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Are front loading washing machines bad?
vanity | 1-29-2014 | Servo1969

Posted on 01/29/2014 7:47:36 PM PST by servo1969

I'm planning on buying a new washer and dryer in the next few months and my wife has always wanted a front loading washer.

Everyone I talk to including my mother, my sister and my best friend's wife tells me whatever I do DO NOT get a front loading washing machine.

I have been told they get mildew-y, they leak, they tear up easily and that they just don't clean your clothes as well as a good top loader.

All my washers to date have been top loaders and, excluding a part here or there, have each lasted more than a decade. I have never paid to have a washer repaired because I do the work myself. This has made me pretty familiar with their inner workings but I've never owned a front loader and have no personal experience with them.

So, my question is to anyone who owns or has owned a front loading washer. Are they really as bad as people say? Because the impression I keep getting is that they start out fine but end up being way more trouble than they are worth.


TOPICS: Chit/Chat
KEYWORDS: front; frontloader; frontloaderwasher; machine; washer; washing
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To: servo1969

I’ll add that weve had it 3 yrs - no smell whatsoever


121 posted on 01/30/2014 3:43:26 AM PST by Revelation 911
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To: servo1969

If you do choose to get a front loader, ensure that the drum is mounted on a direct drive. The laws of gravity put great stress on the drum as it is mounted to the machine from the back. We switched back to a top load (Samsung) and are extremely happy.

Another benefit with top load is that you can interrupt the cycle to add that dropped sock or garment. No go with the front load.......


122 posted on 01/30/2014 3:46:06 AM PST by GotMojo
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To: servo1969
we have had ours for a couple of years works great clothes come out real clean and almost dry our top loader never spun as fast as our front loader ours also doesn't walk all over the garage like the top loader did. never had a mildew problem we sanitize it like the instructions say to do every once in a while we also leave the door open a bit when we are finished to dry out.
123 posted on 01/30/2014 4:07:52 AM PST by bikerman (Obama! if his lips are moving he's lying.)
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To: servo1969

We have a big smooth rock in the creek by our house. Never a midew problem.


124 posted on 01/30/2014 4:12:55 AM PST by central_va (I won't be reconstructed and I do not give a damn.)
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To: cableguymn

Allergies are a real problem, so you were wise to do that.


125 posted on 01/30/2014 4:26:42 AM PST by Carriage Hill (Peace is that brief glorious moment in history, when everybody stands around reloading.)
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To: shankbear
Rule no one.. leave door open after use. Rule no two, go back and read rule no. one.

Front loaders are the best esp for washing delicate fabrics and for hand washing. I love to sit with a glass of wine in front of my front loader, watching it wash my silk underwear in hand wash mode. Mesmerizing.

126 posted on 01/30/2014 4:46:05 AM PST by nikos1121
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To: nikos1121

you cancelled your tv service didn’t you?


127 posted on 01/30/2014 4:47:38 AM PST by morphing libertarian
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To: Wyrd bið ful aræd

“the door opens the other way than her dryer so the door gets in the way, making switching laundry from washer to dryer that much more of a chore.”

Yeah, I noticed this problem until I simply reversed the position of the units. Please, don’t tell me she never thought of doing this. Also, (and I’m whisperin now...) please tell that she can....you ready for this? Stack them.


128 posted on 01/30/2014 4:49:22 AM PST by nikos1121
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To: Wyrd bið ful aræd

I have a front load washer and I hate it. I have to leave the door open all the time to keep it from smelling. Also, I find it harder to load and unload. My daughter has a top-of-the-line front load, and I hate it also, buy it does not smell.

Tell your aunt to check to see if either the door to the dryer or the door to the washer can be reversed. We had to reverse one of mine, I forget which one, because of the same problem your aunt has. Now they open away from each other so it is easy to move load from washer to dryer.


129 posted on 01/30/2014 4:58:04 AM PST by Bettijo
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To: servo1969

Make sure you get the elevation feature so you do not have to bend over to load the machine. It will save your back.


130 posted on 01/30/2014 5:00:03 AM PST by bmwcyle (People who do not study history are destine to believe really ignorant statements.)
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To: Bainbridge
A bit noisy and only comes in white but it is Awesome ! You can put as much water in as you like, start it and stop it when and as you wish. Great machine. May buy a second one for my kids. The EPA will do away with them as soon as they can cause they do not want you being in control.

I kept our old Speed Queen going for 25+ years. I miss that thing for the reasons you state. Our new one locks the lid and basically says "Go away!" when it starts!

131 posted on 01/30/2014 6:02:39 AM PST by pa_dweller (Extremist tea-party-driven hostage-taking legislative arsonist without a life)
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To: servo1969

In Germany, all we had were the top-loading machines, and I LOVED them! Here, I could not afford the price. It is good to let the door stay ajar when not in use if you have a very damp environment. Otherwise, just wipe the edges of the glass door occasionally. Sometimes there is soap buildup around the edges, but that depends on the maker. I never had ANY mold or mildew...which is what causes the smell. I think they clean better, personally. I still wish I had that style now, but when we moved back, at that time I could not afford $1600-2000 a set. That was the selling price locally.


132 posted on 01/30/2014 6:30:28 AM PST by Shery (in APO Land)
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To: Wyrd bið ful aræd
"My aunt has a front end loader."

She must be popular for all the guys to help clean the snow off it.


