What Is the Best Washer and Dryer

I HAD a Maytag frontloader. Stay away from them! I paid big bucks for it and ended up paying about $400 in repairs before I got a new one. It's a long story, but basically they didn't design the machine for drainage and it grew mold in the front door unless I wiped it out with bleach and left the door open. Like I would want to do that with kids.

I don't know what happened to the Maytag quality, but the refrigerator repair guy who was here last week told me to stay away from the refrigerators too.

M.

-

DO NOT BUY MAYTAG. THEY ARE COMPLETE JUNK! I bought one three years ago and the bearings are worn out ( which is a common problem I guess) There are only 2 people in my household so the machine does not get much use.

I hope Maytag goes out of business. They make complete junk.

I have the Kenmore front loader and matching dryer. I think mine are the HE4 and my sister just bought the HE5. I love the conveniece of the front loader on a pedestal, but(having been an exclusive buyer from Sears my whole life) I would never buy a Kenmore again. My mother board burned out in the first 3 months, and the repainman scratched my machine. When I mentioned it to him he stated that just tell them to fix it when they checked on my machine later. Well later when I mentioned it to the repair man, he stated that they don't fix cosmetic scratches, and really, how could I prove the repairman did it. Then my sister bought one and has had to have it repaired twice,major stuff, and was without a washer for a week, all in the 6 months she has owned it. So no for the machine, and no for Sears. I heard the LG's are good, and I soooooo want the new steam one. Go to consumer reports and check out what they say about any prospect. You have to join but it is worth the 20 bucks (you will save that by making the most informed decision) and you can use it for a year to make the best purchases for anything at all. It has saved us countless dollars and countless headaches.

No matter what brand you get the best is a FRONT LOAD WASHER! I happen to have a Kenmore but it is a front load. My husband is a carpentry contractor and when my son was in high school he played sports. Their clothes got dirty. then I got my front load I say a get increase in how clean my guys clothes were. A front load cleans by the clothes rubbing up against on another unlike the top load that needs the agitator to get results. Another get feature about the top load is it uses 1/2 the water. Clothes do not sit in water like with a top load.
i also like that has the dispenser, so i can add my detergent, oxiclean or bleach and softener then walk away til the load is done.
One last great thing about a front load is you can wash sleeping bags and large quilts that read wash in front load washer only.
GET THE FRONT LOAD ! ! !

S.

We have had the Kenmore HE4 for around 6 years now and we love them. I think we have only had the repair people out once and it we nothing major. We have them stacked in a second floor laundry area. We just recently purchased the LG Steam Washer and Dryers for the same area, as we moved the older ones down to the basement apartment where we recently moved my husbands mother so it would be easier for her to do her laundry (she is quite short) and I think I like these even better. Just remember when you are done using them for the day to leave the door ajar and open the door where you place the soaps, this will help air dry them and prevent any mold or mildew smells.

We bought a set made by the Swedish company ASKO. They are wonderful! My wife swears that when we move, those are coming with us to our next house. They are expensive but they work great. We easily do 15 loads a week and they have just kept humming along for the 7 years we've had them, with no sign of them wearing out soon.

I have to second the 'stay away from Maytag' chorus I've been hearing. We replaced our old Maytag dishwasher with a new one 3 years ago, and not only have 2 major parts gone bad, it does a worse job cleaning that the 20 year old one it replaced. As long as American durable goods are designed by cost accountants to die on cue after 3-5 years, this country will lose market share to people who remember how to build quality. Saving $500 on an appliance doesn't help you if you have to buy 3 of them to equal the life you get out of a better built unit.

Oh yeah, and Sears blows! Anything they sell on clearance, or marked down, demo, or 'discontinued' has either been in someones house already, or is defective from the factory, or both. Don't trust Sears to be anything but deceitful when it comes to 'sale' items.

Do your homework and check out the reviews and customer feedback found on consumer reports and similar sites.

Have fun!

Hi, S..

We also have a family of 7 and do several loads per day. About a year ago, I bought the Whirlpool Duet washer with a steam feature and a Whirlpool Duet dryer. So far, so good. I went really crazy with the extended warranty, but Sears guaranteed me over and over again that it was "bumper to bumper" should something go wrong. They are very large capacity. The only thing that drives me crazy is that the cycle length adjusts after you start washing; in other words, if you choose your settings and the timer says that it will be done in 1:10, oftentimes, once it senses the load amount or whatever, it will readjust the length of time and usually, it's longer rather than shorter than the original 1:10. As far as performance goes, however, it does a great job. The machine also has some great button features. That being said, with such potentially long wash cycles, I often end up using just the "quick wash" feature anyway. If in doubt, check out Consumer Reports. As important as the actual machines is the customer service rating, etc. and you can find all that out through consumerreports.org. Good luck.

anything NOT from sears!!! they r such a ripoff. i bought my maytag neptunes there and my mom and good friend bought their kenmores there. all 3 of us have had numerous problems and sears hasnt done anything about it from day one! yes, they send repairmen to your house for 79.00 to tell you your 4 year old maytag is broken and will cost 500.00 to repair it!! abt does price maching. they are the grestest!!! just google maytag and kenmore problems...thousands of hits come up with thousands of unhappy customers!! good luck!

