Washer/Dryer help!

[dismom301930]

Our old Kenmore dryer just died for the second time in a few months, so it is time to get a new one. We want to upgrade our washer at the same time.

I have heard some pretty negative things about the musty smell of front loaders, so I am reluctant to get one of those. I am thinking about a high efficency, large capacity top loader (such as Whirlpool Cabrio or Kenmore Elite Oasis) but I would love to get some feedback.

So, what do you have and how do you like it? Thanks so much!

 

[MM27]

Front loaders don't smell musty if you leave the door of the washing machine open when it's still wet. The machine has suction tight doors so air can't get in and dry out the inside, so you have to allow it to dry before shutting the door. On top loading machines, there isn't that suction on the door so air can get in to dry it out even if you leave the door open.

 

[ceecee]

I looked at the Kenomore Oasis as well. We went with the LG Steam washer and Dryer and I really like it. As for the musty odor, you do have to leave it open to dry and wipe it out after washing or it smells a little. I haven't had a huge issue with it. My thing is not being able to stop it and put forgotten clothes in after it started. Or I can't do a repeat rinse cycle like with my old one. It holds a lot more since there is no agitator and it uses less energy, we have a well so I don't know about the water.

 

[Eliza32]

I'm a front loader girl, but then I would be, coming from the UK!!! In fact one of the maids at POP asked me if I was English because I chose the front loader in the laundry!!!
We just don't have the space for top loaders in the UK, and in my (somewhat limited) experience, I think that the front loaders wash better anyway.

 

[blanq]

I have had front loading washers and dryers for years, and have never had a problem with musty smells. I rarely close my washer door when it is not in use though, so I think the machine has adequate time to air out between loads. I know some people who swear by "Smelly Washer Cleaner" though: http://www.smellywasher.com/

 

[amberlynnhawkins]

I agree with previous replies about front loaders!! My husband & I just replaced our washer/dryer with Whirlpool front loaders and LOVE them. Quieter, use less water & power, the drying is done MUCH faster, more space, less wear & tear on the clothes because of the lack of an agitator!! Another good thing about front loaders is that most of them can be stacked & save space (you have to buy a kit for about $30 for them to be stabilized). It was WELL worth it for us because we have limited space ... and stacking the washer/dryer made just enough room for us to add shelves to store our laundry stuff AND surplus dry goods we get from Sam's (paper towels, toilet paper, etc.).

I DO recommend shopping around. We checked HH Gregg, Sears, & Lowe's because all had some form of a price-matching policy. I think at both Sears & Lowe's it was matched price + 10% off. Keep a check on sales too. We got ours 4th of July weekend, and Lowe's had all their major appliances at least 10% off (20% off for Whirlpool), plus free delivery & take away old appliance, plus 0% interest for 12 months on the Lowe's card. I've seen some similar sales on appliances since then too.

 

[PrincessSuzanne]

Oh my goodness, I just had to buy a washer and was going with a top loader until I talked to the salesman at Home Depot. I ended up buying a front loader and I love it. It is an LG, nothing really fancy, got it at Best Buy for $509.99.

It is quiet, but it takes a long time to wash a load, which doesn't bother me. It uses alot less water and detergent and is very quiet, you wouldn't know it was washing if you didn't see the load turning and when it finishes, it has an alarm that sounds like a cell phone. It spins so well, that a load of towels drys in half the time they did from the top load washer.

They can get a musty smell, but if you leave the door open that will go away. Someone closed the door and forgot to open it so the machine could dry out. It does recommend to do a rinse and spin with bleach once a month to keep it running efficiently, but we haven't had our that long yet.

We chose Best Buy, because they had the best price and we could buy it and take it home, we didn't want to have to deal with delivery and they had the better extended warranty for the best price.

I just hope I don't need to buy the dryer anytime soon.

Suzanne

 

[eldres]

I recently purchased the Maytag Bravos top loader.Love this machine,no aggitator,spin cycle is very quiet.

