Hels

Why is that the washing machines fault??? Perhaps you should use better washing powder? Or soak them for a while first?

I still dont understand why its the machines fault?????

Polyphemus

FL Dhobi wash (tumble) vs TL agitator. Gentler but more effective wash
FL use less water, therefore environmentally life-saving? Aus gov soon to offer incentive to change to FL. Ours is def coming with us.

Try here for more +/- http://www.tomfarrell.org/laundry/front-vs-top.shtml

Linda Lushardi

Ive been forced to use a top loader for the last 4yrs as we made the mistake of buying one new. NEVER EVER will i have one again. Complete pile of crap.
They do not wash properly, they wreck your clothes and use twice as much water
Roll on January sales when i buy a NEW front loader!

caroledouglas

We have always had a front loader back in UK. When we arrived 4 months ago we bought a top loader and i feel they are far better. I think it has more to do with the powder than the machine. But we are all different.
Carole

Amazulu

WA government gave me $150 when I bought our FL.

Siren & Brian

and gave me $150 for my Top Loader. Most people shove too much in a top loader and thats why the appear to not clean aswell.

copa

Front loaders use less water and will save you money if you live in an area that has a heavy user pays sytem for water.

LesleyM

I used a top loader for years in South Africa and it was great. I used to be able to wash single duvets in it too. I brought one to the UK and had to get rid of it because the kitchen was too small. When I eventually get to Oz I will defintely be getting a top loader again. Each to their own and all that.

Princess Leia

If you look at the Choice magazine reports the majority of the machines they recommend are FLs.

Front loaders are much gentler on the clothes, more efficient energy and water wise. Because they have a longer cycle they are much more thorough with the wash, hence the ease of getting stains out. A typical TL cycle lasts about 45 mins whereas a FL cycle can last 2 hours.

I borrowed 2 top loaders while waiting for my FL to be shipped over from the UK and I wasn't impressed. I definitely noticed that stains were harder to shift on TLs. They were both very harsh on my clothes and when you lift the washing out after the cycle it is so heavy because it is more water logged. The faster spin option on FLs means that a lot of the water has been spun out. Sometimes the TL machines I used would stop operating because it was out of balance and you have to rearrange the washing so that it would continue again!

TLs are still very popular here because they are cheaper, you can often add items in after the wash has begun and because you don't have to bend down low to put the washing in and take it out. Also most Aussie homes have separate laundries so space isn't an issue.

But gimme a FL any day. They last longer too. Many people I know only use half the dose of washing powder than recommended because it is so good at getting the clothes clean.

PL

chatty34

Sorry Hels, had to laugh at this post, are you still of the fags

moneypenny20

Much as it pains me to reply to a thread about washing machines, I am in one of those moods

We shipped our FL over but until now we have been using a TL. Had one problem with one towel that came out with brown stains on that weren't there before but when I washed it again they came out. Everything has come out clean and smelling fine. Obviously not an expert (only one month experience ) but I think as long as you don't over fill the machine and use enough detergent they appear to work as well as FL.

The only thing I'm not sure about is powder for FL. Each time in the supermarket, I have had a quick look and the powders seem to say "only for Tl" - can you really not use them in FL, if not what do others use? I need an almost non existent smell, I used Persil Aloe Vera in the UK.

Bella Donna

Hi Moneypen,

If you're sensitive to detergent, you might like Purity. It's plant-based and enzyme-free if environmental issues matter to you. It's very gentle, but I find it very effective at removing most stains. They do a fabric conditioner too, and both work out fairly economical. Have to be honest, I go for it because of what is (or isn't) in it, because it's effective and for the fact that I consider it environmentally sound. Price isn't the governing factor for me, although I don't think it is the most expensive by any stretch. It's also suitable for either front or top loaders, but you use double the amount for the TLs.

Sue

Bella Donna

Have to go along with this totally. Some stains will fix if you wash them with cold water, others will fix if you wash with hot. Blood, for instance, will come out of clothes/fabrics easily if first soaked in cold water with some salt added. But if you chuck it in hot first, then it's much harder to move.

Acid stains will react better with an alkaline remover, so tea might be better treated with borax, which is strongly alkaline. Like you, Hels, I often rely on the sun for bleaching out stains. A good way to help it is to add lemon juice to the rinse water, or vinegar. I've found the oxygen based cleaners like Oxyclean also seem to attract the bleaching power of the sun. Never cracked damned spaghetti sauce though....

Stain removal is all about knowing how to treat them properly, I'm afraid, and not a lot to do with what detergent you use, or what machine.

Hels

Yes I bloody am!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!











Actually not doing too bad at all!! Hubby has even said that he is surprised that I have done it so easily.....Easy? I say.....Yes, he says...you didnt kill me so it must have been easy!!

Hels

Perthforme

Will be a sad day in Aus when the last top loader is sold , the Aussie male look will die with it !
Let me explain , fronties are quite gentle to clothes , i.e. t-shirts , toppies are not and rip the sleeves off hence the aussie male sleeveless look

RIP the sleeveless top