Whirlpool with big square light up thingies

[weed30]

Hi, I am new to this forum, great stuff here! Anyway, I found someone with a bunch of pink appliances, which include a Whirlpool washer and dryer with a big square that lights up. So cool! Pics are attached. Do these old washers and dryers actually do a good job cleaning? I'm not overly picky, just want clean clothes and a dryer that doesn't destroy things, ie synthetic clothing and delicates.

Thanks!

 

[qsd-dan]

Clothes will definitely come clean out of that washer! Whirlpools of that era are actually a little on the harsh side of cleaning. Can't comment on the dryer. Both units appear to be TOL.

Those are indeed beauties!

 

[weed30]

What do you mean by harsh? The agitator/spinning part? Does it "beat up" your clothes a bit?

Thank you

 

[washernoob]

WOOOOOOOOOOOW!!!!!!

Those look so mint! Thats incredible finds!

Any vacuums in there by chance? Pink is an awesome retro color up there with golden rod, and of course avocado green!

I would be all over that! Yes they clean very well, and will last forever. They really look new!

 

[lebron]

Pretty sure that's the same set that just popped up here from Denver... and yes these old Whirlys do a GREAT job of cleaning!

 

[qsd-dan]

What do you mean by harsh? The agitator/spinning part?

Agitation. They don't really beat the clothes up, but are a little harsher than most models. You'll definitely be happy with it!

 

[mickeyd]

Ditto, Jed

Recognized them right away, but forget the story. Do you remember the details? Thanks.
Isn't it the same laundry room with the matching pink sink, and the same fancy taps?

 

[weed30]

Yes, they are in Denver, with a whole houseful of other pink appliances. I am looking for a pink dishwasher, which they have, but I'm not crazy about it. It's a Hotpoint, and I really would like a Hobart, the one with the big cool chrome handle.

I'm not looking for a washer/dryer, but this set, which does include an odd looking sink with a lid and what appears to be a bottom drawer, is tempting. The asking price is high though, and shipping would be really expensive.

 

[maytagbear]

We had

A slightly later, by just a year or two, Whirlpool washer. The one illustrated, and the one we had (for nearly 20 years!) did have a slow speed, which we did use when in doubt. However, considering that my sister and I were both children then, our clothes were outgrown well before we or the washer wore them out.

If I knew it was in good mechanical condition, I would not hesitate. Much. My heart is for (vintage, pre 1999) Maytag, but vintage Whirlpool was very good.

Lawrence/Maytagbear

 

[tomturbomatic]

Actually, Maytags of that period were far harsher on fabrics than the WP & KM machines and any agitator machine would be harder on fabrics when overloaded than when wisely loaded.

 

[lordkenmore]

I have no experience with older Whirlpool washers. (Oldest is late 60s.) But I'd bet almost any vintage machine would be easier on clothes than a modern, standard agitator top load Whirlpool. These newer machines have, ah, a bad reputation for clothes wear around these parts.

Many around here will say that an older washer will do a better job cleaning clothes. I can't say that, but I can say that within my limited experience, older machines have worked better for me. One huge plus for me is that they had good lint filters. This is not that big a deal for people who machine dry clothes, but for someone who air dries as much as possible (like me), a good washer lint filter is a wonderful thing to have.

 

[lordkenmore]

As for synthetic fabric care, keep in mind that the early era of automatic washers and dryers was also the period when synthetics were becoming popular. Furthermore, this was an era when our society wasn't so throw-away minded. Clothes represented more of an investment, not just a sale buy at Wal-Mart. Thus, any appliance maker in their right mind would have made sure that their product could safely wash and dry all but the most delicate miracle fabric of the day.

The one limitation I have seen are on entry-level machines which did generally have limited cycles. (At the most basic, only one cycle on the washer, and not much more on the dryer.) But that issue is one that you might still see today on the cheap recent entry level machines. But get much above rock bottom, and niceties like delicate cycles appear as if by magic.

One other limit with older washers: they did tend to default to warm water rinses. This could vary based on model and cycle choice. Being cheap, I prefer cold water rinses. To get one easily, one can simply fill the machine with hot or warm water for the wash, and then flip the temperature control to "Cold."

 

[weed30]

Thanks to everyone for replying! This is most helpful. I really don't need these. I have 4 year old top of the line Kenmore Elites.
But these are pink. And they have big light up thingies

Anyone in Denver with a truck driving to St. Louis anytime soon?...

 

[christfr]

gees im not a real fan of pink but for that pool set id give up my neptunes ha ha. very pretty indeed

 

[polkanut]

I would say "agressive" would be a better word to use rather than "harsh" in terms of agitation.

 

[cmlrobison]

Pink W/D and sink - pink vacuum

I'd love that pink washer/dryer/sink setup. I love the functionality of the sink with lid. Can you pass along the link if you are indeed not interested? Thanks much!

