Need to Decide on a washer

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corgigrrl

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Joined
Dec 4, 2016
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9
Location
Reading, PA
Hi,
I'm new here & of course I have the same question as many newcomers.
I had a Maytag washer & dryer for about 23 years, don't ask me what kind, they were the type that worked! I took them for granted. Put dirty laundry in the washer, wet clean laundry in the dryer & when it was dry, took it out. In all those years I had about 3 service calls.
Fast forward-I've had my Maytag Maxima X front load washer & dry for about 3 years. Hate isn't even a strong enough word for how I feel about this washer. I'm fed up so I decided to replace it.
My choices are: a small shop that sells reconditioned appliances, the last non HE machine that Home Depot & Sears has: GE Appliances GTW330ASKWW 3.8 cu. ft. Top Load Washer, OR new Speed Queen AWN432S Top Load Washer. I just read on some of the threads that the Speed Queens are not the best as they are praised to be.
I tried to read through here for recommendations, but things get too technical for me. I just want clean clothes, no mold, no pampering the washing machine by drying it after every use etc. Just clean, fresh smelling clothes! Is that too much to ask?!
 
IMHO. LG makes the best washers and dryers. I've had both their top and front loading models and they got my clothes really clean and fresh smelling, dried them fast and were fun to watch. I had one that needed an overhaul but lava and sand from the beach caused that.I found it at tube dump and LG sent the parts. The tub,bearings, pump,and drum were all replaced and $325 was the cost for all the parts.I sold it for $600.That was two years ago. No problems and a happy customer.
 
Laundromat

Boy are you ever going to get bashed for that!!!!!! LOL Actually I too have an LG made front load washer & dryer. Had them for over 3 years now with no problems at all. In fact, I had an old Maytag set up to that point and I like these far better than the old Maytag set. Speed Queen is supposed to be the greatest thing since sliced bread, but I see no real indication of that myself and they do not have many features which I consider important.
 
Well, it seems like your best bet is to stay away from a front loader or HE top loader.

From what I can tell, the GE's are okay but the quality isn't quite what Whirlpool has on their standard top loader. The GE is an "HE" washer - it is basically an impeller washer with a pole bolted to the impeller. It works kind of like an old school top loader, but not quite. I want to recommend this to you because I'm all for efficiency, but I don't think you'd be happy with it.

If you really want no fuss and can afford a Speed Queen, get one. While I do think SQ is a bit overrated, there's nothing else that you can buy brand new with an old school motor and belt driven transmission. They are ironically similar to what Maytag used to build. If you want to save some cash, look for a reconditioned Maytag or possibly a Whirlpool Direct Drive.
 
First...

Can you tell us some of the issues you have had with your Maxima set?

You sound reluctant to go the front loading route again...

Malcolm
 
My Maxima dryer is okay. I don't mind not being able to use dryer sheets & found I do like the wool dryer balls. The only thing I don't like is doing bedding & I get a sheet burrito with pillow case filling, even when I move the laundry around mid cycle as directed.

Now the washer is another story. Between the mold, large hair whorls, clothes washed that don't seem clean, some stains never coming out(grass stains did come out in the old Maytag)& having to wipe the bellows & door dry after every use plus a monthly maintenance wipe down with diluted bleach, tangled, wrinkled clothing, I have had enough.
Yes, I ALWAYS kept the door open when not in use. I know someone will ask.
I spoke to Whirlpool customer service, who of course, could do nothing for me & it was as though they'd never heard of a mold problem in new machines.
BTW Why do they still have Maytag commercials when Maytags aren't even built by Maytag?! I hadn't known about that until I called.
 
Mold dosen't suddenly appear.

It's been narrowed down multiple times what mold comes down to: Overdosing, underwashing, undercaring.

Given you mention that stains don't shift I suspect you are using mostly cold water cycles. That is a no-go. Detergent should be dosed according to manufacturer, a 'good' detergent should be used, and softner should be used with caution. A monthly empty cycle with bleach will reduce the risk of mold by a great deal. And most everyday loads will benefit from warm washes, and so does the machine.
Whiping down with diluted bleach won't do a thing. I had to soak my shower curtain in pure bleach for several hours when I moved here just to get the mold out.
 
Most dryers tend to ball up the sheets anyway, so a new dryer won't fix much.

The Maytag commercials are all marketing. I think their main push is durability backed by a 10 year warranty. I would actually consider stepping up to Maytag if I were in the market for a Whirlpool built product, just for the peace of mind.

