how big is a typical load for an american who owns a front loader?

[gorenje]

@ Jetcone

"don't fully load their front loaders because for years ever since the 1950's we were told clothes need room"

I was thinking about this and I think you are right!

But the reason is not only linked to front loaders but also to top loaders. You in America were told to drop loosely the clothes in the top loader and not to pack the machine so the clothes can freely float around the agitator.
That's probably why some people think that the same must be done in a front loader. But the front loaders works in a completely diferent way.

 

[rapunzel]

"You in America were told to drop loosely the clothes in

Yeah, but people rarely do what they are told.

Consumers buy these large machines because they perceive them as useful and the right choice for their needs. Some users want to be able to wash large items like duvets, sleeping bags, pillows, etc. and not have to bother with taking them to the laundromat or expensive dry cleaners. Others generate a lot of laundry. Modern front loaders are designed to wash partial loads, they don't have to be filled to capacity and, like top loaders, they adjust the water fill according to load size. It is about convenience, flexibility and choice.

 

[jetcone]

@gorenje

Yes come to think of it you're right we were also told to loosely load the top loader as well. 

 

I needed the Neptune brochure to tell me to stuff it full otherwise I would have never tried that.

 

Funny because as a country we PACK our dishwashers to the point of bursting and never worry about dishes getting clean!

 

 

[jerrod6]

 

<span>I have a 6K front loader and sometimes it is packed full, but most times it is not.<span>  </span></span>

<span>I sort by fabric type and color which means that<span>  </span>whites will not be mixed with colors. <span> </span>I wash blues with blues, reds with reds, whites with whites, yellows with yellows…….ect.<span>  </span>I also don’t wash cottons with man made fibers, and I also sort by temperature so this tends to reduce the size of each load.<span>  </span>I can’t wash all the towels together from each week because they are different colors and the colors bleed..you will know this well.. if your washer drains into a sink.</span>

 

<span>Duvets can be had here but many times comforters are sold without them.<span>  </span>You buy the comforter with polyester fill and the outside cover is not removable.<span>   </span>Sometimes the polyester fill creates additional bulk which may be why folks need larger machines to wash them.<span>  </span>I use down comforters with a Duvet but these tend to cost more than polyester but are often warmer with less weight..still they cost more.</span>

 

<span>The normal wash time on my machine is about 20 minutes for a full load but it may be reduced to 11 if the load is small…this is followed by 2 rinses or 3 if I select an additional rinse. The time increases by a few minutes if I select a higher temp or if I select the extended option.</span>

 

<span>Every time I have packed the washer full…until no more clothes can be added everything has come out clean…it is just that with my type of sorting method a completely full load is rare.<span>  </span>If I had a family of 6 it would probably be full all the time.</span>

 

 

[mixfinder]

Knock Yourself Out

We bought the highest rated Whirlpool front load washer in the last Consumer Guide ratings.  It is extremely troublesome in balancing loads for the final spin.  Items like bath towels or throw rugs really throw it for a loop and it will give up leaving the load wet.  After several failed attemps at spinning we take the load next door to his sister's LG front loader and spin them out with no problem.  It is hard to create enough clothes to make a maximum load.  We have just about decided to contact the dealer about trading for a different machine.

 

[launderess]

Eider Downs/Comforters

For some strange reason Amercians have this idea that eider-downs/down filled comforters need frequent laundering. I cannot imagine why but they do.

Even in Germany and other parts of Europe where winters are cold often very much so, and where eider-downs are *BIG* the thing is never if ever laundered. One is supposed to keep them covered like a pillow and it that which is washed.

In some households the duvet is all that is used for bed covering and some sleep nude under that. Other households a sheet and or blanket is used beneath the duvet and that provides several layers of protection. Germany for instance has a long tradition of sheets that button onto the top of the duvet helping keep things in place.

