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<blockquote>Meldew:  So I’ll wash on warm with powder....</blockquote> Keep in mind that new machines nowadays (with a few exceptions) restrict the water temperatures for energy-saving purposes by mixing in cold.  Warm on those machines may be between 75°F and 80°F ... hardly "warm" as such.

The designated Normal cycle is typically the most-restricted on temperature since it's the cycle used to gauge the EnergyStar rating.  Hot on Normal may be between 90°F to 105°F, which is closer to what Warm should be.

More aggressive cycles such as Heavy Duty, Allergy, and Sanitary operate at higher temperatures.

You have to experiment with the cycles and settings on whatever new machine you choose to get a handle on the temperatures is provides.
 
Musty

Meldew, keep the door or lid open between cycles. This will reduce any stagnant air and moisture. To remove the nasty BO smell, try using ammonia in every wash as long as you ARE NOT using bleach. 1/2 a cup for front load and 1 cup for a top load should be fine. This will remove any BO and excess residues in clothes. Keep using the Tide liquid, but makes sure you are using the HE Turbo version in front loading machines!
 
OK I will... I had left the door cracked on the LG almost always. I almost never did the cleaning cycle though. I've not heard about ammonia - it might be just what I need to cut through the B.O. Well the SQ is sold so I am needing to buy very soon. The new owners were very knowledgeable about SQ and I think they'll be happy with it!
 
Melissa, I've been reading through your posts again.  You felt like things always needed a good soak.  I would imagine your LG model has at least a prewash option.  Did you ever use that in conjunction with whatever wash cycle you were going to select?  Front loaders excel when they have a onboard heater (supplements hot water supply and raises wash temperatures and in LG's case, if it has steam, it has an onboard heater).  I won't have a front loader unless it has a heater. 

 

I throw kitchen hand towels, cleaning cloths, and thick cotton cloth napkins that have all sorts of food soils, residue on them and they sit for up to a month before I have enough to wash a load of them.  I use tide with bleach alternative and biz powder with sanitize cycle and steam option.  Everything always comes out thoroughly clean and fresh. 
 
yes the LG did have the allergen cycle so it had a heater... I didn't use that cycle ever though as it took so long. I am looking at LG again with the turbo wash option for speed. I could try using Biz as well.

I think I'll get either the Maytag or LG front loader. I like the Maytag commercial top loader but nobody here has it so I'd have to ship from one of the national sellers, and I'm also afraid it will be too small capacity. I like the speed queen front loader but again small capacity.

The Electrolux worries me as I think they're made by Frigidaire? Frigidaire has been nightmarish for me in the past.
 
Mylessa, there are times using a front loader it's best to take advantage of the longer cycles to tackle some of the really obnoxious soils and crud your laundry generates.  Before I got my front loader, I had top loaders and there were times I'd have to soak things.  And you mentioned above you felt like things needed a good soak.  With my previous experience of of soaking for 1/2 an hour to an hour and then draining, filling with hot water, washing on longest wash time (14 minutes) and an extra rinse because of all the detergent and such, my loads would end up taking 1.5 to 2 hours.  And as you have discovered, it ended up being very hard on fabrics.   Well in  the end, it seems I'm using about the same amount of time doing things with the long soak and long top load wash cycle (55-60 minutes for 3 full fills and max wash time and extra rinse) vs. extra hot water on my front loader.  I have a Whirlpool Duet and my whites cycle max soil and extra rinse, take about one hour and 45 minutes, not too much longer than the old top loader with soak and full maxed wash cycle.  With the type of soil it sounds like you deal with, it may be best to slow things down at times.  Try using delay wash to start a longer cycle during the night.  I'll be honest, I make no bones about how much I despise top loaders.  I never felt my clothes were as clean (and also beat up and don't last as long) as I have with my front loader. And I've been doing laundry in earnest since 1964.  Just like old-fashioned slow-cooked meal, sometimes you cannot rush outstanding laundry results.  Too bad you cannot have two sets of washer with a dryer stacked on top in your laundry closet. 
 
I know you're right! I was just talking to my husband about how a much larger front loader washing more clothes at once would almost equal 2-3 small top loader batches time-wise.

I am going to measure the laundry closet. Maybe I would be able to stack. If I could also use splitters/couplers on the drain and hot/cold spigots....
 
