The New Frigidaires: Home At Last!

[frigilux]

Darren--- The recirculation jet is not on during the entire cycle. It's on the first few minutes of the wash, and again about 2/3 of the way through the wash. It's on during the first couple of minutes of the prewash and each rinse. I used the MAX FILL option once and it added only a little extra water. I haven't used it since. Everything is coming out perfectly clean and well-rinsed, so I have no desire to increase the water level.

I washed a huge load of highly-stained kitchen whites last night using the HEAVY cycle at max soil, plus a prewash and the stain-treat profile wash. I used 2 tablespoons UK Persil Bio powdered detergent for the prewash, 3 tablespoons Persil + 2 tablespoons of Tri-Zyme for the wash, and a 1/3 cup of liquid chlorine bleach (which is dispensed in the first rinse). Also used the extra (3rd rinse) option. Total cycle time was about 1 hour + 20 minutes. There were a lot of spaghetti sauce tomato + grease stains on the rags and bar mops, which were often not completely removed with my former washer. Everything came out spotlessly clean! I doubt I'll be using the anemic steam option anymore, as the machine cleans just as well without adding that 20-minute option to the cycle. And how it cleans so well with 110-degree "hot" water is beyond me.

The balancing protocol is quite brief for the first few spins. It is fussier for the final spin, which can take anywhere from 2 to 12 minutes. I've learned to just leave it alone and let it do its thing.

Korshka and Mouschi are great. They're growing like crazy, and (mercifully) moving out of the destroy-everything-we-come-in-contact-with manic kitten phase. Mouschi has already been spayed and had front claws removed. Korshka goes in to be neutered and have claws removed in October. They are adorable and love to snuggle on the couch with their human. It's fun to watch them practice their pouncing/hunting/playing skills on each other.

Louis---Thanks! They've proved themselves very adept at washing and drying. The final test will be reliability, which will be revealed over time, I guess.

 

[appnut]

eugene, if you are "bothered" by the "hot" water of 110 degrees, why not use the allergen cycle to get at least 130 degrees?

 

[frigilux]

That is definitely an option, Bob, but it also adds about 27 minutes to the cycle. If things are coming clean in the 110 degree water, then I'm just going to let it be. There is always LCB in the white loads, so I'm not worried about sanitization.

I tried the full-length Sanitize cycle on a load of whites, but the wash portion alone is an hour long. I noticed my t-shirts and short white socks had little "pills" on them when they came out of the dryer. The items had been washed/bleached many, many times before, so they weren't new by any stretch of the imagination. I think it's just too hard on the clothes to tumble that long. I'll have to give the 1-hour "Quick Sanitize" cycle a try. I'm curious as to how it manages to cut 48 minutes off the length of the regular Sanitize cycle.

 

[maytagbear]

Eugene-

Thank you for the snapshot! Good looking pair.

Now, are there kitten pictures up here somewhere?

Lawrence/Maytagbear

 

[77Pat]

Thanks for the photos and information. I am currently shopping for a new washer/dryer and this has moved to the top of the list. I am currently considering a Frigidaire front load set (FAFS4272LW), a Whirlpool front load set (9250 or 9550), or a speed queen top loader. My uncle has an Electrolux front load set, which he is mostly happy with. His only reservations are that it uses so little water and that it was built in Mexico. But so far it has done the job and he is happy with it. My mom was just visiting his house and said that it actually makes doing laundry fun. I was also considering the new Maytag Bravos X/Whirlpool Cabrio models, but I am seeing so many mixed reviews (some say it does a good job/others say it is too hard on the clothes) I am deciding to stay away.

I was just looking at the Lowes website and notice two other Frigidaire models, LAFW7000LW/LAQG7000LW washer/dryer and LAFW8000LW/LAQG8000LW washer/dryer. I have just emailed Frigidaire to try to find out what the differences are, since they are priced a little lower. The on site comparison feature does not show really any difference. If they are the same, I would be able to buy the LAFW7000LW washer with the LAQE8000LW dryer for around $1300, which seems like a good deal.

It seems like choosing a washer/dryer is just picking a model you like and sticking to it. I have been researching and there are reviews from so many sides. Like people switching from Bravos to Duet and preferring it, others from Duet to Bravos. Some from one front load to another. And other swearing by traditional top loaders.

 

[ronhic]

If things are coming clean in the 110 degree water, then I&#

I'm amazed that is the 'Hot' temp....Here that would be considered warm (110f = 43c)...

BUT...

I have started to wash most things at 40c and nothing fails to come out clean on a short (68 minute total) wash with one of the following powders (and I never, ever use bleach)

Omomatic
Drivematic
Trimat for front loaders(Aldi)
Persil tablets (UK made and old stock...lovely smell)

If I use Surfmatic, I add a small amount of booster as it has no enzymes...

Try a similar load without the bleach and see how it goes...

 

[spiralator60]

Questions for Frigilux

Eugene,

Congratulations on your new Frigidaires! You have mentioned about the recirculation jet coming on during the cycle. Is this something that is especially noisy or loud?

Also, how quiet are the washer and dryer while they are running?