Unlike pillows which by their nature must come into close contact with one's body, a properly covered duvet does not do so. However if one or one's pets are going to lay upon the thing, and the cover isn't up to the task/laundered often....

To keep down filled duvets fresh they should be aired, preferably outside each morning after awaking before the beds are made. This allows the down to do what it does naturally; breathe. A few good shakes and or whacks with a beater and things are good to go. Each morning all over Northern European countries you will see down duvets drapped over balconies or window sills each morning to air.

 

[rapunzel]

all over Northern European countries you will see down duvet

Yeah, my mother still does that every morning without fail. If she doesn't get to hang out her comforters and pillows, she gets all antsy. My parents have different comforters for summer and winter, eider-down for winter and silk stuffing for summer. They are placed inside a fitted cover, which is changed weekly. The comforters get washed and machine dried before they are stored in one of those space bags until next season.

 

[passatdoc]

I agree with Gorenje, the instructions for top loaders used to warn against packing the clothes too tightly. That may explain why some here are afraid to pack a FL too tightly.

I remember 23 years ago, moving from an apartment to my present house. It was the first time I had my own washer and dryer. I was accustomed to paying high prices for dry cleaning for sweaters. Now, with a machine that had cold wash and gentle cycle, I could laundry my sweaters at home and hang them on a drying rack. I remember doing the first load of sweaters, I think six of them, and thinking to myself that I had just saved myself over $20.

We (at least I) use duvet covers over here, but I like to wash them (the comforter----the covers are removed and washed weekly!!) once a year. With my Frig 2140, I can wash all of them except for one winter-weight king size comforter. If I had a larger machine, I'd even be able to perform that task. I think people here like to be able to do tasks at home on their own time. Instead of having to take time to go to a laundromat.

Every apartment in which I've lived had a laundry room, open only to residents of the building. Some laundromats in the USA can be rather, well, creepy, depending on who is washing clothes that day. The only laundromat visits I've ever made were to wash and dry king size comforters.

 

[iheartmaytag]

Mixfinder,

Rather than scuttling the machine all together, call for repair.  There was a thread not too long ago where someone had a machine that had problems balancing, it was a computer, or sensor issue. 

My machine, though sometimes, takes a bit to balance, has never failed to complete the load.  The only time it had major problems was when I was washing throw pillows off the couch.  I finally just paused the machine and redistributed them by hand and it was fine.

 

 

I have never really had a complaint about the time it took for a load.  The Heavy Duty cycle with no modifiers is 1hr 20 minutes.  If you figure you are doing about twice the wash at once, then it's about the same as two loads in a top loader.

 

If you are in a big hurry, and only have a few items that just needs freshened, there is a quick cycle that takes 30 minutes start to finish.  Some items that just need freshened, like a suit jacket.  I will toss in the dryer on a steam and it comes out smelling fresh and just needs a little stretching on the hanger to smooth any residual wrinkles.

 

[this post was last edited: 8/29/2011-11:21]

 

[mixfinder]

Thanks to You iheartmaytag

Thank you for the input Harley, I wouldn't have known otherwise.  You always seem to be the one who comes to my rescue with the right answers.

 

[gorenje]

Thank you guys for all the responses, I'm happy that you are sharing with me your habits and opinions.

Well I agree with all you that having a big machine is convenient for some reasons. Especially when washing duvets or big things like this. I was just wondering why I have seen so many Americans underfill their front loaders, when you can fill it up without any problem.

Here is Slovenia we have similar habits as in Germany. I have a duvet covered with the duvet cover (that has the buttons). I change (and wash) regularly the cover together with the lower sheet and I put out of the window the duvet to air.
(I don't have any pets at home)
I don't use the duvet all the year around. I wash the duvet itself only once a year when the season changes.

 

[dogboy44]

Stuff the washer FULL

We have the Frigidaire affinity AFT6000SE1 from 2006 and can put a ton in it, but many times I break up the load for drying, or some things I drip dry.