Much as I doubted it would, my Frigidaire Affinity front loader served me without any serious mechanical issues (I had to replace the pump once, which was DIY) for almost ten years.  Mine was made by Electrolux, and it was very good at cleaning on the "Normal" cycle even with dumbed down hot water.  If you take care of them and use them properly, FL machines will provide more longevity than what you read in the negative reviews.

 

I agree with Bob that for getting clothes clean, FL machines are so far superior to TL that they're in a league of their own.  I do have a vintage Maytag TL machine, but it's only used for really funky disgusting jobs (I'm a caregiver for someone with incontinence issues) that I'd rather not taint my daily driver FL machine (older Maytag Neptune -- no heater) with.
 
Also something to consider....I sometimes pour a little Lysol in with my colored uniforms that I don't like to use extra hot water on.  But that's why I like Miele and Asko...I can choose how hot the water will be all the way from ice cold up to almost boiling.  Maybe some of that liquid laundry sanitizer would help with the BO problems.  Also remember, with those behemoth FL machines...their efficiency drops if they are not ran at capacity.  I mean, utilize their spaciousness.  Fuller loads balance better...or at least that's been my experience.
 
Thanks for the heads up on Electrolux... I will consider the 627! Tho I don’t know how long the cycles are...

Also this confirms what I thought about cycle load... I was looking at the giant (5.8?) LG but then that’s a ton of clothes!
 
What I love, and what mom loves (I bought her the 617 set) is the 527/627 have a recirculating spray that always saturate the clothes/articles and keep them saturated. The 627 has smartboost which premixes the soap (powder, liquid or pods now) and sprays the clothes like a pre-treat then starts to heat the water and break the stains down.

I can run a king size down comforter in my machine and it is thoroughly washed.

I can wash my pillows and they are always wet in the middle.

Most of the cycles are pretty quick. If change the soil level to a higher level and add an extra rinse I get to about an hour and 10 minutes, but most of my cycles run under 35 minutes.
 
Adding to what Askolover said......

 

<span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'times new roman', times;"> </span>

<span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'times new roman', times;">As you have a lot of laundry and the washer took a long time per load, is there any chance you tried to get as much as possible in each load?   My apologies if you're already aware of this, but many FL washers can hold huge loads (5.8 cu ft?!?) and they can be filled right to the top of the drum, as long as it fits loosely, not stuffed or packed in.  Everything needs room to tumble and once it's all completely saturated with water.  When wet the clothes should be between 1/2 way and 2/3 (at most) up the door glass during the pause between rotation.</span>

<span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'times new roman', times;"> </span>

<span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'times new roman', times;">Again, my apologies if you already know this.</span>

<span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'times new roman', times;">Best of luck with the new machines!</span>

<span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'times new roman', times;">Kevin</span>
 
I use Lemon

ammonia with powdered detergent for all loads that are not white. For whites, I use chlorine bleach. I have been eyeing the LG turbo wash, not ONLY because of turbo wash but because of the LONG spray rinses. To me, low water washing where clothes are just saturated is best, but you need deeper water for rinsing. If I'm getting the exact same amount of water for rising as I do for washing, I would not be happy. Luckily, I think the LG washers and possibly even the duets and maytags use more water for rinsing than they do for washing, though I'm not 100% sure of this. My Duet FL keeps kicking along and I absolutely have loved it all of these years. My clothes are super clean and it doesn't use a huge amount of water, but it uses more than today's washers since it's on its 14th year.
 
Y’all have given me too much to think about! Lol at knocking out a wall... wish I could. I will definitely be trying the ammonia trick. I already use bleach on whites occasionally and it does help.

Filling the washers - no I’ve always run them about 1/3 to 1/2 full on the FL and probably 2/3-3/4 on the TL... a teenage son once overfilled a Cabrio with blue jeans and broke the drum somehow so I’ve been cautious. And I was afraid if I put too much in the LG it wouldn’t all get wet. But I’m slowly understanding the way a FL works and it requires clothes!

So we are without washer and dryer and I went to four stores today... the LG FL seemed flimsy. I didn’t love the other FL except the Maytag... I did like all the top loaders with agitators! The independent store was pushing to sell me another Speed Queen set. I liked the Maytag Commercial TL they had too.