 

[frigilux]

77Pat-- I believe the four new models are all designated as "Ready Clean System" machines. I think that means they use a recirculation jet during parts of the cycle. I believe the four new models also have a 4.4 cubic foot tub. I can't recommend the prior Affinity line (which has a horizontal row of rectangular buttons to choose options, unlike the touch pads of the new models). I would hate to have a washer that uses as little water as this one does and not have a recirculation system. I've owned this set for a couple of weeks and have had excellent results washing everything from a huge, heavy queen-sized comforter, to a load of two pairs of dress pants, to large loads of highly-stained kitchen whites. I'll admit to being a little freaked out at how little water is used, but I'm adjusting to it. It cleans well since the detergent is so highly concentrated in a small amount of water. The clothes do a perfect lift-and-drop, too. The only adjustment I've made is to have the Heavy, Whitest Whites and Normal cycles opt for the Max Soil option, which adds an additional 6 minutes to the wash cycle. I think the default wash times are a little too short for anything but lightly soiled loads.

Chris---I think 110 degree water is only warm by anyone's standards! If I didn't get excellent washing results, I would be alarmed by this. So far it's cleaned everything perfectly. And if you want hotter water, you can choose the Allergy option, which heats the water to 130 degrees. I want to try a tough load of stained kitchen whites using liquid Tide With Bleach Alternative to see if things come as clean as they do with UK Persil Bio powder. I am loving Persil for really tough loads. Too bad it costs about $47 per box to have it shipped through the Brit Superstore. That's why I'm only using it for loads of kitchen whites. I also use substantially less than what they recommend on the box, but I have super-soft water.

Darryl---The washer is virtually silent during "agitation" periods, so you can hear the quiet hum of the recirculation pump kick in if you're in the room. The washer is very quiet---even during high-speed spins---compared to my old Frigidaire. I expected the dryer to be quieter than it is. It isn't annoyingly loud, just not as quiet as a friend's LG dryer. But the dryer has a number of very cool features, and I like it much better than my old one. I'm loving the "Add Steam" option for loads of shirts, pants, etc. There's also an "Anti-Static" option which sprays a bit of steam in during the cooldown. I wash several poly-blend tablecloths each week, and they used to cling to each other and be full of static electricity. No more! Things come out with fewer wrinkles than they used to; however, this is probably also due to the larger dryer drum. This one is 7.0 cubic feet. My old dryer was 5.8.[this post was last edited: 9/7/2010-22:31]

 

[ronhic]

If it is a 'cup style' formula (or in ML's), you should be able to get away with the soft water dose without much issue....Now bearing in mind that US machines are substantially bigger than European ones, I would be tempted to use the 'Medium' water dose...

 

[frigilux]

Chris-- Here's one of the three boxes of Persil Bio I ordered from the Brit Superstore about a month ago. It's the 50-wash size. It cost about $47 per box to have it shipped to me. I use it only for loads of highly-stained kitchen and personal whites. It is the cleanest-rinsing detergent I've ever used.

 

[frigilux]

It recommends using 55 ml for lightly soiled loads in soft water, and 175 ml for heavily soiled loads.

I use 30 ml for the prewash and 60 ml in the main wash for a large, very heavily-stained load. I also add 30 ml of Tri-Zyme (an oxygen-based stain remover, similar to Oxi-Clean) to the main wash. The box should last quite a long time. I've been keeping track every time I use Persil, so I'll know how many loads I can get from a box. Results have been excellent. If I wasn't adding the Tri-Zyme, I might need to be a bit more generous with the Persil. I normally follow recommended dosages, but the Persil costs a king's ransom, so I'm fairly parsimonious with it, LOL.

I use Amway's SA-8 detergent for most other loads. It cleans normally-soiled loads well and rinses out better than Tide, but doesn't clean or rinse out as well as UK Persil. I use liquid Tide With Bleach Alternative HE for some loads, as I'm trying to use up my stash of that. For loads of blacks (I wear a lot of black) I use liquid Woolite Extra Care For Darks HE.

 

[passatdoc]

Persil washes whiter....

....and it shows!

I had a ball point pen accident with a dress shirt. I ran it through a soak and then heavy wash cycle (my machine has no pre-wash, but you can run a soak cycle and then manually restart the machine on a wash cycle). Stain completely gone. I used Persil brought back from the UK. I doubt Tide HE could have saved that shirt.

PS Persil also has a royal warrant from HM The Queen. I think it's on the opposite end panel of the box, across from the dosage end panel.

 

[passatdoc]

PS I am working on a box of UK Persil and also a pack of real German Persil. What I like about medium packets of German Persil is that they come in plastic pouches rather than boxes, and pack much better in luggage. Last trip to Sweden, I brought back two boxes of Via (Swedish Unilever Persil) and the baggage handlers managed to rupture one of the two boxes. Fortunately I had them sealed inside gallon size Zip Lock bags, but the German Persil in plastic pouches travels much better (I still Zip Lock it, just in case).

 

[laundromat]

Fins in the tub---

I am wondering if the fins that are in your new Affinity washer are interchangeable with the earlier model's fins???? I'll bet they are.

 

[frigilux]

qsd-dan brought up a good point in the Super forum in his rant against US-made, very-low water use front-loaders: Can they clean ground-in mud/dirt/grease? I'm going to do a test load with some jeans and shirts on those very soils, and maybe throw in a few white bath towels to see if the soil transfers to other items.

I'm going to use a prewash, the stain treat option, the heavy cycle, and an extra rinse. If the results are poor, I'll try the same test using the 152 degree wash and the steam option to see if results are improved. The Max Fill option doesn't seem to add much extra water, so I'm not going to use it for the test load.

I'm interested to see the results. Although I garden and do yard work, it's not like I'm a farmer or an auto mechanic, so my laundry doesn't contain a lot of mud/dirt/grease.