Englishmum

Oooh - I thought of you today. I was buying some replacement vacuum bags for my Miele vacuum cleaner (German made and fab...much better than a Dyson) and this is the latest Miele washing machine on sale in the US (they also sell it in the UK but the panel is different for the European market):

It has an industrial-strength hydraulic suspension AND an in-built water heater. The UK site says that in quietness it is rated 4 (5 being the best). (My Miele vac is extremely quiet).

http://www.miele.com/usa/laundry/was...odel=46&bhcp=1

The most interesting thing though is in the link below where it says "Clean and Sanitize"....(I'm re-iterating the point about the in-built water heater)

http://www.miele.com/usa/laundry/abo...umber=5&bhcp=1 (scroll down to the end)

Sorry folks I'm going to 'shout' but this is the whole point of Post #1 on this entire thread and possibly a solution to the O/P's dilemma:

******BLEACH IS NOT REQUIRED FOR YOUR WHITES - APPROPRIATE TEMPERATURE COMBINATIONS AND A BETTER WASH ACTION WHITEN MORE EFFECTIVELY*****

I know that Miele isn't as cheap as Maytag or Whirlpool but their products are very durable - this machine has a 10 year warranty in the UK. I also know that you have to use the HE (High Efficiency) detergent in the US market for these front loaders. (The HE tells you something doesn't it?)

PS: this is the same machine for the UK market...if you click on Programmes it shows you all the features of this machine, which gives more info than the US website:

http://www.miele.co.uk/Products/Features.aspx?pid=100

I'll be getting one when our washing machine dies on us.

gardnma

Just popped in to see if this thread had improved yet.
Try back next week.

TRPardoe

Bad Joke:

Does that mean you can wash your Bantu houseboy with it ?

:scared:

Mallory

When I came to the US many moons ago, gas and electricity were very very cheap. We never turned our water heater off, or worried about the AC/heating bill. It was like petrol - it was very cheap.

When I left the UK, washing machines were hooked to the taps in the kitchen to be filled, and usually had a built in heater. Dryers were not generally in use, except in laundermats.

When I arrived in the US, washers were top loaders, hooked to the laundry room wall for filling (from hot water heater ), and 50% of people had a dryer.

In the UK when washing machines started being hooked to the wall for filling they were generally in the kitchen, underneath the work top, thus they were front loaders. Many people didn't have hot water 24 hours a day - therefore a built in heater was made for these washers.

Through all of this, it became known that front loaders (that were used for under work top), used less water, and washed more efficiently, sort of an incidental finding. With the US manufacturer always looking for change, to lure more sales, they hit on selling the "front loader," with a European look. It then became a modern status symbol to have a frontloader. I bought a new washer a couple of years ago, and debated it, but being an old stick in the mud, I can't tear myself away from the top loader, because I'm always finding the odd sock on the stairs that I need to pop in, or I want to take out something because its a bit delicate. I'm also afraid of leaks when it gets old.

Concerning washing powders and liquid deterg. When I came here I had a 5-month-old baby, and used cloth diapers and disposable (with pins!). I tried ALL the different brands on the cloth diapers, and Tide won out every time. Got the stains out and left them softer. In Consumer reports, Tide is always judged the best - and obviously it is the most expensive. But I use coupons, and Publix doubles coupons. Also Publix sells Tide cheaper than the discount stores for some reason.

I'm like Krizzy, I used cold water a lot. It stops clothes from fading. I only use the hot cycle and a tiny bit of bleach with whites, when they need it. I haven't got much white stuff to wash. I buy coloured sheets and towels. Dryer kills germs.

Same thing goes with dishwashers. In Europe, they started putting heaters in them, because not all people had 24/day hot water. In the US it was just hooked up to the hot water line. Therefore, European dishwashers had heaters, and US models didn't. Now, they put heaters in dishwashers here on the guise that you can do a "sanitary wash," if someone has the flu, etc. But think about, did you ever get the flu from a glass washed in a DW. You get the flu from someone sneezing on you. I have never used the sanitizer in mine.

Bleach will ruin your clothes, as well excessively hot water. Two big companies supply most of the worlds detergent. I think P and G and Lever brothers. It's all the same stuff, no matter when you live.

My auntie that lived in Wiltshire used to have a tin bathtub out in the garden sometimes with water in it, with sheets. I remember her saying, now don't touch that water, its got bleach in it. So yes she did bleach her sheets.

I remember my mum having a boiler on top of the stove, and boiling whites, especially dirty handkerchiefs - before the common use of Kleenex tissues.

When my mum first came over and saw the washing machine hooked to wall, she looked at and said "but how does the water get in?" When my SIL came over and I was putting wet sheets in the dryer, after dryers were more common in the UK, she was amazed. She had a dryer by then, but said she put her clothes on the line, and just used the dryer to finish them off.

Just my take on the washer/dryer/detergent scene over the years. Bit boring, but might be of interest to somebody, LOL!

jen_andreson

Excellent summaries--very helpful as you both summed up things nicely. It took me awhile to get my head round US laundry and the different hook-ups, but once it's clear then it's easy to manage. I love having the large capacity machines we have here--and quick drying times.

We use HE detergent with our front-loader machine and I think it's fabulous. The detergent lasts forever as the amount used is very small per load.

As Mallory said, all the detergents are the same except they are altered for water softness and scent preferences per country or region. We used Fairy for washing up and dishwasher, Lenor and Ariel for washing and now we use Dawn for dish, Cascade for dishwasher and Downy and Tide HE for laundry. I also use Dreft for baby things-as it's supposed to be gentler. They're all the same--made by the same company.

Happy washing

dan_alford

Tried the ultimate premium clorox last night. Finally my wife is happy that her sheets are "clean" and I am happy because I can sleep without feeling like I am a poor WW1 soldier under chlorine gas attack.