So I came home and looked for SQ front loaders online. There are some but they’re $1500-2000 and they’re small. And I hated the SQ dryer I had.

I’m going to try to decide tomorrow and I guess I’ll just get the LG again... or the Electrolux. I wish they weren’t so plastic. I really like simple.
 
Melissa

I know I’m bucking the trend here, but if you really like simple, go with the Maytag Commercial TL, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed. I replaced my LG FL with a Maytag TL, although not the Commerical model, it wasn’t available at the time. I love it. The LG I had didn’t have the Turbo Wash and it just didn’t use enough water,and the cycle times were way too long for me. Sometimes waiting for it to decide to spin was like watching paint dry.

If you go with the Maytag you’ll feel right at home with it from day one, and it will meet all your needs. Bottom line, you want to get a machine that you are going to like and be happy with. Make a list of the things that are important to you and then check those things off next to the machines you are considering, then get the one that ticks the most boxes.

Thats my two cents worth.

Eddie[this post was last edited: 7/24/2018-00:13]
 
Even though I'm a FL person

I have to agree that the Maytag TL would be the best choice if you're looking for an OLD FASHIONED TL washer. For me though, after having a FL washer all these years it would be so hard for me to go back. I also will say I disagree with packing FL washers full. Usually, 3/4 full dry clothes is perfect so they can tumble around best. When my Duet dies, I'm torn between the Maytag Maxima or the LG with turbowash. But everyone's different. A TL might be just the thing for you and if I had to get a TL, it would definitely be the MAYTAG from what I've seen and heard about them.
 
I've always filled my FL'ers up to a point where I can just fit my open hand on top of the dry clothes.  When they're wet they are perfectly ready to tumble and always come out clean.  It's always irked me to walk into the laundromat to wash rugs or such and see all those FL washers barely even half full.  People wasting their money.
 
Over the years

I've watched the tumble action of my duet and different load sizes. To me, watching the tumbling action of a load like you describe vs a little bit of a smaller load (which is still a large load, more than a TL can handle)....to me, there's a cut-off point. The clothes will still get clean with a load like you describe, but I think they get a little cleaner with a starting dry load about 75% full instead of 90% full. They just lift and drop better once the load is fully saturated. Not only that, but the dryer can handle a 75% full load better than a 90% full load. Of course, this is just my opinion after having used my FL'r for years now.

AND THEN........you can obviously have loads that are way too small as well.
 
I’m going to try to decide tomorrow

Don't most stores have return or exchange policies if you're not happy with the machine?

If so, that could be a way to "test drive" a washer or two before you commit to one or another.
 
so I'm thinking about the 5.2 and 5.8 LG... should I?

I went from almost deciding on the Maytag Commercial TL, to almost ordering a SQ FL, to seriously considering the gigantic LG front loaders... If they just didn't look so crazy.

So I didn't really explain how many kids will be washing clothing besides my husband and myself.... right now there are 7. So 9 of us total. Though one is away at college during much of the school year. And I have a lot of big dogs. I "mid-woof" for a breeder so I'm washing birth-soiled blankets and towels and then puppy-soiled items a couple times a year... probably four months total of puppy laundry. Then a couple of us ride horses a few times a week... sweaty, dirty, hairy. Horsehair is prickly and doesn't come out of clothing easily.

If any of you are still reading this far, would I be crazy to get a HUGE washer?

Because the few days I have been without a washer and dryer this week, I find myself walking to the washer a half dozen times a day... it's automatic for me to be starting loads, transferring loads, etc. all day long. I can wash 3-6 loads a day. If I miss a few days I can do 10 loads in a day to catch up.

Part of my wants to just buy the cheap Amana washer and dryer and spend very little... but would I regret it? Or I could get the hugest available. So that's why I need quicker cycles. But if I have an enormous washer and dryer I could cut the number of loads by 1/3 maybe.
 
.
You should have a true, bolt down, 30 pound plus, commercial Front Load Washer. Seriously.
Also start buying your detergent and other supplies in bulk. There are various people here who know how that’s done.

stricklybojack-2018072418475207585_1.jpg
 
And how much are those? I don’t even want to know! But yes I’m on my 5th dishwasher in 11 years... the repairman told me I put triple the wear on any appliance.
 
