Just How Big/Bulky Are Wringer Washers Anyway?

[launderess]

Am considering adding a wringer washer to my collection. Mostly in aid of taking some of the work off my two European front loaders; to wit the faster processing of bed linens. Neither hold more than two or three sheets and perhaps two or three pillow slips, and take over an hour or even nearly two.

In past have been going round to local Laundromat when have lots of linens and don't want to tie up the better part of day. However more and more am turned off by this prospect. First the modern SQ washers don't seem to do full spins between all rinses. That leaves detergent/muck carried over into subsequent and final rinses.

In a pinch can do pillow slips in the Hoover TT and or even by hand (wash tubs and mangle), but that won't work for sheets. Well the former but am here to tell you hand mangling sheets gets old after the first few. *LOL*

So have been scouting about for a wringer washer. The three main contenters; offerings by Maytag, SQ, Kenmore and Whirlpool all seem rather large and bulky. Not the sort of thing for apartment living at all. Well if one's apartments were in Buckingham Palace perhaps.....

Since Maytag wringer washers seem to be the pack leader was rather keen, but neither the square nor round tub models seem "compact". [this post was last edited: 1/30/2016-02:17]

 

[wayupnorth]

I needed 30 inches to easily squeeze my Maytag round wringer away, out of the way. They are big and bulky, Laundress. If you have somewhere to slide it in that is great. Nice thing, they roll on casters to wherever it needs to go and away when wash is done and you control it, not it controlling you for however long it decides to take.

 

[rpms]

I would find 30 inches in an apartment somehow to avoid going to the laundromat.
Use the wringer as a ice chest for beer. I think my square tub Viking and Easy are only 24 inches wide? I could be mistaken.

 

[ea56]

My recommendation would be a Maytag, either the round or square, but I think square Maytag would be easier to store. Back in 1972 I had a square Maytag (the porcelain tub model) and I lived in a one bedroom apt over a 3 car garage. I kept the wringer in a small closet off the bathroom. When I did laundry I rolled the Maytag up to the bathtub, used a shampoo spray hose (without the spray noozle) to fill the washer. I washed all my sorted loads first, wringing the clothes into the bathtub that was filled with rinse water. I used a broom handle to swish the clothes through the rinse water then ran them back through the wringer. On sunny days I used a clothes line to dry. I could easily do a full weeks wash in just over an hour, and the laundry was sparkling clean. My favorite detergent at the time was Fels Naptha Powder, which was really soap, not detergent. I think you would really like having a wringer if you can find the room for one.
Eddie

 

[tolivac]

I would think even in an apartment you could squeeze in a wringer somehow.Is there anything you could get rid of or store in the apartment building storage area to free up space?There has to be a way if you want the wringer machine.

 

[stan]

Dear

Sounds like an idea you've been toying with for a while..
Just thinking out loud here.. A Maytag may be your best bet if you want a wringer that parts are relatively easy to get, compared to others.
Since were talking about a machine that's on wheels, try to make sure that the one you choose in fact dose move easy for you since you will probably be moving it about. And that the one caster on the machine that has a brake on it dose in fact brake and release. Otherwise the machine can walk a bit while washing and wringing

 

[tinkr]

Pictures for reference

I roll mine ( angled) thru a 26 inch wide door to use it.
Against a wall it comes out 26 inches.
Across the front taking into consideration the wringer head width is 26 inches.
So 26x 26 tight.
The yard stick doesn't this show very well. The wringer head makes it wider and deeper So 30 inches is a safe number.

Having the square tub with the aluminum crown. There is No water splash outside the tub. Dry floor.
My mother used a round tub and the kitchen floor was constantly being wiped up.
This is my weekly washer and it does a superior job of cleaning.
And doesn't make a mess.

 

[abcomatic]

I have 2 wringer washers in the kitchen. A square tub Maytag and a Speed Queen. Pump models are easier to drain, but a bucket will do too if you can't find one with a pump.

 

[launderess]

Thanks for the suggestions guys!

Please keep them coming....

Have narrowed things down to either Maytag or Whirlpool/Kenmore since they are what is coming up locally. In particular like the two speed Whirlpool models such as this one:

[this post was last edited: 1/30/2016-17:17]

 

[laundryboy]

Wringer Washer

I have also been searching for a Wringer washer here in Orlando, My dream machine is a kenmore wringer with the Bakelite agitator, and the closed style wringer on top, The exact one is on Ebay in Kane PA, but not sure about the cost to ship it to Orlando.. Happy Wringer Washer hunting
Chris

 

[vacbear58]

Sheets

Laundress
I am amazed that you are having trouble washing sheets in your frontloaders, just today I washed 2 king fitted sheets, 2 king flat sheets, 1 single fitted sheet and 9 (might even have been 10) pillow cases with no trouble at all in my 5kg Miele and all perfectly clean. If you are set on adding a top loader I would have thought a Whirlpool or Kemore portable would have been a better answer as I understand you live in an apartment and that would take up less room (thinking height maybe more than footprint) than a wringer washer
Al

 

[launderess]

@vacbear58

It really depends upon what sort of material the bed linens are made.

Satin, flannel or anything that compacts down easily, yes, can fit four king sized sheets and several pillow slips. However for crisp percale weaves, heavy old linen and other weaves no, barely one or two sheets and a few pillow slips.

