Does your washer match your dryer?

[lakewebsterkid]

Yes and No

The picture speaks for itself. We, too, don't feel anything needs to be replaced until it NEEDS to be replaced. Hence, the 6 year age difference.

 

[iej]

Miele pair

I’ve a matching Miele W1 with TwinDos and it’s glass door T1 dryer on top.

 

[cornutt]

Growing up, we never had a matched pair. In fact, for a while, we didn't have a dryer at all -- wash was either hung on the line, or, if the weather was bad, everything went to the laundromat.

Bought my first set in 1992, a Whirlpool set. The dryer was actually one model level up from the washer, but visually they matched. When my wife and I got married, we sold her mis-matched Norge pair (the washer was on its last legs), and kept the Whirlpools. But she never liked the DD washer much. In 2006, we got a GE Harmony pair, in charcoal, and we still have them.

 

[seedub]

Everything I've bought and owned has been matched. As another poster on this thread; I'm anal about it.

My family, on the other hand:
1969: Mother bought a TOL Speed Queen dryer, but a MOL washer. She had looked at a TOL washer in Avocado - was leaning heavily toward purchasing it - but there was no Avocado dryer to match the washer. The dryer she got was white. There was no white TOL washer to match the dryer. Thus, she got the MOL washer so that the colors would match (The venue was a local furniture store that had a limited stock of appliances on the side. My surmise is that some customer bought an Avocado TOL dryer, and another bought a TOL white washer on the same day we came in). All my begging to get her to purchase the perfectly matched Coppertone MOL Maytag pair at the same store fell on deaf ears.

1984: While I lived with my Grandfather, a new Shredmore Design 2000 24" unit was picked out by me and purchased by the family to replace my Grandfather's 1964 Westinghouse stacked Laundromat, and that broke up *that* set, since a new Westy was deemed too expensive. And so, the remaining 1981 Spacemates dryer stayed around until 1999 and was replaced by a BOL Hotpoint. That deed was done before I could intervene and purchase a used KM dryer to match the washer which was still going strong.

 

[daveamkrayoguy]

I think my mom got a good deal on a fuller-featured Maytag dryer, which could have even been a floor sample or a display model (a later-purchased Tappan range with microwave clearly stated it was & had quite the wear 'n' tear to show, right-down to stickers and signage, stating "Hi, I am/may be", w/ the anthamoprophic appliance, bruised, banged and bandaged introducing the bargain-bought-stove as such)...

So the Maytag washer bought months earlier, was clearly a BOL, though mostly on the basis that it was only available in White, seeing as how it boasted in-demand features like the 3 water levels and 3 temperatures...

Needless to say, the washer had a white timer dial and blue backguard, while that fancier dryer, was a chrome dial model with gold backguard...

Grandma's White-Westinghouse dryer had only one temperature, no air-fluff, and manual timer, vs. the Kelvinator dryer, owned before, which had a probably never-used heat-off on, while each washer mated with was a K-Mart/GE Filter-Flo (well, left-opening lid and Hotpoint-styled knobs, vs. standard rear-opening lid and toggle switches--maybe bought there at not her nearby one, but one that sold appliances, if not some bargain-basement type outlet) then a WCI Frigidaire, boasting water levels and temperatures, 3-each with the latter actually featuring a warm rinse with its hot wash...

I guess I can go on with a lot of mis-matched laundry brides and grooms, differing in brands and offered features, right down to a BOL Kenmore white-backguard washer, next to a more upgraded black-backguard Kenmore dryer, sitting on a lawn, for sale...

-- Dave

 

[ea56]

I think the reason I’ve been so intent on having matched sets is because we never had a matched set at home. My parents always bought MOL, sometimes BOL appliances, and never a matched set or color, just white, unless they were built ins already in the home when they bought it.

My Mom only had two dryers between 1955 and 2004 when she passed away. The first was a 55’ Norge Timeline and in 62’ it was replaced by a almost BOL Whirlpool, and that dryer sat on an open porch, exposed to the elements all but the first year she owned it. I think my stepfather replaced the element at least 3 times and the belt probably about that many times too. The washing machines we had when I was a teen and doing laundry were a 63’ MOL Whirlpool, 69’ Maytag Wringer E model with a pump. Then in 72’ she went back to an automatic, Kenmore MOL and her last machine was a new Maytag MOL in 98’. But she never had a matched set.

