would like information on what are the best washers and electric dryers…top loaders and capcity for small house hold.
thanks in advance
I recently saw a combination washer/dryer that intrigued me. Smaller capacity than Ihave, but I’ve always gotten the largest available. I liked that one machine did both functions, and if space is a concern, it was larger capacity than any of the stacked single units I’ve seen.
I have always trusted Consumer Reports https://www.consumerreports.org/ for their reviews as they don’t take advertising. You have to have a subscription though to view the reviews.
Also consider a drying rack, or hang-drying!
I have a dryer, but only use it for towels and sheets.
Everything else (shirts, pants, etc) is dried on a drying rack or hung up to dry. It actually helps lessen the wear/tear on your clothes!
Stay away from the fancy electronic machines. More stuff to break. My mid 90’s Hotpoint dishwasher is still working fine, no computerized stuff.
I agree with those who say, go cheap and simple.
My Sister bought a washer with all sorts of automatic water sensors, locking lid and so on. It is not easy to just throw some damp items in to just spin them dry. On old simple machines, I have replaced the belt, water level switch and wash selector knob assembly myself and the used machine I bough lasted 10 more years that I had it including going through brownouts and power surges.
Even on the cheap dishwasher I have, Once it stops you cannot just tell it to start dring again.
In the future I would look at all the functions and carefully decide if they make sense. We are washing most items in cold water which for us is maybe 60 degrees. Personally, all colors and fabrics go in at the same time with one or two exceptions (they are delicate shirts gifted to me and are hand washed and hung to dry). No need for delacate or heavy duty cycles (but your mileage may differ).
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thanks for all the great comments and advice…I do want to stick to pretty much just basic, no bells and whistles. Had a HE machine a few years ago and I didn’t like it all…gave it away.
Agree. I have Whirlpool W&D from 1998. I was at an appliance store looking around to see what’s out there. The sales person said that I had machines from the “golden age” of appliances, and to keep repairing them rather than buy new!
In 2008 we bought a complete set of kitchen appliances. They all had long warranties…~10 years. Unfortunately, I’ve had to replace them all. The new ones have 1 year warranties; no one has long warranties any more.
I remember my Grandmother had a clothes drier, apparently a 1954 Westinghouse drier. When the dry cycle was done and it was ready to shut down, it played “How Dry I am”.
How neat, yet how sad. The drier was in the basement and most times it was playing to an empty audience!
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I love that …thanks for sharing!!!
I absolutely love my WHIRLPOOL Cabrio energy smart high efficiency top loading Low water washer. It has a huge tub with no agitator in the middle. It automatically senses what level of water you need.
I’ll second your comments on the Cabrio. I have the Maytag version - think they called it the Oasis. It holds a ton and at 15 years I’ve not had a single issue with it.
There are a lot of YouTube videos on the subject…
I access CR through our local library online and it is free (well your taxes paid for it).
Which is why libraries are a great investment of tax resources!
The subscription price for online access is only $39/year. It is well worth it not to have to run to the library every time I need to look up something. Plus, CR is pretty much run on subscriptions and donations, so I like to support them. I also have a magazine subscription, which I have had for probably 40 years. Their auto reliability ratings have been dead on for me over the years.
I have online access by logging in to my library account. There is a donate tab in the upper right for those that want to contribute to CR’s cause.
50 years ago CU was a goto, then they got political.
There are lots of places to get reviews that are more complete and reliable.
I especially like the car comparative reviews… that is how I got a Subaru Forester… a video by a car Mag comparing the CRV to a Rav4 to a Forester.
For smaller items I especially like the Amazon Reviews.
Pay special attention to the 1 and 2 star reviews. If they do not concern you, it is a good sign.
How is CR political? Haven’t seen it.