergent residue, but, other than reduce the amount used, what else can be done to avoid this problem? (Given fabric softener's not an adequate solution.) I'm not a masochist so wouldn't get my kicks from having towels that can border on the scratchy.

CTS is not really caused by the powder but by the fibres in the towels being compressed during the high speed spin cycle.

The simple fix is to chuck the towels in the dryer for 5-10 minutes and they fluff right up.

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Hammerer

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#1492715 15-Feb-2016 16:09

Overall, I prefer a front-loader for reasons already covered by others. But I'd make sure I got the features I wanted to allow load top-up, minimise the risk of leaking, ventilate the drum to prevent mould/mildew, etc

On the other hand, we use a top-loader to get three loads of washing onto the clothes line by mid-morning. Natural drying, by sun and wind, is better than using a dryer. If we have to use a clothes dryer or air them inside the house (in winter, it is cheaper to use the dryer) then that negates the lower electricity cost for a front-loader with a more efficient wash cycle.

ajw

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#1492728 15-Feb-2016 16:42

Front loader any day even using cold water. But run a warm wash through once a month with clothes and we only use detergent formulated for cold washing and front load washers. I also keep the door open between washes to keep the machine well ventilated.

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