If you're really dead set on a different machine, I'd honestly buy secondhand. There are so many old school Maytags out there that can be had for around $100 if you know where to look, that wash very similarly to a new Speed Queen...
 
no need to wipe the machine down, leave doors/drawers open....

your into an HE world, a few things will have to change a bit over a regular TL machine....

basically, your allowed one cold wash, every tenth load, no more!....at least one load a week should be hot from the tap, or boosted if available, and BLEACH!, such as a white load...

warm or hot washes, ALWAYS....and this means checking your temps...is warm really warm, or dubbed down to cool?...if your water heater is not set high enough, and especially in colder seasons, you may have to wash strictly in hot....

a good detergent, like Tide, Gain, Persil, etc.....even a few boosters if needed, color safe bleach, ammonia, borax....

for an HE machine, softener can be used, just diluted down....mix your bottle 50/50 with water, one tablespoon is more than enough....

getting past the mental part of what your used to with a standard TLer is not always easy, but giving any HE machine proper water temps/chemical, and let it do it's thing, it really can turn out clean laundry....

the hardest part is adapting to the machine.....

if you do feel a need to change back.....just about any DirectDrive machine would fit the bill....will most likely be used, but are available in plentiful numbers...I have 3 sets available for sale if your interested...

manufacturers have been slapping multiple names on machines for years....do you think Sears built Kenmore?...
 
I have a next to TOL SQ top loader I bought about five years ago. Some friends of mine got theirs at the same time. Because I have so many vintage machines hooked up, my SQ is fairly low mileage.
On the other hand, my friends SQ is very high mileage and has been washing for 7 adults and 2 babies since it was installed ( with it's matching dryer). None of us has ever needed a repair. We are always satisfied with the results and if we needed another machine we would buy another SQ.

Two years ago I bought a BOL SQ set for my office. Those machines regularly do one or two large loads a day of very soiled laundry, mostly sheets and towels. They have given us trouble free service and always clean whatever we put in them very well.

Foul odors are never a problem.

I highly recommend the SQ top loaders.
 
Yogitunes-Way too many rules in my mind=pampering You can call it adapting!

Gyrafoam-thank you for your input! That's good to know because even the least expensive model is more than I was planning to pay!

henene4-Mold may not suddenly appear but you can suddenly notice it if your machines are in a badly lit basement & you had no idea mold was an issue with these machines. I admit I'm not the most observant person & I wasn't vigilant with drying, wiping, bottle feeding & diapering this machine.
Once I realized I had a real problem & hit the internet, I found all sorts of things. I even ran this recipe to clean my machine out of desperation that had 2 gallons of vinegar soaked in old towels, a tbsp or so of powdered dish detergent & salt by TechnoFresh, who promises you a clean machine if you use their powder once a month. It just made my machine smell like a pickle for a few days.
To make a long story short I tried everything to clean this thing & I mean everything!!
So I called a local appliance repairman who ordered a new bellows for me. $148 plus installation is a painful way to learn a lesson.
That's what got me around to thinking if I"m going to spend $400 to get a machine I hate repaired, why not get a reconditioned one? Then I came across the Speed Queen & thought maybe this will be a better value in the long run because buying an old machine could still be a crap shoot. You do get a 90 day warranty but it could still turn out badly.
Wishwash I'm not planning on getting a new dryer. I can deal with a little irritation, it really isn't a big deal.

Also, the repairman said he has a Maytag Maxima X at home & loves it.
 
What Yogi said can be boiled down to "Don't wash in cold water".  Plain and simple.

 

I've had a front loader for 6 or 7 years, no issues, no mold and VERY clean clothes.  But I have never used cold water.  I will never consider anything but a front loader.
 
I have the Speed Queen AWN432, and though its not the end-all, be-all washer, its very good. Certainly can't beat the warranty, very well made that should last many years, cycle times are fast, and clothes are outstandingly clean and fresh smelling. The agitator is good and not too overly aggressive. I think of it as a good no-nonsense, no bells-and-whistles, washer. I really like the simplicity of the design and I keep it in mint condition after each wash day, wiping it down. If you get one, be sure to register it with Speed Queen before you use it.
To be fair, I think the capacity could be a little larger for the price paid AND a good lint filtering system installed. I went on Speed Queens web site and they said there is no lint filter system. (Lint on dark colored clothes can be a problematic if not using a dryer, I bought a good clothes brush and I do make good use of it.)Water levels in the washer weird, esp. on small loads (it uses a lot). If you have high water bills, might want to reconsider. Also,do NOT overload this washer. It could be a little quieter also.

