Saturday, May 23, 2015

Part IV of the Dirty Laundry Series, The Machines

Welcome to another edition of the Dirty Laundry series.

We are going in order of the washing cycle from start to finish.  Touching on each and going into a bit more depth for some topics, too.  Here is what we covered so far.  If you want to go back and take a peek.

Here we covered ways to gather your wash, fun, creative and conventional.

Here we gave ideas and tips on what all laundry areas should have in them from lighting to organisation ideas.

Here: we hooked up our readers with some links and recipes for stain removers and provided tips for getting your laundry ready for the machine.


For this installation, we are talking about machines.  There are plenty of sites out there, providing valuable information on which machines are the best, why they rank high and you can also find sites that compare machines and provide you with the best prices. 

We research like crazy before we make any kind of larger purchases.  Wash machines were tough for me, but after a couple of weeks of reading and comparing prices, we ended up with a front loading Miele.  (We live in Europe.)  Front loaders out number top loading 10 to 1.  I never knew why until today!

My Miele has a much better selections of cycles and some nifty features as well.

Here's what they said at Consumer Reports: "Front-loaders use less water than top-loaders but typically have longer wash cycles—some take 90 minutes or more. That's not the end of the world, but it may be the beginning of laundry pile-up. Since front-loaders use less water, the detergent is more concentrated and the machine's tumbling action can also help boost cleaning."

 

So you can see why this type of washer is taking over the market.  The only beef I have with them is sometimes my wash falls right out on to the floor when I open the door and when I'm trying to stuff it full, hehehe...my wash falls out before I have it loaded.  It's instrumental to keep that floor clean! With the way my machines are now, side by side like pictured above, but my doors open the same way and we can't change it.  It makes it a real pain in the butt to get my wash from the washer to the dryer.  The best way to do it, if you also face this problem, is stacking the machines, if it is an option, or putting all of the clothes from the washer, into an empty basket, sliding the basket over to your dryer and putting it in that way.

My new machine has a couple of killer features.  A light!  Definitely my favourite feature and a feature, when the cycle is finished, it keeps the laundry tumbling and emits steam to keep the wash from excessive wrinkling which is fantastic because I always forget my wash!

This image is hooked up to Consumer Reports best wash machine and dryer for 2015.

 Consumer Reports

There are machines out there that can operate remotely.  I could use that for the dryer more than for the wash machine, but if it works for you, consider that amongst water saving and energy technology.  Think about how long your wash needs to run and just how dirty your wash is, too.  Baby and toddler clothes are typically very heavily soiled as are the clothes of a family member who may work outside or with construction, etc. Then you may need some heavy duty cycles. How much laundry you want in there is also important when buying a machine. 

This image is hooked up to Good House Keeping, where they inform you on what you should consider before buying a wash machine.

 Good House Keeping

That's it for today's edition of the Dirty Laundry series.  The next time we'll talk about the dryer, air drying, what should and shouldn't go in the dryer as well as detergents, softeners, dryer sheets and softener alternatives.





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