I love my LG frontload it gets the clothes really clean and you use less water and detergent.It dont have to be a LG I also had a Maytag frontload I left in my Daugthers basement and she sold the property before I could get it.Frontloaders are the best!!

Mother of 9 Grandmother of 10 GG.

I would definitely get energy-efficient, water conserving front-loaders this time around. Especially doing laundry for 7! With just 4 people we do about 5 loads a week. (I love my Sears/Kenmore and Whirlpool appliances and their appliance-service plans are a great value - Just to give another perspective on Sears. And the Sears outlet prices are good and you get the same warranty, etc.)

I grew up with Seas Kenmore brand. Sears has always guaranteed and sent repairme if anything went wrong (which wasn't often). I grew up in a family of 5. 3 girls are just as rough or maybe rougher since mom made us do all the laundry from the age of 10.(she taught us well on how to keep a house clean and ship shape) Anyway by the time we were teenagers we did not want to do laundry and would slam and bang the appliances etc. We mistreated them to say the least. When I got married, my mom gave me her washer and dryer and I had them for 5 more years. I'm still on my new set that hubby bought me for 25 years. Go Sears go!!!

I love my LG, it has tonsof settings and a lot of room large capisicty , I can get a full/queeen comforter in it too. How ever I like to do sanitary setting and it can take up to 2 hours to wash but it does a great amazing job.
J.

I have had my Whirlpool front loaders for a year and have been very happy with.

Hi S.,

My son once skated with two boys whose family totaled 10 children and 2 parents. They swore by their Miele washer and dryer. The mom said it's a longer cycle, but with every other appliance, "things go in dirty and come out dirty," she said. We are saving for Mieles right now. Good luck, brave mama!!!! Five is a great number!

S. F.
one of 8 myself!

My almost 10 year old super capacity Kenmore dryer went not long ago(made by Maytag/Whirlpool). I almost replaced just the dryer with another Maytag/Whirlpool/Kenmore made one, but took a chance and went with Fisher & Paykel. They are top loaders that act like front loaders even in energy efficiency - only not as wide and less money (only come in white). The base washer has a stainless steel tub and at least one of their dryer has a stainless tumbler too.

As a bonus, when I bought them, they were less money than buying Maytag/Whirlpool/Kenmore too by a couple of hundred dollars. I went to Abt Electronics - my salesperson told me over a dozen of the sales people there have them and love them (including her). The set was well under $1500 with delivery, setup, removal and extended warranty and my old ones cost more than that!

Let me know if you want the name of my sales person and I can give you the specifics.

M. G.

I don't have a brand for you, but know that the best machines are the most simple and uncomplicated. Uprights for the washer. Call your repair man/men and get their advice. They're the ones that work on them, see all the problems and give the most honest advice. Mine always says what I mentioned above.

When doing ALL that laundry - pray for each person who's clothing you have in your hand. xo

S.,

We had to buy a new set around Christmas, and bought some LG front-loaders. I LOVE THEM! We did extensive research and ended up with the ones we did because of the reviews at wize.com. Check it out: http://wize.com/washing-machines/p69661-lg-wm0642hw-7-cyc.... They are a little pricey, but I love how big the drum is and how easy they are to use. Two major pluses of the washer: 1) You can set a custom program (for the dryer, too), so if your kids do this one their own, there are three buttons to push, and they are on their way...no shrunk clothes! and 2) There is a speed wash option, so you can wash a load in as little as 15 minutes (the cold/cold, low spin option is 32 min).

If you have more questions about this set, feel free to contact me privately. Good luck!

We are a family of 6 & also had my sis & her 2 girls live with us for 2 years. We fell in love with our Fisher & Paykel. I highly recomend this brand. It got rave reviews from consumer reports. Its been 5 years now. The washer is great & the dryer is fantastic. My clothes come out of the washer virtually dry, lessening the amount of dryer time needed, which means less money to run the dryer. We paid $800 for both but they were the floor models. This product is worth looking into. Good luck

Hi S. -

I have the Maytag Duet - washer and dryer. I am not too happy with the dryer. I wouldn't say there is something wrong - I just expected it to be better. If I were to do it again - I would check out the LG front loaders.

Good Luck!