And washernoob, while searching I did find a pink vacuum - a Komen Dyson. Don't know if it is old or not, but here is the link.

http://denver.craigslist.org/app/1904867386.html

 

[jetcone]

As I remember they

were priced as though made of unobtainium.

 

[weed30]

I am checking on shipping quotes this morning. If prohibitive, I'll supply his phone #

 

[weed30]

??????

I just found this post from a few weeks back:

http://www.automaticwasher.org/cgi-bin/TD/TD-VIEWTHREAD.cgi?29865

I guess these are not available anymore Congrats to kenmorelover.....

 

[bobofhollywood]

weak extraction

Beautiful machines but nicer too look at than to use. The dryer wheezes lint out around the filter and the washer spins too slowly. Turns out that a washer only cleans as well as it extracts and whirlpool washers do not extract well. Opinions vary of course but I hope to never have to use such a slow spinning machine again. Voice of experience speaking.

 

[combo52]

1964 WP MARK 12 WASHER&DRYER

This was the first WP washer to have a 3 speed motor. It is anything but harsh when used with a lick of sense. This is also the first WP to have the very effective Magic Clean lint filter. And it has the best wash & wear cycle ever on a top loading washer, it also has a cold wash button that can be pushed after the wash fill is completed to give a cold rinse on the normal cycle. Maytag never had such advanced washers & dryers this is why WP & KM dominated the laundry industry from WW2 on in this country and now WP is the largest laundry producer in the world. Even through out the 1960s and 1970s more consumers replaced thier WP or KM with another than owners of MT washers did.I was often amazed when someone had 20 or more good years of service out of thier MT washer how often they wouldn't buy another one.

 

[jetaction]

W&W

What did the wash and wear cycle do that made it superior?

 

[combo52]

WASH&WARE CYCLE

It cooled the wash load by draining roughly one half of the warm or hot wash water and then refilling with cold water and then repeating the process again. It did this while the clothes were floating in water and with out spinning the load at all. It then drained and went into a low speed [ aprox 330 RPMs ] spin then a cold rinse and a 4 minute low final spin. It really worked well when I used to use the 1959 LKMs wash & ware cycle and dried the clothes in our 1963 KM 70 dryer and hung up the shirts. I once remember my aunt Margaret seeing the laundry hanging in the basement laundry and wondering who did all the ironing. We were a family of 7 and there were a lot of mens shirts.

 

[mickeyd]

As I remember they were priced as though made of unobtainium

Hey Jon, isn't unobtainium the same stuff Gort was made of in "The Day the Earth Stood Still" ~ "Gort......klatu, verada, nickto." (first version) ;->

 

[mickeyd]

ah, the famous, fabulous double cooldown

Does anyone know when and for how long WP/KM added slow speed agitation during the refills of the double cooldown rinse.

My 77 WP has the cycle John describes--it occupies a huge space on the dial!-- but I once enjoyed the agitated version of the double cooldown on an early 70's Lady Kenmore for 2 years, living at the Fleckenschteen. To this day, it remains one of my most beloved washer moves. *

Who's got the goods on this: when did it start, what models have it, and how long did it last. Thanks.

*powerful spray rinsing and high speed suds-returns being the other two

 

[mickeyd]

TO BE CLEAR

After the partial drain and a pause, the refill would begin and the agitator would commence simultaneously. It was very Frigidairesque. And I x-rating loved it.

 

[retropia]

Wash 'n Wear

I would also like to know what model years Kenmore and/or Whirlpool offered this cycle. Is it different from the Permanent Press cycle on our current Kenmore? Or are they different names for the same thing?

 

[DADoES]

 
As I recall, the original W-n-W cycle didn't agitate during the cool down.  It half-drained and refilled with cold water two or three times (or as many times as it could during the allotted two? four? timer increments).

Later when there were four timer increments for sure, the typical Whirlpool process was
1 - half-drain (to pressure switch reset), pause for remainder of the increment
2 - refill & agitate two mins
3 - repeat Step 1
4 - repeat Step 2

Kenmore had a version thusly:
1 - half-drain, then (instead of a pause) immediately begin refilling with low-speed agitate running at the same time for remainder of the increment
2 - stop agitating but continue filling (assuming the target water level hadn't been reached), then agitate two mins when the water level is satisfied
3 - repeat Step 1
4 - repeat Step 2

Whirlpool's separate Knit cycle also had a cool down period, one half-drain & refill/agitate.

The Perm Press cycle was later reduced to one drain & refill/agitate instead of doing it twice.  This is what direct-drive models have done as well.  The latest direct-drive models may not have a separate cool down rinse for water saving considerations.

 

[washernoob]

Christian

that is the Suzan B. Komen Brest cancer limited edition model of the Dyson Dc07. Its a neat vacuum and a different color. But not older then say around 10 years.

 

[mickeyd]

Thank you Glenn!

Do you know the span of years KM offered this spectacular procedure? And was it only on the Lady Kenmores? Again, I'm referring only to the fill while agitating sequence.