Don't want to sway you one way or the other, these are just my own observations after over a years use. Still, glad I bought it, very much so. It fits our needs at our house. (I'm a caregiver and work full time, so fast cycle times are important to me.) Best of luck to you and your decision. Hope this helps.
 
corgigrrl

I too had a Maytag washer and dryer, from the late 90's. It was a terrific washer and dryer. I gave them to someone who still uses them all the time. I needed much larger capacity for my ancient mother who is incontinent and lives with me now. At the time she had a king size down filled comforter I hated taking to the laundromat. I bought an LG made front load washer and dryer that I stacked. It has been the best set I have ever owned as far as getting the clothes clean and being trouble free. I have had it for over 3 years now. The door on the washer is made to stay slightly ajar, so it can always be airing out when not in use. It also has a self clean cycle that I run every so often. I have no mold, no foul smells or any other issues. I do use hot water for many of the loads, but have some things I wash in cold too. The dryer does tend to roll sheets into a ball, but I just check mid cycle and straighten them out, so they will all get dry. All in all I have been very happy with them so far. The washer does have a heat boost cycle and many other features. I am a bit puzzled at the problems you have had with the Maytag Maxima, since I have always heard good things about them. Perhaps you just got a lemon. I do think that going back to a top loader would be a step backward. Front load machines are designed to use less water and do the job as well or better than a top loader. With the machine I have now, it does an excellent job of washing, rinsing and spinning the clothes almost dry. So I save a lot on drying time too.
 
Speed Queen TL

A Speed Queen TL machine may be your best bet at this point. Although, it seems that only the electronic controlled machines are full fill. There is evidence the 432 machine only fills to about 80% water level due to the Eco control.

Malcolm
 
mrb627

Seems like with regulations that seem impending, Speed Queen top loaders could be a thing of the past soon. They certainly would not be able to operate very well as an HE machine. I guess we will just have to wait and see. As much water that is wasted on other things, I don't know why they would worry about something like that anyway.
 
Speed Queen Future

If Speed Queen eliminated one or more of the TL models and introduced a FL with Boosted Hot, I wouldn't mind at all.

Malcolm
 
It's nice that SQ is still leaving the ability to adjust the water pressure switch in the equation. I'm not too keen on Whirlpool's deep wash feature... It indeed is a deep wash! I like the way GE allows you to add a few gallons at a time. Whirlpool it's all or nothing.
 
I am not trying to be rude, just the cold hard facts.....its not rocket science, and no magic wand....

no matter what, your going to spend time and money if you stay in your direction = but that's senseless!...and there's no need to...

we sure don't do it...there are a lot of experts here who know what their talking about, we hear these types of stories all the time....

we know how machines get scummed up, filthy, moldly, mildewed....hate to tell you, it ain't the machine!...

and we KNOW how to correct it...a little effort to bring them back, and they stay that way from there on...

you only have one set to care for....many of us have a lot in our collection, we don't spend hours cleaning and scrubbing and a slave to our machines.....some windex and wax, and they stay bright for months....inside and out!...

and you don't need to run any sort of 'clean washer' cycle....in fact, mine don't even have one, and doesn't need it either!

for the most grimy of machines, bathroom cleaner with bleach and mildew/mold remover, and a heavy dose of pool chlorine on a long hot cycle....once and done, never needed again.....total cost under $10.00

these are just my front loaders, only one set was bought brand new in 2001, the rest came in all grimed up....can you find the new ones?

yogitunes-2016120607425100685_1.jpg

yogitunes-2016120607425100685_2.jpg

yogitunes-2016120607425100685_3.jpg
 
MattL-I don't mean to be difficult but never washing in cold just isn't an option. I would say maybe 9 out 10 cycles need to cold because of fabric instructions & my Polar fleece sheets. These things are the bomb!! But you have to wash them in cold & dry them on low to care for them properly & then they never pill.

Now you guys got me worried if I don't get a SQ now, I may not want one in the future, due to more government regulations.

Gyrafoam-How exactly does one adjust the water level?!

Also, I was wondering if maybe our water had something to do with this? We lived in a gated community that has 3 wells since 1990. We don't drink our water & have too many boil water alerts to keep up with anyway. It does leave a coral colored residue behind. We do have a filter but I still feel our water is hard so I always add borax or Arm & Hammer washing soda to each load, the latter to help with odors, usually from my son's clothing.

Should this effect the machine & it's results?

I'm hoping I can go to the appliance store today & check out the SQ. I'm doing some price checks & then we'll see which store.
 
Yogitunes- I scrubbed that bellows with everything I had to clean my bathroom (Clhorox spray gel cleaner, Lysol Power & Free etc.) plus anything else I could find when I Googled the problem! CLR was supposed to work, it didn't really make a dent. My husband worked on it too, he said.

