I have used my daughters and I love them, I have not experienced the smell or mildew that others are talking about, I love the 30 pair of jeans idea, I haven't tried that many but am sure it will hold them and do a good job.
I had the GE Profile, but hated bending over to pull stuff in/out. And it's true you have to leave the washer door open. I recently bought a Kenmore Elite top load washer and a dryer. LOVE them due to capacity and flexibility of settings. Will never go back to front load washer and "high end" doesn't necessarily mean the "best." Many of these name brands are manufactured by the same company. I would check with "Consumer Reports" for a detailed breakdown on appliances.
We hated the front load washer. Hated the mold that formed around the seal...found out you have to leave the door open, which was hard to do since it was ibehind the closet doors. We now have the new top load no agitator, uses less water than a front load and love it.
If you don't put your shirts in dryer, the Front loader washer has many options. But if you use the dryer< then you need to take shirts out right away.
I have dogs, so I have a lot of dog hair. These machines are terrible for that. You can't get the gaskets clean of all of the crud - especially below the gasket where you can't clean.
I leave the door to the washer open so that it'll dry out between washes and I use the tub clean option frequently (wasting water) and even after that, there's still a smell. I've also found
...»
that now my clothes, especially sheets and blankets, have a really funky smell if left out and not used for a while. My white towels, even after being careful about not using too much detergent, are now beige(and I've used bleach, the extra rinse cycle, the extra water cycle and the heavily soiled cycle - all at the same time!).
If you have something that's extra dirty, wash it separately. Because the machines use so little water, there really isn't enough water to make sure the dirt is cleaned out.
If I had to do it again, I'd buy a top loader with plenty of water for the dog blankets, etc. My clothes used to be so clean and fresh smelling...
I know the new machines supposed to save water, but I don't see how when I have to use all of the extra features to get the clothes clean and they still come out looking dirty.
After much research (Consumers Union, and others), and with the suggestion of the sales person at Sears, we purchased a top loader, "High Efficiency, low water wash technology" with the Kemore name badge (made by Frigidaire). Not a lot of bells and whistles BUT it does the job quite well at a reasonable price.
All that I've read....top loaders are far more efficient than front loaders , just ot as popular
They have a product to kill mewdew for "front loaders". By "Tide".I started using once a wk, then once a month. WONDERFUL. I also have the drawers that they sit on. Lots of storage, and NO BENDING, life savers for my back and SO much storage for cleaning products.
As for other appliances, bought a new Maytag french door ref. last year and love it. No more bending over to get stuff out of the cold part - and the freezer has nice bins. Plenty of space to put pizza boxes in the cold part, lol. If you're going to go with a separate cooktop/oven, check out the induction cooktops. Cooks like gas, but uses electric. The pots get hot (you have to use metal) but the cooktop doesn't. I have one and LOVE it! Really nice for kids, the elderly and anyone who has cats, lol.
How many people are you doing laundry for? If it's only one or two people I don't think it's worth it. Get a nice stackable. You'll be just as happy. Put your money into a kitchen.
@ Laurie G - I tried the tub clean product made by Tide and found the smell of the product worse than the tub, lol! I only use products that are free of scents and dyes and the Tide product's smell was way too strong and wasn't even a pleasant smell - like perfume gone bad, lol...
I just got my first set of front loading washer and dryer and I love them. They are made by GE , a trusted name for many years. I went extra for the pedestals for extra storage and also I don't have to bend much to load and unload. This is a good feature for some with a bad back like me. They are energy efficient also and very quiet. I highly recommend. :)
One other thing to consider with front load washers is to check the hook-up configuration in your house. We had to get longer hoses in order to put in our washer & dryer with the doors opening away from each other. Otherwise, you're reaching around the washer door to put clothes in the dryer.
But we find you need to do a HOT WASH frequently (at least once a week??) or you will get an odor from the machine. If you routinely wash in cold or warm water, you never wipe out what may be growing in your machine.
We looked for a while, with the same question you have. We looked at several brands and had decided we were going to buy a set when we found a good deal. One day we were at Lowe's when we saw a Maytag set of front loading machines that had been returned. I asked why and was told that the owner didn't like them. They were marked 50% off the regular price because they were "used" (previous owner had them for a week) We decided right then to buy them. Had them for almost two years now
...»
and I love them (the fact that they were only $1000. for the set with stands included didn't hurt)
Yes, they are worth it. My parents bought them and their water and electricity bills have went down. Their dryer has a sensor that stops when the clothes are dry. You may put them in for 40 minutes but it may only take 15-20 minutes to dry them.
We have the odor problem also and have to leave the door open all the time. I am putting a laundry on my main floor this year and think I will opt for the top load high efficiency model. I am going to go get the Tide mildew killer and give that a try as I plan to leave the basement set up as is so my Cousin has her own laundry area for her Daughter and herself.
i had that problem couldnt even get my clothes to smell good. i cleaned with everything i found purex crystals love them my washer smell good, clothes smell good i still wipe my washer down but nothing like it was.
I don't think they are worth it, seems like the payback from any savings would be very long. I stick with the less expensive top load washers etc. Also, one of the big problems with these is the smell. People do wash, take the clothes out, and close the door. Moisture breeds odors. I have a top load, standard washer, I always leave the lid open when not in use, lets it dry out. Never had an odor issue. I would think with front loaders, leave the door cracked open a bit, so it can dry out.
I now have a Whirlpool front end loader and have never experienced an odor problem. My only problem was I didn't know I needed a pedestal so I bought one. My previous Matag was also a front end loader and never had an odor and didn't need a pedestal because they designed it correctly.
I would not recommend Frigidaire. We had a Frigidaire refrigerator at our old house and the ice maker never worked right. It made horrible loud noises all the time, too. Not good.
We have not had thie issue with smells or mold. Interesting how some do and some don't. Wonder if it is in the water? I.E. well water vs city water? I use cold water to wash all of my laundry so maybe temperature has something to do with it.
I have dogs, so I have a lot of dog hair. These machines are terrible for that. You can't get the gaskets clean of all of the crud - especially below the gasket where you can't clean.
I leave the door to the washer open so that it'll dry out between washes and I use the tub clean option frequently (wasting water) and even after that, there's still a smell. I've also found ...»
If you have something that's extra dirty, wash it separately. Because the machines use so little water, there really isn't enough water to make sure the dirt is cleaned out.
If I had to do it again, I'd buy a top loader with plenty of water for the dog blankets, etc. My clothes used to be so clean and fresh smelling...
I know the new machines supposed to save water, but I don't see how when I have to use all of the extra features to get the clothes clean and they still come out looking dirty.
All that I've read....top loaders are far more efficient than front loaders , just ot as popular
But we find you need to do a HOT WASH frequently (at least once a week??) or you will get an odor from the machine. If you routinely wash in cold or warm water, you never wipe out what may be growing in your machine.