Did a heavy vintage linen sheet in the Oko-Lavamat a few weeks ago. One such sheet and a few linen pillow slips caused the machine to read "80%". There was no way another sheet would have fit much less have been able to launder properly.

My other worry at least with the older Miele and to an extent the OKO-Lavamat is the tendency for bed linen to bunch up causing some very erratic and or violent spin cycles. The Lavamat having fully electronic controls is slightly better and preventing such behavior, but even then every so often it will simply "jump" and "bang" into an out of balance spin.

The older Miele is another matter all together. Having recently replaced the shocks and four drum brackets (at very dear Miele USA call out charges might one add) am seriously attempting to prevent any further major wear to suspension system and most importantly drum parts such as the spider. Even after the last round of repairs the drum still knocks when moved to the right and while spinning anything but perfectly balanced loads. Miele USA repair as pretty much told me to "stop bothering us with that old bit of tat...." so am sure if something else goes will be told to push off.

Of course the larger worry with the Miele is the motor. It is getting on and spares are NLA in USA. Even if a new motor could be sourced Miele has told me in no uncertain terms they will *NOT* do such work in the field. Nor will they for love nor money consider sending machine back to their shops in NJ for the work either. That big heavy motor is basically two sandwiched together. One half has brushes which in theory can be replaced, but again Miele USA won't do it in field. Apparently the techs who knew how and did such repairs on early Miele units sold in the USA have either retired, died, or work only in office. In any event no one wants to risk heaving that big heavy cast iron motor out of the front of machine. Yet that is what must be done to get at the brushes.

Finally as one has read posted in other forums there is the matter of time. Even with four sheets and several pillow slips it would take the Miele an hour and one half and nearly two hours in the Lavamat to complete the shortest cycle. That means several hours for eight sheets....

A week or so ago actually got out my laundry tubs, wringer, spin drier and using the Miele for a final rinse and spin. Did ten sheets and 14 pillow slips in about one hour. Had planned to use the Hoover TT but for all but the pillow slips it was impossible.

 

[launderess]

Whirlpool Portable

Had a really sweet vintage "convertible" WP portable, but sold it on to another member to make room for Lavamat/Lavatherm set.

http://www.automaticwasher.org/cgi-bin/TD/TD-VIEWTHREAD.cgi?25196

Truth to tell it also didn't do well with "crisp" bed linens. They kept getting air bubbles and wrapped around agitator/refusing to go down. Also wasn't that thrilled with the neutral draining before each spin. Sort of felt it was like using my laundry as a sieve. For laundry that wasn't tumble dried noticed much more lint on laundry done in the WP than the Miele.

One serious reason an considering a wringer is the ability to use pure soaps for laundering. Have to use up that stash of vintage Persil somehow and neither it nor I are getting any younger. http://www.automaticwasher.org/cgi-bin/TD/TD-VIEWTHREAD.cgi?38825

 

[norgeway]

Norge

and GE made wringers that were more :trim:....

 

[launderess]

Norge was one of the only other wringer washers

CR seems to have liked in the 1950's issues one has read. Maytag was their top choice but expensive. IIRC Apex and Norge rounded out two that were acceptable but not as highly rated as Maytag.

OTO General Electric wringers seem not to have much love with CR.

 

[miele_ge]

I know that Maytag continued to make wringers long ....

after everyone else... when did GE stop making them?

 

[launderess]

Whirlpool ceased early 1970's (1971 or 1972 IIRC).

General Electric announced in October 1953 they would cease wringer washer production in April of the next year (1954). GE stated it would end production of such machines and concentrate on automatic washing machines and dryers which it saw as the future of that industry.

This seems to back up what one has been reading in vintage Consumer Reports and other sources. By about 1954 or so CR reviewed more automatic and semi-automatic washing machines with conventional (wringer) machines getting less and less space. By the late 1950's they hardly mention wringers at all, that is besides the warnings about them being unsafe and so forth.

Do know CR ran tests of wringer washers in early 1960's for an article on if even the "new" wringer washers were "safe". These would have been the offerings from Whirlpool/Kenmore, Montgomery Wards, Speed Queen and of course Maytag which I believe were the only ones still selling conventional washers at that point.

Another interesting tidbit; by the middle of 1950's CR starts placing more reviews of tumble dryers and less of electric ironers. By the end of the 1950's they pretty much ignore ironers and devote pages to clothes dryers.

Am guessing by the late 1950's with the post-war boom in full swing housewives, especially young ones wanted nothing to do with the wringer washers of their mothers and grandmothers. Automatics were hitting the market and makers had stepped up their game offering a bewildering array of models and features.

 

[miele_ge]

Thanks Laundress for the good info

Always knew you were THE source for such things...

 

[launderess]

T'wern't nothing

Just book learnin is all....

More tidbits of information : https://books.google.com/books?id=d...zKAhVGPxQKHZeEBFoQ6AEILzAD#v=onepage&q&f=true

It does seem by the late 1950's early 1960's wringer washers had a big fat target on their back. Certain groups simply felt they were not safe no matter what improvements came along. That and with modern automatic or semi-automatics with spin drying functions wringer washers had outlived their usefulness. [this post was last edited: 2/3/2016-19:48]