How would you clean this bellows?

My best answer was to start fresh with a new one & make darn sure to take care of it this time.
 
I have 3 sets available for sale if your interested...

Yogi,

Perhaps you could detail the three sets you have for sale?
Or link to a post...

Malcolm
 
Speed Queen

If Speed Queen would join the 21st century and put a heat boost on their front loaders, I would be interested in one the next time around.
 
you do realize a few things,

continue with the excess of cold washes, will only return the same mold concerns....the bellows is not the only thing that the mold has attached to, dispenser areas, hoses, the outside of the tub, plus the outter tub....if you only think its contained to one area, guess again...

piling is caused by excessive rubbing of a traditional agitator, you wont have that with a front loader...

a dryer, even on low temps, is going to run in areas of 140 to 160....so your subjecting those sheets in temps higher than washing in hot water...

the coral color left behind on your sinks and showers is most likely PH levels out of whack....I get that too when my tanks run out....but it doesn't affect washing results, it does however kill any scents from detergents...

are all your neighbors having the same issues with their washers, or just your location?..

sheets are finicky in a dryer....some will ball up, especially Queen/King with elastic all around the fitted sheet.....usually best to dry the sheets/pillowcases alone...

adjusting water levels is done at your own risk....

 
Chiming in

We've owned our Whirlpool Duet for a little over 2 years now (Model WFW72HEDW) and we have had no issues with mold at all, or smells and boy does it ever clean well.

Couple of tips if you do want to go with another FL or start fresh.
First I've heard that you need to ALWAYS wipe down the doors and seals after a cycle including the drum. Well...what we do is when the cycle ends, open the dispenser drawer and main door, take the wet laundry out and toss it into the dryer, start it and walk away. Not once in the 2 years have I ever wiped anything down after a cycle.

Second regarding the seal, I came up with a cleaning method when we first got the unit, I like to wipe the seals down with one or two Lysol wipes at the start of each new month. At this time I also go in and wipe the dispenser housing with the wipe and then dry it off with a towel. Then I take the dispenser and in hot water I wash the main dispenser and rinse out all the softener residue (I've never once diluted fabric softener. Lastly I dry everything and off, put the dispenser back together and usually with bleach or a washer cleaner tablet, I start a "clean washer" cycle, come back 40 minutes later and I put it into a HIGH spin cycle to really help dry all the tubs out. The main cleaning of the dispensers and the seals takes around 5-10 Minutes and to be fair, I've sometimes skipped this maintenance procedure and don't do it for the new month.

Regarding cold washes, we do around 2-4 cold washes in a month for darks like jeans.

Lastly regarding the top loaders, my only one suggestion can be a SPEED QUEEN TOP LOADER and NO HE TOP LOADER. The GE is in no way a comparison to a proper Speed Queen Top loader. I linked some videos down below to both machines doing cycles.

Speed Queen Top Load:


GE Top Load:
 
OOPS Yogitunes!!
I meant 1 out of every 10 is a cold water wash!! Big difference there!!
Also, could you please tell me exactly how to clean your machine using pool chlorine so I can try this? I don't have a pool so I have no idea what to buy or how it comes packaged. How much do you use & where do you put it in? I hope I can still find some at this time of year.
We have over 1,000 homes in our community & I have heard some people's tubs, toilets & sinks are permanently stained, so I guess we are lucky ours isn't that bad.

washerdude,
Thank for your advice! Your routine sounds completely uncomplicated & doable to me!
I was definitely leaning towards a new machine & now I think if I can get this Maytag cleaned up & follow a maintenance schedule, I can work with it. I've already learned a lot from this discussion.

btw Has anybody heard of Technofresh? Does anyone use any products similar?

http://www.technofresh.net/
 
I think if you get your machine cleaned out and up you will be happy with it. They really are pretty good machines as washers go. You don't need pool chlorine, just plain old chlorine bleach will do very nicely. That stuff for your washer will work, but you can do it yourself with just chlorine bleach.
 
yeah, finding pool chlorine at this time of year, going to be slim....

in any case, I get it at Lowes, you don't have to buy a big bucket, they are available as a small pouch, I think it holds like 2 or 3 cups....around 5.00...

your next best bet.....Cascade Platinum powder dishwasher detergent...like your dishwasher, works best on hottest temps....and longest exposure

normally 1 to 2 cups, depending on how bad the machine is, hottest wash cycle/option....and you may have to repeat this more than once....stopping the machine to let soak, the longer is has to work on the grime, the better....

might even be best to boil water on your stove, and then add that to the machine...
 

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