Kaffy Mintcake

We're equal opportunity

MsElui

Im very pleased with my LG steam washer. Its front loading and does a great job, although it was quite expensive). The machine i had in the uk had a 1600rpm spin cycle - just not achievable in the us on 110power.

kins

I found the same thing. Toploaders trash clothes much faster than frontloaders, and the toploaders I've used didn't get clothes clean unless I pretreated stains and put bleach in.

I bought an LG frontloader in September and am delighted with it. I use a tiny amount of detergent and never put bleach in. It has a really short wash cycle compared to the LG I had in the UK, which seemed to take two hours to wash anything...

fatbrit

Yep - they do suck and mess up your clothes. Sure, they're built like a T-52 tank and go on forever. But the technology is 50 years old. BTW, most of the "What you complaining 'bout?" remarks so far on this thread are from 'Mericuns who don't know any different.

Buy a Kenmore or Whirlpool (basically badge engineering) front loader from sears. Same as a kosher European one except they're over-sized. However, make sure you get one with a water heater in if you want to boil wash -- it's usually an extra rather than a standard feature as Mericuns don't use it since they're addicted to bleach.

scrubbedexpat097

I'm not 'mericun, and totally disagree with you.

I have had washing machines in the UK and here and really cannot see any difference in the wash or the condition of the clothes after the wash.


If they messed up clothes so much why weren't they taken off the market years ago?

Tarkak9

suffice to say..... you're going to be knackered this weekend.

Kaffy Mintcake

Lol - had to look that up ... (I'm a dumb 'mericun)

Knackered meaning tired exhausted, (especially in reference to exhaustion after sex)

RoadWarriorFromLP

The top loaders aren't the horror being described here, but they can wear out clothes more quickly because the agitator makes direct contact with the clothes in a top loader, while a front loader agitates the clothes by spinning the drum. That lint caught in the dryer's lint trap is effectively the debris of your clothes as they slowly self destruct, which is caused in part by the washing process.

Speaking of dryers, I suspect that much of the whinging here would stop if people would air dry their clothes as they probably did in Britain, rather than using dryers -- the heat will contribute to fading. Learn to load the washer properly, buy a drying rack, and there will be a lot less to complain about.

Ray

We have a white one .....

ugacrew

Yeah but clothes come out crunchy and stuff, even with fabric softner. Plus my jeans need to be shrunk a bit to get the proper shape back.

fatbrit

The American washers have not been taken off the market because we live on the world's biggest island and have no idea that there are other ways of doing things. Anyway most clothes on the US market are cheap and disposable.

Problems with standard American washing machines:
1/ They use large amount of water and energy.
2/ That twirly bit in the middle screws your clothes up.
3/ Spin speed in the hundreds rather than thousand rpm gives you bigger energy bill on the dryer.
4/ No option to heat water beyond that of your hot water system.

scrubbedexpat097

Gosh..................I never realised a simple wahing machine could cause so many problems


I guess I walk around in screwed up clothes then 'cos that twirly bit in the middle has been washing my clothes for the last 20 years

Sally Redux

Does it match your cellphone?

Sally Redux

That bit in the middle seemed to catch on any straps with the old top loader we had, it was past it though.

cindyabs

I'm so glad to be educated on yet another failing.