 

[jocotter]

I love my Kenmore front loader. I have a washcloth that I wipe out the rubber seals with after a wash, then I hang the washcloth where the hinges are to make sure the door doesn't shut all the way. It seems to dry out quickly and I haven't had any problem at all. I bought the botton storage drawers and love not having to bend over and dig things out, like I did in my old front loading dryer. I like them up on the drawers so much better, but the drawers aren't cheap.

 

[aeschbaa]

Most front-loader manufacturers recommend that you leave the door open and also to run an empty bleach cycle 1x month. I love our front-loader. It works incredibly well in getting out stains and getting even the dirtiest clothes clean. I have a 2.5 DS, a 7 month old DS, and a DH who likes to get just about everything on his clothes. Since buying a front-loader we have pretty much eliminated the clothing items that we have to deem ruined due to food, spit-up, and the other lovely attributes associated with having a baby

 

[niccikatie]

I adore my High Efficiency top loader. It's an agitator-less top loader, so it does the same huge loads that a front loader can do. I love that I have the flexibility to run an HE load OR a 'traditional' load that uses more water. I also love not having to bend way down to get the clothes out of a front loader. We have a Fisher and Paykel model and have LOVED it!

 

[*BTMRR*]

I adore my Cabrio (HE, top loader, highest capacity model). Seriously, I am in love with that thing! It has gigantic capacity, is easy to figure out, and gets the clothes nice and clean every time. The "quick wash" cycle is often enough. I love the soak cycle. For certain pairs of pants, I have to turn the spin cycle to a lower setting to prevent twisting, but otherwise the fast spin is great!
I had considered a front loader, but we have small kids and pets and I didn't want to worry about leaving the door open all the time.

 

[wmharley]

How did it die? you can probably find parts to fix it yourself.

I paid $35 for a new water valve for my Kenmore washer (10 yrs old). I found the symptoms online and instructions and did itmyself.

I also via the same avenues, diagnosed our dryer's lack of heating, and if the 1st fix doesn't solve it then its the replacing of the heating element, which will be easy.

 

[crjack]

Our old Kenmore dryer just died for the second time in a few months, so it is time to get a new one. We want to upgrade our washer at the same time.

I have heard some pretty negative things about the musty smell of front loaders, so I am reluctant to get one of those. I am thinking about a high efficency, large capacity top loader (such as Whirlpool Cabrio or Kenmore Elite Oasis) but I would love to get some feedback.

So, what do you have and how do you like it? Thanks so much!

I have the Whirpool Cabrio top loader w/d set and I really like them. It's been about 2 years and I chose them for two main reasons. # 1 my set is behind bi-fold doors and the front loaders stuck out a little too far and # 2 was the size. Since there isn't an agitator it actually holds more cu.ft than the front loaders at that time. (Actually just thought of reason # 3....I didn't want the pedestals and the extra cost for them. The front loader was too low without them and also was afraid of vibration)

I replaced both since my set was pretty old and we were moving our laundry upstairs. The dryer had just died and we didnt want to chance moving a 18 yr old washer upstairs so we donated it.

I think the top loaders today are pretty equal with the front loaders in terms of efficiency, water conservation, etc. so it really depends on size, style and price and what works best for you.

 

[Muushka]

I adore my High Efficiency top loader. It's an agitator-less top loader, so it does the same huge loads that a front loader can do. I love that I have the flexibility to run an HE load OR a 'traditional' load that uses more water. I also love not having to bend way down to get the clothes out of a front loader. We have a Fisher and Paykel model and have LOVED it!

We have a FP also. Love it!

 

[Alexander]

We are on our second front loader. Our first was the Maytag something or other---we bought it 13 years ago when it was the only front loader available. You should have seen the people at Sears when I asked about front loaders!! They told me there was no such thing! We ended up buying it from a small appliance dealer. This machine lasted about 9 years.

We now have the Whirlpool Duet. We bought it about 4 years ago and it has been great!

With both machines we have NEVER had a musty smell. I always leave the washer door ajar when I am done with the washing. As soon as it is dry, I close the door.