Front loader washer?

[dalesys]

But top-loaders are so much more fun...

Loud screams and kicking feet coming out of the top...



Resisting the temptation to push START... Priceless!



(5 younger sisters and they all still talk to me)

[SteeleDragon78]

the only problem ive had with front loaders aside from the ones already mentioned, is that if you have to move them for any reason you need a 5 mule team and a prayer. they weigh twice as much as a top loader and are not easy to move even a few inches without help. other than that theyre great

[McGoddess09]

Get a front loader. They are amazing.

However, you may have to get a special detergent from Tide for it for energy efficiency. You might. We had to for ours.

BUT, even if you do, they don't take much detergent, so you will save a bunch on that.

[DGoddessChardonnay]

Get a front loader. They are amazing.

However, you may have to get a special detergent from Tide for it for energy efficiency. You might. We had to for ours.

BUT, even if you do, they don't take much detergent, so you will save a bunch on that.

That's true there. Always look for the detergents that say "HE" on the bottle (or box if you're buying powder) - those are the ones you want to use in a front loader. It's specially formulated so that you don't have as many suds in the wash - which makes sense since a front loader will use less water than a traditional top loader.

Best brands of HE detergent I've found are Gain and Tide. Liquid is fine for clothing and sheets, but for towels and washclothes, powder detergent is better IMO.

Reason being is that after a while of using liquid detergent on your towels, they'll develop a strong, sour smell to them. Using powder detergent and fabric softener will help tremendously with eliminating that issue.

[McGoddess09]

Really, DGoddess? I never knew that about powder vs liquid on towels. Although, on my towels, I haven't had much of a problem unless someone just throws them in the hamper without letting them dry first. Maybe that's because I use fabric softener on them anyway.

[Evil Queen]

However, you may have to get a special detergent from Tide for it for energy efficiency. You might. We had to for ours.

God I hope not. Tide makes me break out in hives.

[Broomjockey]

I use a liquid detergent from an organic company. You can get HE detergents darn near anywhere.

[Evil Queen]

Supposedly the only difference between the detergent I use now and the HE stuff is that the HE stuff is thinner.

[Broomjockey]

Probably. Thinner would mean it's a bit liquid-yier, so less sudsy. That's about what HE detergents are all about. Usually you can do decently just by using less.

[DGoddessChardonnay]

Really, DGoddess? I never knew that about powder vs liquid on towels. Although, on my towels, I haven't had much of a problem unless someone just throws them in the hamper without letting them dry first. Maybe that's because I use fabric softener on them anyway.

I ran into this problem a little over a year ago and it took me awhile to figure out where the sour smell was coming from.

At first I thought it was the water, but after eliminating that and mentioning it to one of my girlfriends, I found out from her that it was the liquid detergent . . . she had the same problem and her mom suggested she go back to using the powder, along with the fabric softener.

So that's what we did and we've not had any more sour smelling towels since.

[McGoddess09]

God I hope not. Tide makes me break out in hives.

I guess you can get it with Gain. The only one I have ever seen was with Tide, because that's what we use in the house. At school, I can use whatever detergent I want, so I get the Walmart brand.

[DGoddessChardonnay]

God I hope not. Tide makes me break out in hives.

EQ, I think Tide has a free and clear detergent in HE, have you tried that one?

If not, that could be one option (or any brand that has a dye-free version in HE). Or you can try the organic HE detergents that are available now . . . they're supposed to be free of harmful chemicals that can cause reactions.

Or if you have the time and inclination, you can find information on how to make your own detergent.

Just some food for thought thrown out there . . .