I think I'm going to finally buy a front loading washer and I have many questions

[neptunebob]

Well I will chime in here

1. The measurements you give should be OK for the washer but might be a bit tight if you want the matching dryer. in my situation, I have about 6 inches behind the dryer for the exhaust pipe and electric connections. What dryer do you have now?

2. I have the LG washer for about 7 years and no repairs and still working fine. I did replace the gasket some time ago when it became nasty and smelled. Mom really liked the Downy which is probably what caused the smell.

3. Maybe buy the Samsung for the accessibility but buy an extended warranty too. Just be sure to measure, because I think Samsung is deeper than average.

4. If you leave the door open a day, it should be dry enough to not smell when closed for the rest of the week. Maybe use a laundry sanitizer in one of the loads to disinfect the inside of the machine.

5. I recommend to splurge and get the pedestals. As I am older I find it somewhat harder to get the back of the LG in the basement. It is more difficult than a dryer because the clothes are stuck to the drum and you really have to reach back there. Ask Stacey about that too, as the difficulty might be different for a wheelchair user.

6. I would have recommended since you were "running into a bit of extra money" the Speed Queen front loader, but I don't know what their accessibility is like and there is no option for a heater. But you can order the door to open either way.

7. I also recommend a washer with the heater so you get hot water regardless of whether or not the tankless comes on.

8. How is the situation with compact washers like Miele and Bosch? Expensive but have heaters and how many people actually have a king size comforter?

 

[appledude1]

I don't think you have to keep the door open all the way, though it might be nice to do that for a few minutes. Leaving it ajar can help - I bought a think on Etsy where it pops in and keeps the door ajar (so it doesn't close) for ventilation for a while. On my ancient Frigidaire front loader, it has done very well, though I have to be gentle with the door - occasionally it gets tweaked and won't close properly and activate the switch to allow it to work, so I gently have to tweak the door back - doesn't happen very often. Mold has never been a problem, but mine is in dining room of my condo, directly across from the a/c unit in the wall, so that circulates the air well, and when drying I use the stove exhaust fan also, so there is good air movement. I use a washing machine cleaner once in a while, where you pop the cleaner in and run a cycle on hot - usually I use the LemiShine products - I like using gentle stuff so my air quality is better inside - I normally do NOT use bleach -

 

[gelaundry4ever]

Consumer Reports ranks LG as tops for reliability for 27" front load washers: 83/100 score. This is based on percentage of units purchased between 2014-2024 that needed repair within the first 5 years of operation, adjusted for frequency of use. This means most units did not need repair in that time, and the ones that did were likely heavy use.

Samsung came in at 55/100, so less than LG by a signifiant amount, but not terrible - about similar to the rest of the brands in the survey. This score indicates problems with certain models or use cases over that time period, but also lots of people without problems.

My LG washer from 2012 resets the settings every time time you turn it on - it doesn't remember settings from the previous use. On power up, all cycles light up. A rotation of the selector knob in either direction starts at cotton/normal with default options. It has needed no repairs in its life, but it has had light use due to my small household with no kids.

I find this useful so I remember where everything is. I use cotton/normal for most loads.

 

[frigidareu]

Since we're talking LG, I have an LG washer model 3700. I was wondering if anyone knows what number of rinses the machine defaults to for each cycle. For example, I'm guessing the Normal cycle defaults to 2 rinses. What about the other cycles such as Heavy Duty, Whitest Whites, Delicate etc. ?