Teresa in MO Posted June 16, 2009 Share Posted June 16, 2009 Okay, my washing machine is on its last leg and needs to be replaced. I am just beginning to research. I need all the pros and cons of front loader washing machines. I have read about the problem of mildew on the door gaskets. So please lay it all on the line, what do you love and what do you hate about your washing machine? Also, does anyone have the Whirpool Cabrio? Is this an in between of a top loader and a front loader? Any info would be greatly appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
specialmama Posted June 16, 2009 Share Posted June 16, 2009 (edited) I detested our front loader. It was top of the line a few years ago, and I'm glad we moved because it meant the opportunity to go back to a good ol' top loader. The reason I hated it was because, well think of it: they claim to be more gentle on your clothes. They claim that the clothes banging against each other is more gentle than the agitator (which is an unfair name, to say the least: puts a negative spin on it, oh that's kinda funny! But I digress.) The thing is, the agitator is cushioned by water. We have a lot of darks, and a lot of good clothing (gymboree for the kids) and within 4-6 months, all the darks faded, especially at the seams, and the fibers of all of our clothes were breaking, wearing away. When we used to be able to wear a gymboree shirt for 3 years when we got it second-hand, all of a sudden brand new shirts were not lasting more than a few months. All our clothes suffered, color-wise and fiber-wise. The elasticity was shot on most items, the shape of every darn shirt was stretched, and I can only attribute it to the weakening of the fibers, brought about by the banging of wet clothes against wet clothes, with not enough water to cushion them. That's what we experienced here. I know my sister loves hers, but she also replaces clothing every year and doesn't (or wouldn't?) notice the wear. I prefer my gymbo hand-me-downs to be in good enough condition to hand them down again! That's the way it was with our first machine (not a front loader) and that's the way it is now, now that we have a front loader again. Again, this is just our experience. I would never get another one. Edited June 16, 2009 by specialmama Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EarleneW Posted June 16, 2009 Share Posted June 16, 2009 No advice but mine broke this weekend so I'll be watching too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teresa in MO Posted June 16, 2009 Author Share Posted June 16, 2009 anyone else? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lionfamily1999 Posted June 16, 2009 Share Posted June 16, 2009 You have to bend down to put the clothes in, you have to bend down to take the clothes out, you have to bend down to remove the toys that your toddler stuffed in there, because it is easily accessable.... I love the way it looks, I don't mind the way it cleans, but I detest all the bending. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newbie Posted June 16, 2009 Share Posted June 16, 2009 You have to bend down to put the clothes in, you have to bend down to take the clothes out, you have to bend down to remove the toys that your toddler stuffed in there, because it is easily accessable.... I love the way it looks, I don't mind the way it cleans, but I detest all the bending. We dont bend down because we have pedestals, that is a must, or forget it. My peeve is clothes falling out onto the floor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kim in TN Posted June 16, 2009 Share Posted June 16, 2009 I have an LG front loader. I love it and have had no problems with it. KNOCK ON WOOD! :) Mine doesn't have pedestals. It was one of the main reasons I picked it. http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=7276574&st=lg+washer&type=product&id=1118839078330 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kim in TN Posted June 16, 2009 Share Posted June 16, 2009 Oops! I forgot to say what I liked about my washer. I like being able to wash big comforters and being able to wash 10 pairs of jeans(maybe more) at one time. When I first started using the washer, our towels had a mildew smell. I stopped using fabric softener when I did towels and that fixed the problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lionfamily1999 Posted June 16, 2009 Share Posted June 16, 2009 We dont bend down because we have pedestals, that is a must, or forget it. My peeve is clothes falling out onto the floor. Augh, that stinks too. Ours are stacked, so we couldn't have a pedestal. There is more room in our front loader, but I miss not having to sit on the floor to load the washer.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommyof4ks Posted June 16, 2009 Share Posted June 16, 2009 I love my FL washer. We buy gymbo too as one of the previous posters mentioned and pass them down or sell them, but I don't notice the fading. Maybe it is a washing machine brand thing? The mildew smell is easy to fix by wiping the gasket once a week. My biggest problem is the plastic handle on the front. It broke. Look for one with a metal handle. Happy hunting! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted June 16, 2009 Share Posted June 16, 2009 Okay, my washing machine is on its last leg and needs to be replaced. I am just beginning to research. I need all the pros and cons of front loader washing machines. I have read about the problem of mildew on the door gaskets. So please lay it all on the line, what do you love and what do you hate about your washing machine? Also, does anyone have the Whirpool Cabrio? Is this an in between of a top loader and a front loader? Any info would be greatly appreciated. This avoids any mildew problems. I just throw my white towels in on very hot and it zaps any lurking mildew. All my other washes run on cold and I'm really happy with the results. Laura Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tree House Academy Posted June 16, 2009 Share Posted June 16, 2009 My husband built a huge box for my washer and dryer to sit on so I don't have to do all the bending. I love the washer for the way it cleans and dh's box helped with the bending. What I don't like is the smell when you haven't used it for awhile... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amiechoke Posted June 16, 2009 Share Posted June 16, 2009 We've had one for 10 years now, I love it. Huge capacity, runs really quiet, lower water/electricity bill. When I move the clothes to the dryer, they're often practically dry because the spin has removed so much water. Also, I find our clothes have been in generally better shape than when we had a top loader. A warning if you get one: don't let the installers unpack the unit on the truck! They're supposed to keep the bolts on the drum until it's within 3 feet (or as close as possible) to the installation point, because the movement (particularly the dropping it off the truck) can throw the drum out of alignment. Which in turn will keep your unit off balance, typically causing the entire house to shake like a jet plane is taking off in your laundry room. Also, the unbalanced drum will also cause your unit to fail within 5 years. Ask me how I know. re: Mildew - I haven't had a problem with this, but I do a couple of things that circumvent the problem. 1) Run a hot load regularly, (this usually means towels for us). 2) Run a load with bleach (whites). 3) Check your gasket for water buildup. If you have hard water, you probably want to keep a bottle of regular white vinegar around and add it in the fabric softener compartment with your loads. Hard water can cause mineral buildup around the drain vents in your gasket, leading to a major case of ick. HTH - Amie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denisemomof4 Posted June 16, 2009 Share Posted June 16, 2009 I absolutely HATE front loaders. In fact, I don't have the time to go out to look for a new washer so we took my MIL's (unused) and it has a smaller capacity, which means more loads, but I'm SO GLAD we did this. PROS of a front loader: LOVE the colors, especially metallic red and metallic aqua :D CONS: The water that collects in the gasket/ring smells even when you clean it. It also collects small items like kid's socks and then you have to go wring them out by hand. I have not seen the option of a metal handle OR metal clips which close the washer. The plastic ones have been replaced twice on mine in 5 years and I'm sick of it! You can NOT soak any laundry. I can't even begin to tell you how much I missed this! I soaked one load overniight and the colors came out SO clean and VIBRANT!!! It is not gentle on clothing. We've had more tears and holes in a front loader than any machine I've ever used. It's DEFINITELY easier to pull out of the top than the side of any washer. I absolutely LOVE throwing the soap in the top of the machine. I'm biased. I've had both and I absolutely HATED my front loader all along. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melissa in Australia Posted June 16, 2009 Share Posted June 16, 2009 the biggest pro for me with a front loader is it uses way less water. I have a limited amount of water, being on tank water. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willowcreek Posted June 16, 2009 Share Posted June 16, 2009 Cons: fresh, wet clothes falling on the floor, which has made me keep my laundry room floor clean or a clean basket below. (not such a bad idea) Pros: less water--which saves money especially when using hot/warm water. We wash A LOT (live on a lake with fisher-boys, have a farm with cows and lots of soccer uniforms!) and it holds a lot and cleans even my husband's dirties farm clothes. You can get a lot of laundry in there, so it reduces my loads. THe mildew thing--If you wash a lot (which I never stop), and occasionally use hot and very ocassionally bleach, I haven't had the problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teresa in MO Posted June 16, 2009 Author Share Posted June 16, 2009 Thanks everyone. Looks like you either love the front loader or hate it. Doesn't seem to be an in between. Anyone with Whirlpool Cabrio? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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