Made me just have to have matched sets, most of the time.
Eddie

 

[thomasortega]

Magic chef 1.6 cu ft washer x magic chef 2.26 cu ft dryer (Match)

The Laundry Alternative SCAW2GEN washer
The Laundry Alternative SCAW1GEN washer
The Laundry Alternative EZ-rinse (washer only)
The Laundry Alternative Superpop x Nina soft spin dryer x Solaris Dryer (Match)

Comming soon: The Laundry Alternative no model name yet (largest household washer in the world, 32kg capacity) matching a The Laundry Alternative Mega spin dryer.
The Laundry Alternative Lazarus (Washer only, fully auto, full size, old school)
The Laundry Alternative Morph (Washer-dryer all in one FL combo)

 

[daveamkrayoguy]

Taut (Mistake)

Oops, I meant FORMER, as in the GE had the Warm Rinse w/ its Hot Wash, while the remaining temps' rinses were Cold, while the later-Frigidaire had all cold rinses with its washes, and to clear up about the old Kelvinator dryer, the Heat Off toggle switch (right out o fa parts bin) was its only luxury feature--the dial otherwise gave 120-minutes of heated drying, while the later White-Westinghouse only gave (forgot how many minutes) heated dry...

-- Dave

 

[passatdoc]

yes, but....

my current (Elux) and previous (Frig 2140) were both of necessity in a stacked configuration, so more or less one is confined to machines of similar make, so that the stacking kit works. The Frig pair will be twelve years old in a few months and has never had a service call. I gave the pair to my neighbor when his old Kenmore TL broke and could not be repaired. I bought the Elux pair in Nov 2014, so far three years of flawless service.

My laundry area is in the garage, along the rear wall in an alcove, with water heater and furnace adjacent to the laundry machines. To comply with city ordinance, there is a bollard (concrete-filled steel pipe) embedded in the floor slab, to protect the appliances from a car in the wrong gear. A runaway car could sever three gas lines (furnace, dryer, water heater). The builder situated the pipe directly in front of---and in the middle of--the washer space, so that it would block any FL door from opening, even on a pedestal.

The only solution---while remaining compliant with city building codes---was to stack a pair in the dryer space. I used the washer space to place a small table (holds laundry baskets, etc), and used the wall space above the faucets/standpipe drain to mount a small storage cabinet to hold supplies.

My first machines were a horrid WCI set from Costco in 1998. Dryer ok, but the infinite water level setting on the washer broke half a dozen times. I bought a new GE pair in 1997, and donated the surviving WCI dryer to a homeless shelter that needed a spare dryer---at that point I could have purchased only the washer and kept the dryer, and was the only time when I could have had a mismatched set. In 2006, the GE washer broke beyond repair and I bought the Frig 2140 set, which had to be a set due to stacking issue above. I gave the GE gas dryer to my neighbor, who was using an electric Kenmore dryer and who wanted to switch to gas to save $$$, as electric rates here are high and gas is cheap. In 2014, his Kenmore washer broke, I gave him the Frig pair (no service issues) and bought the Elux (60 series pair) for myself. One nice feature is that the Elux can wash all of my (queen) comforters, which didn't quite fit in the Frig. No more laundromat trips!

 

[askolover]

I've always said that people who insist on buying matched sets have more dollars than sense.  I have an Asko and Miele washers, and GE and Frigidaire gas dryers.

 

[tolivac]

Currently have a BOL Hotpoint washer and a GE dryer.Works for me!Guess they are related,but not "matched".The GE washer went for the DD Kenmore-wished I had kept the GE washer-like the Hotpoint had the rim-flo filter and was dual speed.

 

[rolls_rapide]

I can see the point of a matching dryer, especially if it is to be stacked on top by using the manufacturer's dedicated stacking kit.

While it may look nice and tidy, the awful truth with some manufacturers is that they might make a reasonably reliable tumble dryer but produce an awful washing machine - or vice versa.

When the Hoover 'New Wave' and 'Classica' models came out at first (1993-ish), I remember reading newspaper articles about customers complaining about the lack of a suitable stacking kit, at that particular time.

 

[passatdoc]

Exactly. Stacking my machines was the only legal work=around for the bollard. I have neighbors who cut down the bollard, and installed a FL pair side by side, but the modification is not likely to pass inspection if/when the home is sold. And the last thing you want to do is drill into a concrete foundation slab riddled with pre-tensioner steel cables.

