Forget High Efficiency Washers, I Want a Washer that Actually Gets My Clothes Clean!
A Week's Worth of Research on Washing Machines
My very excited husband immediately began making plans to buy a high efficiency front loading washing machine. I screamed, "Stop!" then explained to him that I've heard grumblings about the mildew smell if you don't keep the gasket on the door dry. He didn't believe me so he asked his mom, who has one of these washers, and she said, "yeppers, you have to dry the inside of the washer and leave the door open so mildew doesn't build up." This is washer, not a baby. I shouldn't have to coddle it and make sure it's all fluffy and dry every day. Plus, my washer is never empty long enough to actually dry out.
So now that I know I don't have the washing machine mom gene I continued my search with the high efficiency top loading washers with no mold harboring gasket. Do you know that those washers don't have an agitator? These machines have a little bump that moves up and down and mixes clothes gently so as not to offend or bruise the whites.
In order to be an informed washer shopper I signed up for a one month subscription to Consumer Reports. Consumer Reports rates washers according to their water usage, efficiency, noise, and amount of fading of clothes. I don't care about fading I want to know if a washer will actually get my clothes clean! It seems that little tidbit no longer matters as long as it is an energy saving, water conserving, noise pollution eliminating machine.
Don't get me wrong, I'm all for conservation but puleeze, I still need it to do the job it was originally intended for (that includes using more than ½ cup of water to wash a load of laundry) and from everything I could determine most of these machines like to massage clothes as opposed to washing them. The top loading high efficiency machines just sloshes the clothes around a little.
The high efficiency washers are highly rated by Consumer Reports (and the only washers that are actually recommended by them) but it takes looking at all the consumer reviews (1300 and counting) about the smells and lack of clean clothes to get the complete picture. One poster even said that it just disperses the dirt onto the other clothes.
I would also have to switch to a high efficiency detergent (not excited about that because I have 2 kids with very sensitive skin who break out in hives if I change anything I use to wash clothes) and then I would have to avoid liquid fabric softener because the animal fat doesn't dissolve well because these machines use less water. Of course, I've already been warned not to use dryer sheets because the wax on them can melt and gum up the electric motor in the dryer. Okay, I'm going to have to resort to beating my clothes on rocks.
Now I'm sure there are a ton of consumers out there who love their high efficiency washer. I may be in the minority but I went ahead and bought another old-fashioned, conventional, top loading washing machine; another Admiral made right here in Ohio for half the price of the cheapest high efficiency washer (and less money than the repair estimates). I hope it's at least another 15 years before I have to make another huge, difficult decision like this one.
Published by Kim Keason - Featured Contributor in Lifestyle
Full time mom, part time nurse, and part time freelance writer. View profile
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14 Comments
Post a CommentWhat a relief to find this article. I've been looking for complaints about HE washers online since I bought one last winter. It was the worst purchase I ever made - it simply did not clean clothes ("a cup of water" is about right!) The Sears salesman who sold it to me kept saying "Water doesn't clean clothes, friction cleans clothes". Ha! The machine sounded like something out of a sci-fi movie, took a very long time to cycle, didn't use enough water, didn't balance heavy loads well during the spin cycle yet wouldn't let you reset it yourself, didn't spin the clothes dry enough and didn't clean the clothes. Twice I pulled out my laundry after the cycle completed and found dry spots on clothes. Another time loose dirt fell from a pair of jeans as I pulled them out. You also cannot get hot water when you select the hot water cycle because regulations require the washers to add cold water to the hot cycle - so you just get warm. (This is also true, apparently, for more recently built agitator machines). I exchanged my HE lemon for a good old-fashioned machine with an agitator, got about $200 back and once again have clean clothes. Long story short, the best part of of owning an HE washer was 1) the photo I took of my young son taking a bath in it - "look, Mom, there's no pole in the middle so I can fit!" (Don't worry, it doesn't agitate with the lid open and I stayed with him) And 2) the waves of gratitude I felt for washing machines when I got my new old fashioned one hooked up. I am now certain that water does clean clothes.
i have an HE washer and dryer and i love them. the washer has an antimicrobacterial, something or other around the drum and i have not had any issues with mold or smell. i just keep the washer lid open until the last load of laundry is dry and then i close it all up. my washer also says that i can use regular detergent (by half), but of course, it's best to use HE detergent. I've used both and cant tell a difference. personally, i think a washer is a washer. if it gets your clothes clean, you're in good shape.
I enjoyed your sense of humor in this very informative article. Sadly, I too have a HE front loader. Yes the gasket or whatever it is has "problems". I am not a WM nurturer but I do leave the door open...
THANK YOU! When I found out you have to wash your washer to keep it clean, I thought WTF for?! Why would I want a nasty smelly HE washer when my thrift store find is awesome! Cheaper and older is better! :)
My son and his wife bought one of those top-of-the line huge capacity front loading washers and were surprised to find all the mold that collected on them when they didn't leave the washer door open.
good work!
I think they still make washer boards :P hehe... anyway... go to home depot... then look in the back on clearance items and see if there is a cheap/dented washer... it will last you another 15 years!
Wow! I have been looking at a front loader for about a month now. No thanks. I am so glad I read this, Kim! I guess I will go with the tried and true as well. :)
I have found that new "high efficiency" items, like the new "less water" toilets, are far LESS efficient. And green cleaning products?? Worthless. So much for going green.
Good info. That mildew problem is a real bummer. UGH