I’m going to be renting an apartment with washer & dryer hookups, so I might as well figure out what kind I want now so I can buy them as soon as we move in.
But for me, these have always been generic appliances that were just there, not something I gave any thought to.
So, how do I pick them out? What brands are the most reliable? What new features do they have nowadays that the old ones didn’t ?
You could start here. Some of the folks there seem uh…overly enthusiastic about appliances, but there is a lot of info (and opinions) about washers and dryers.
Spend a few buck for an online subscription to Consuner Reports.
For the washer - to clean a king size blanket make sure it says king size - not super capacity plus - If it has king in the name it is bigger. Also the front loading washers clean better, use less water and power and are bigger but cost much more (2.5x) and you might not want to make that investment for a rental.
As for dryers they fall into 2 catagories - gas and electric. Gas is cheaper to run and only cost slightly more (maybe $50) but you need a gas line to hook it up and a 110v outlet. you will most likely have a 220v outlet for an electric and no gas hookup in the rental. Electric is easier to install since you can just plug it in and attach the exhaust hose. Don’t get a dryer smaller then your washer.
You would probably want to know brands and the like but I really don’t know how much better one is over another - I’ve have good luch w/ kenmore and have continued to buy their products.
Pick out a good, basic, inexpensive set. We were using a super deluxe set with the cool touchpad controls, autodry systems, sensors to do everything. I think the dryer even had a breadmaker function but I couldn’t figure it out. Anyway, the dryer stopped working. The computer board in it went kaput. $232 for a new board. I replaced it with my $250 dryer that is 10 years old that I kept in the basement which has a timer knob and an “on” button. (Glad I’m a pack rat). The washer is starting to go out too, but I have my old one ready.
After two years, I don’t even know how to use half the functions of the high tech washer and don’t care. I use the basic wash button that fills it with water, agitates, rinses and spins. It gets my clothes clean and that’s all that matters.
Then again, remember, I gave away my Palm Pilot and went back to a Dayrunner. I have a limit to the usefulness of high tech. In my experience, when it comes to high use things, the more high tech it is, the more likely it is to break, and the more expensive it will be to fix.
As far as brands, pick one. Whirlpool, Frigidare, etc. Most the big names have a decent quality to them.
I second Consumer Reports, but there should be no need to subscribe online. (I’m a print subscriber and am shocked at what they want to charge me for the online material.) Get thee to you local library. If you local library doesn’t have it, move. Seriously.
They tend to be behind a bit so you might not see the exact models in the store, but they’ll really help you with what features to look for and why, etc. The prices listed also tend to be a bit high.
Note that new water saving measures are going into effect so the classic top loading style is on the verge of extinction. Now’s the time to buy if you have to have a standard top loader.
That commerical about Maytag isn’t too much off. We had a stacked unit for 16 years and it finally went out (or rather the electronic board went out). We got a new Maytag unit and found out they had gone back to the old type of controls. No telling how long this one will last.
They’re also easier on the clothes and use half the detergent.
The (German) Miele brand is top of the line. Are you young, with a reasonably stable lifestyle? Buy the very best you can afford and plan to take the set with you when you move. Otherwise, buy second-hand from a dealer who’s been in business for a while.
Also: you will find you are incredibly lucky to have ensuite laundry, especially if you have kids. Incredibly convenient compared with having to go to the basement or, worse, to the neighborhood coin laundry. Your washer is now your laundry basket - get one with at least a week’s capacity, if at all possible.
Consumers Reports magazine is a good first starting point (take out relevant back issues from your local library). They used to be the authoritative source of product evaluations, but the popularity of the Internet and sites like this one and the above referenced Appliance Forum, is diminishing CR’s influence somewhat.
Interestingly, we have been less satisfied after purchasing CR’s highly rated appliances and more satisfied after purchasing products that turned out to be lower ranking. My advice is to check out brands that are consistently reliable (not needing repairs) and then purchase something that meets your needs for a low price. Shop around and haggle if you are up for it. Sears has lots of come-ons like free delivery and price matching.
Washers these days are larger and have many settings for temperature and gentleness. Big deal. We still use our 11 yr old Roper just fine. Driers have lots of electronics to sense dampness(humidity) and automatically dry clothes to allegedly precise measurements. They also can occasionally tumble clothers after the real work is done and signal various cycle completions with beeps. Don’t pay for this stuff. One thing I do like is the larger sized doors that make it easier to get your clothes out. A low end dryer will have a porthole door. Another good thing: driers are much quieter these days.
I will warn you away from the highly ranked Sears Kenmore Elite clothes dryer: it is expensive and seems to dry our clothes less well than our old contractor-grade Roper (which is made by Whirlpool). The microprocessor for automatic humidity sensing is also buggy (it’s a computer of course!) and has required mulitple service calls under warranty. Speaking of which, avoid extended product warranties–pure profit margin for the dealer.
Some thoughts on washers/dryers.
First of all, let me add to the praise for front-loaders (or rather ‘horizontal-drum machines’, there are top-loaded machines with horizontal drum too!) In most of europe you will only see ‘vertical drum machines with agitators’ in museums. (Seriously! In Europe I have seen three in museums, and one in the wild - kept as an antique.) It looks like the rest of the world is slowly catching up though. Everyone I know who has used both types agree that horizontal drum is better.
Next, a piece of advice: A few years ago, I needed a washer and a dryer, and fell into the trap of buying a combined washer/dryer. The one we bought does a superb job at washing, but sucks when it comes to drying. According to friends with similiar machines (different makes) it’s not an uncommon complaint. I still think it’s a brilliant idea to combine the two machines into one, but it is not yet mature product. (Or at least it wasn’t two years ago.)