My syndicated Super-Couponing Tips column for the week is entitled “Coming clean about HE washers.”
Here’s an excerpt:
“It used just seven gallons of water per load, but laundry often came out of the machine almost as dirty as it went in. Our towels developed a musty smell that wouldn’t come out, no matter how many times I washed them. Blankets covered with our dog’s muddy paw prints came out of the machine still adorned with evidence of his romp through the yard.”
Read this entire column at the Napa Valley Register.
My Super-Couponing Tips column appears in newspapers around the country to a weekly readership of over 20 million people! Learn more about my column’s syndication at this link.
Miss a column? Here’s an archive of all of my past columns I’ve shared on the blog.
nix12618 says
Read your column and sorry to hear of your troubles Jill. I am curious as to what brand of washer you had as we have had our HE washer and dryer set for more than 15 years and it works great except I won’t buy one again. Not due to your type of issues, but because it severely wrinkles everything no matter how low you set the spin cycle. That was the only drawback we have seen. Clothes actually get cleaner than our old White Westinghouse top loader which we had for 25 years. Sounds like you got a lemon. Hope your new one lasts a long time and does a better job.
Natalie says
Interesting! I have a top loading high efficiency washer (it does not have an agitator) and have been very pleased with it. I wonder if front loading versus top loading makes a difference?
luv2sav says
I agree with you 100%, Jill!!! About 5 years ago, my washer died and I got the new HE washer. It was awful and I hated it since day 1! I should have looked into returning it but I just stuck with it. That was a big mistake! Clothes did not come out clean and many times an item would come out half dry! When my washer broke recently after only 5 years, instead of being mad, I did the happy dance and went old school and got one with an agitator. I couldn’t be happier! Clean clothes at last!!!
Herb Morin says
My guess is that you bought a Speed Queen. I don’t usually praise appliances, but we love ours. It’s fast, gets the clothes really clean, I can control the load size, and is built like a tank.
Coupon Maven says
Yes – I did get a Speed Queen, and I agree with everything you said – fast and indeed built to last. I LOVE it. typically do not mention brand names in my syndicated column, but here on my blog, I can. Here’s my post about buying the Speed Queen: https://jillcataldo.com/my-speed-queen-has-arrived-and-our-laundry-is-clean-again/
Cari says
Interesting article! Especially since I am in the market for a new washer/dryer set. I love the idea of a front loader being so environmentally friendly- using less water, clothes aren’t as soaked so takes less drying time etc. I know that those mildew issues existed in the past, but what about today? Have they been addressed and fixed for the current models? Or maybe it’s still a problem, if I bought one tomorrow. It’s really hard to know. But learning of other peoples experiences with them has been enlightening.
Coupon Maven says
I would encourage you to visit both Houzz’s Laundry Room board: https://houzz.com/discussions/laundry-room
and, Automatic Washer’s new washer board for researching: http://www.automaticwasher.org/cgi-bin/TD/TD-INDEX_DISPLAY.cgi?DLX
Both of these forums have lots of active discussions of new washers and what’s good.
If you do a search for “HE washers don’t get clothes clean,” you’ll find many, many reviews of every make and model you can imagine that you may want to steer clear of. The mold and low-water issues in HE machines do still persist and are well-documented. While I am sure there must be good HE machines out there that get clothes clean, there are plenty of reports of the ones that don’t. Along the way, I also learned just how cheaply many modern washers are built — often for an expected lifespan of just 6-7 years.
Many of the HE washers utilize a lot of plastic parts and electronics that are prone to breakage, as well as having a captive bearing design that makes it nearly impossible to replace worn bearings. My old HE machine developed an audible groan (sounded like gravel being poured or grinding anytime the drum would spin.) You can’t replace them, and they only get worse with age and usage, so I wanted to steer clear of that this time around.
One of the most frustrating things, to me, is that sites like Consumer Reports do a great job of reviewing how good a machine is when it is -new-, but they do not go back and update reviews after 2, 3, 5, 6 years of usage. Unfortunately, models change so quickly that it’s very hard to get a read on what is going to be a good machine LONG term. That’s why I kept coming back to Speed Queen, because up until recently, they were cranking out the same model numbers for years, and there were plenty of great reviews of machines that were years old.
As far as the perception that clothes coming out of a front-loader will be less wet than those in a top-loader, the spin speed in either style machine is really what is key to getting clothes dry. Most washer models, of either style, advertise the RPM for the spin cycle. I can tell you that my lots-of-water Speed Queen delivers damp clothes at the end of its cycle that are comparable to what my old Kenmore HE did when it was complete. They are not taking any longer to dry in my dryer, and I am using the same dryer as I was before getting the new washer, so that is probably not an issue to worry about :)
Ron Sauder says
We have an LG front loader, and it works very well. It does use less water than a top loader, but it measures the load and adjusts the amount of water for the load. We’ve never had a mold or mildew problem. From what I have found and experienced, as long as you don’t latch the door when it is not in use, there is no problem. The front loaders do tend to have greater complexity, and they will probably not last as long as a simpler machine before needing repair or replacement.