Well, we got our appraisal back and are moving forward with closing on a house! This is definitely a new era in the JAC household. With buying a home comes all kinds of other hassles. We need to put in a fence to keep the kids from running out into traffic, call in a window covering guy to figure out some blinds for our abnormally shaped windows, and come up with a way to wash our clothes. That last one is actually the first one. We can live a few weeks keeping the children on a leash holding the kids’ hands and even living in a fishbowl for all the neighbors to see. We cannot be trekking the laundromat everyday with kids in tow. It is too far and my kids are too young. Oh, and that whole not having two vehicles thing. I am so done with carrying heavy laundry on my back a mile to the laundromat. Besides, that is where the baby carrier now goes!
So, washer and dryer shopping is this weekend’s activity. Which brings me to my point.
What exact model of washing machine should we get?
- We have very hard water.
- We cloth diaper.
- We wear a lot of wick away fabric for working out.
- My husband gets very muddy doing his park service work.
- We have pets.
Basically, we need a machine that uses plenty of water and can handle very soiled items. It will be in the basement, so noise is not an issue. Since the cloth diapers need an extra long wash, a wash cycle option longer than 12 minutes is a plus. Due to the hard water issue, plus our other needs, a front loader seems out of the question as does an HE machine.
So, I am reaching out to you, dear readers. What machines do you have? Do you like it? Does it get the job done? What do you WISH you had?
3 years ago I was an appliance sales person at a big box store. I will give you a little insight to the different brands that I know about. I personally have a whirlpool front loader set (purchased before I even thought about being a mom much less cloth diapering) I like it for everything but cloth diapers. It takes a 2 hour rinse (have to run a full wash cycle) and a 2 hour wash cycle to get them to rinse clean. I still have buildup issues and stink and can’t seem to find an answer to my problem.
I would steer clear of the front loaders, you will have more issues trying to get the diapers clean than it is worth in water savings.
Maytag, Amana, Kitchen Aid, JennAir, and Whirlpool are all made by the Whirlpool company. The differences lie in the bells and whistles and not so much in the production of the machine itself. That being said, Maytag/Whirlpool are my “cleaning” brand of choice. They are good at what they do and thier customer service was easier to deal with than the other brands I dealt with.
General Electric also produces Americana and Hotpoint. I prefer their cooking products over their cleaning products. Not a bad company for a washing machine, I just think that whirlpool does a better job at cleaning.
Kenmore has their products made by other companies and you can only purchase the replacement parts through sears. Not really a bad thing just more of a PITA when you need something in a hurry.
Samsung/LG are good companies but, unless you live in a large city, their customer service is sadly lacking. They are especially hard to get warranty work done.
Next go round I will be getting a whirlpool top loader with the biggest capacity that I can find. HTH! 🙂
Thank you!
I was looking at getting a Maytag Centennial. It seems basic enough but with a few more water level and rinse options.
Glad I could help. I think you will like the extra rinse options. I miss being able to select my own load size. My machine decides how much water it needs and I have to trick it with extra wet towels in the load with my diapers. 🙂
Chores like laundry are a great way to teach your kids responsibility . But there’s more to doing the laundry than learning how to run the washing machine. Your kids need to know how to sort clothes, adjust the temperature settings, transfer items to the dryer, fold them when they’re done — and put them away. And what’s more, this skill shouldn’t be reserved for teenagers who are about to move out on their own. Teaching young children to participate in the laundry process helps you — by freeing up some of your time — while also reinforcing the importance of doing chores together as a team .