The downside of my solution is that it more or less forces me into matched sets, using the OEM stacking kit (well, if the washer died, the existing stacking bracket and dryer might fit atop a current model Elux washer, I would be ok with that)

 

[ea56]

Re: Reply #28

“I've always said that people who insist on buying matched sets have more dollars than sense.”

I suppose the same thing could be said about having one than one washer and dryer at the same time too, when you really only need one of each. But if folks didn’t have the compulsion to collect washers and dryers, this website likely wouldn’t even exist.

Some people like to spend their dollars on luxury cars, others on matching appliances.

This doesn’t indicate a lack of “sense”, just a personal preference on what they like to own. And I agree, it isn’t necessary to have a matched set, but it isn’t neccesary to own a luxury automobile either.

Different stroke for different folks.

It would seem that on a website dedicated to appliances I would think that buying a matched washer and dryer set would be something that wouldn’t be looked at a frivolous.
Eddie

 

[ryanm]

I'm going through this decision right now since my washer is no good but my dryer is fine. Our laundry is visible in the place we live so it looks much nicer with a matching set. What I discovered now unlike years past, if you buy a washer that is not the same brand as your dryer, the 'height' of the machines do not match in many cases. We never before had a 'matching' pair, although once we did buy a pair but the washer had issues and after 6 months they replaced it with a new one but by that time the models had changed so we once again had an unmatched pair. I have decided to sell the dryer I have on craigslist and go ahead with the extra expense of getting the matching pair again since it is very visible in our condo unit.

 

[DADoES]

 
I *rarely* close the door to my laundry room and it's directly visible to anyone coming in from the patio/back door.  Doesn't matter to me.  I'm more concerned about being happy with the individual machines than whether they match.  As my dad would say about those kinds of things ... "Anyone who sees that (makes a remark about the machines not matching) is looking too closely." 

Just my opinion.

 

[appnut]

Growing up, only once did we have matching appliances.  when the new house was bought 9/61, my dad spray painted the 1948 Kelvinator fridge to resemble the coppertone built ins (including sink).  I'm not sure why he did it, given we ended up switching out the O&M dual drench dishwasher (sent back to our old house) with the Waste King.  He never did paint or replace the white front of the Waste King.  My grandmother's 1957 Frigidaire replaced the Kelvy in 1965.   That house never had complete matching kitchen appliances (even with color) in all the 41 years they lived there.  They got a BOL Norge Timeline dryer (all Houston dryers were gas) around the time I was born and the bendix was replaced with MOL GE probably in 1956.  That GE was replaced with the Norge DispensoMat washer in December 1963 or 1964 and the matching dryer was brought home the following February.  So we had that maching pair until the washer crapped out for the 2nd time by 1970 and replaced with the Kenmore 800.  Those two were given to coworker & his girlfriend when they bought a house (replaced with GE FFlo pair the fall after I got my GE pair).  That pair stayed there for 17 years until my mom had to have a Maytag Dependable Care pair to match my 12/94 dryer.  When the lake house was built and the kitchen completed in probably 1971 or 1972, then we actually had matching harvest gold appliances.  (Frigidaire Deluxe cooktop and wasll wouble ovens along with a Kenmore fridge and model under LK rotorack along with color-coordinated vent hood and sink).  Around fall of 1975 or spring 1976, a Kenmore 70 series pair was put in the laundry area. 

 

[mjg0619]

Mismatched Maytags in the laundry room, though both are almond colored. 1993 LAT7793 (Two speed, large capacity) and a late 90s near TOL Neptune electric dryer. Same family, just distant cousins LOL

 

[iheartmaytag]

Re#32

Perfecto Eddie.

Like I have said before, a friend of my mother, her son asked me. "You have 36 vacuum cleaners.". " how many vacuums do you need?"
"Well" I answered, " you collect gas pumps, do you need a gas pump?"

Comes down to preference, and what you want and like."

 

[Chetlaham]

Matching set

Sometimes one is forced a buy a matching set- when both old machines are beyond reasonable repair and the store is offering the set at a discounted price.

Even then- having a set match might be as important as the look or functionality of any machine. You could say I have some type of OCD- I like things to match. I remember when my set matched, visually I liked it a lot more and it kind of gave me a mild euphoria. It felt like both appliances had their campaign.