It sounds like

you have a LOT of dirty laundry - I'm not going to lie. I've fantasized about having one of those bolt down washers in my house, but really?
Anyway, I'm not sure about the store letting you try them out. I'm sure they have return policy's that you can at least return it within a certain time frame. I've read where people have had LG's for years with no trouble... but you just never know. Anway, if you end up getting the LG, just make sure you just never or rarely use cold water, use good detergent, very little fab softener......and leave those doors and the detergent cup open all the time when not in use. Use bleach in whites, don't overload the washer, and I think you'll be fine. I can tell you this, when/if my Duet ever dies, if Whirlpool or Maytag has not introduced new front load models with a recirculation pump like LG has, (which I'm hoping they do), I'm likely going with an LG FL washer with turbo wash and just hope for the best.
 
I just reread this whole thread and I want to say THANK YOU again! I wish I’d had this information 25 years ago. Reading how these machines work has been eye opening. I’d been using more and more detergent trying to get stuff clean. Up to a cup per wash. And usually a cup of liquid fabric softener... and my kids would add those scent beads... and the SQ had a warm wash that was chilly and the hot wash was barely hot (probably more a function of my hot water heater settings and performance - that’s a topic for another day!). And I bought cheaper and cheaper detergents because I was using so much of them.

I also rarely washed with hot in the LG as it seemed to add more time. Essentially I did repeated express washes with too much detergent... plus the additives... no wonder everything smelled lol.

I think the true commercial washers are out of our price range. I’ll research it just to be sure. Much as I hate plastic and led lights I’m going to get a very large FL with a “recirculating” type of spray like the turbo wash or similar. If I’m reading right only Electrolux and LG have that? Not Maytag/Whirlpool? Miele, Bosch, SQ are just too small.

And I remember the whirlpool dryers I had back in the day that someone wrote about, here or on another thread! I loved those! If I had a true laundry room I’d have one for sure but these are essentially in view from half my house (open floor plan) and matching would make me happy.

So excited. But the big box retailers here seem to be out of half of every washer/dryer set I try to put in my online cart. I feel I’ll need their “free” installation. If I order from a national online store don’t they just drop the box in the driveway? Plus weeks for delivery?

I’m traveling this week and I really hope I can get something arranged to install this weekend. One of my teens is working in the kitchen of a Japanese restaurant for a summer job and his work uniform is getting.... well, odiferous lol!
 
 

Melissa, 

 

With as much laundry as you do, I still suggest you seriously consider installing TWO front load washer & dryers, stacked in your laundry space, if at all possible.  Yes it will cost more initially, but it will also pay off BIG TIME because it will cut the time you spend doing laundry IN HALF and will give you "that much more" free time every week!   Personally I can do 4 loads at once, but I don't have nearly the volume of laundry you do! 

 

You can buy "Y" connectors for the water connections and you SHOULD be able to fit two drain hoses into the drain without much trouble. 

 

Re: detergent amounts.  With the more concentrated detergents and lower water usage in FL washers, they require less of it.  In my 4.0 cu.ft Kenmore FL, I use a small scoop (about 2 tablespoons) of the powered detergent (Sears or Persil) I'm currently using, per load. 

 

As mentioned in other replies, the "normal" cycle uses the least water for the main wash.  My Kenmore has an "express wash" cycle which has become my default cycle, I always choose heavy soil with an extra rinse.  It uses a bit more water in the main wash and with the options above, works out to 55 minutes for a normal load.

 

Another thing to consider is the location of your water heater in relation to your washer.  As front loaders use little water, you could be washing in cold or cool water even if you select hot, IF your water heater is on the other side the house.  I run the water closest to the washer to get it hot before I start it.

 

My 3 cents...

Kevin

revvinkevin-2018072511063900742_1.jpg
 
 
Slightly OT -- be aware that those Y-adapters need to be watched for deterioration.  They're not as robust as they may seem, even if metal/brass.  I use a four-tap brass adapter with three Y-adapters attached to connect three machines (with one spare tap).  The four-tap piece corroded and broke off without much force when I tried unscrewing it after approx 6 years.  It had a non-brass sleeve or some such piece in the connection/swivel.

dadoes-2018072511480001683_1.jpg
 

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