133 posted on 01/30/2014 6:42:30 AM PST by Rebelbase (Tagline: optional, printed after your name on post)
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To: carriage_hill

according to his allergist, he’s basically allergic to everything. Tide and many other soaps just know how to really get him to break out.


134 posted on 01/30/2014 6:55:50 AM PST by cableguymn (It's time for a second political party.)
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To: servo1969
So, my question is to anyone who owns or has owned a front loading washer. Are they really as bad as people say? Because the impression I keep getting is that they start out fine but end up being way more trouble than they are worth.

After our last top-loader broke down, we got a used LG front loader. That was about 5 years ago, and it's still going strong.

Mildew should not be a problem as long as you keep the door open when the machine isn't in use, so it can air out. (The instructions say this.) Also, once a month you run a cleaning cycle - an empty washer with some bleach.

The front-loader uses less water, and I've also found that its spin cycle gets my clothes drier, meaning less time spent running the drier as well.

My bedroom is around the corner from the laundry room, and my experience is that the front loader is considerably quieter than the top loader when it is running. The loudest noise is the clothes tumbling. (The spin cycle is just as loud as a top loader's, but that's to be expected, and unlike a top loader, an unbalanced load won't cause it to walk across the room, either.)

On the downside: it's more expensive to buy, and probably to repair, though we haven't had to do that yet. And a typical load of laundry takes a lot longer: probably an hour or more compared to around 30 minutes for a top loader.

135 posted on 01/30/2014 7:49:03 AM PST by RansomOttawa (tm)
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To: ImaGraftedBranch
One of the things I find wrong with all household detergents now is the fact that they removed all the phosphates. Of course, there is a solution to that. Just go to Lowes or Home Depot and buy a box of they're leaving out:

"Trisodium phosphate (TSP) is an inorganic compound with the formula Na3PO4. It is a white, granular or crystalline solid, highly soluble in water producing an alkaline solution. TSPs are used as cleaning agent, lubricant, food additive, stain remover and degreaser.

Trisodium phosphate was at one time extensively used in formulations for a wide variety of consumer grade soaps and detergents, but ecological problems have largely ended that practice, at least in the western world. Substitutes are not as effective." - wiki

It's around $10 for 4.5 lb. box of this stuff and that's enough for months.

You must pay attention when handling this powder. It's corrosive and has to be treated with respect. You don't need to wear a respirator or wear a face shield or anything like that but you do want to be careful where you store it and what you let it come into contact with. Do not store it in a damp location. In fact, I'd keep it sealed inside a moister proof container of some kind just to make sure it doesn't harden into a big block.

My wife adds a tiny bit to each dishwasher and laundry load. And I mean a tiny little bit - like 1/4 teaspoon. That's all it takes! Suddenly all the detergents work again the way they used to! Clean dishes and glasses! Really clean cottons out of the washer!

My question is - Do you think putting a teensy bit of phosphate back into each load would help keep the mildew out of the hoses and the door gasket?

136 posted on 01/30/2014 7:55:03 AM PST by servo1969
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To: CatherineofAragon
That's what I hear, but personally, I don't buy it. When I fill a sink with dish soap, I don't want to see just water and no suds.

Way back when I had a job in a restaurant kitchen. One of my jobs was washing pots, and practically the first thing the chef told me was to put the detergent in the sink after it was filled, not during. His rationale was simple and quite obvious: Soap that is floating on top of the water, is not in the water working on the dirt.

The same is true of laundry detergent. The purpose of detergent isn't to make pretty bubbles. It's to break the chemical bonds between the dirt and your clothes.

Suds are simply a side effect of the fact that detergent is hydrophilic (tends to be dissolved in water), and air is not. They don't actually accomplish anything—except, on front-loading machines like clothes washers and dishwashers, to place unnecessary pressure on the door that might damage it.

137 posted on 01/30/2014 8:09:51 AM PST by RansomOttawa (tm)
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To: ImaGraftedBranch
Just swap them

At this point, yes, but if you are ordering them, why not get a configuration that will allow the washer to stand in front of the hose bibs and drain, and the dryer to stand in front of the power outlet, gas line, and exhaust hose outlet?

138 posted on 01/30/2014 8:19:01 AM PST by Jeff Chandler (Obamacare: You can't make an omelette without breaking a few eggs.)
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To: Bainbridge

What I really want to find is a company that refurbishes 30-40-50 year old appliances.


139 posted on 01/30/2014 9:14:49 AM PST by Tony in Hawaii (Freedom!)
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To: RansomOttawa

See, I know it’s often said that suds don’t accomplish anything, but as I said earlier, I don’t buy it.

I understand the nature of surfactants and what they do. Facial cleansers which produce suds remove more oil and dirt compared to non-sudsing ones. I have curly hair, and I know from experience that washing it with conditioner is going to retain more of the beneficial oils in my hair than washing it with a lathering shampoo, which strips oil.

Sometimes I want those properties, sometimes not. But hair and facial skin are not garments. I want suds in my washer to clean my clothes. HE detergents were invented for the purpose of being “green” and environmentally friendly. I’ve never bought into any of that stuff, and I’m not going to start by believing that a spoonful of non-sudsing HE soap is going to get anything clean. Sorry.

And if a washer is so temperamental that the pressure of some suds can damage it, that’s another reason for me to skip it. ;)


140 posted on 01/30/2014 9:42:22 AM PST by CatherineofAragon ((Support Christian white males----the architects of the jewel known as Western Civilization.))
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