New washing machines
 

I bought a new washing machine recently and discovered that they use very little water. As a result, if you have a fabric that bleeds, it can't move around enough to stop a color from bleeding from one fabric to another. The fabrics sort of stick together and and transfers on color to what's next to it. Also, to be "gentle" on clothes, it doesn't go "wishy washy" very fast. As a result, it takes forever to run a load and it also doesn't move the fabric around enough. I can understand why they reduce the water usage where I'm at, but it sure creates a problem with quilting fabric for me. The color catchers seem not to be able to catch the color unless there is more water moving around but don't work so well when fabrics are basically stuck together. Is anyone else having this problem?

Wow, that doesn't sound so good. Have you thought about running to the laundry mat when you need to wash fabric that bleeds for a wash or two.

I recently replaced my washer. I was having trouble with mine in that every time it was spinning to drain the water, etc. it would get off balance. It too used very little water and basically just made the clothes heavy and they clung together and tangled so bad. The center 'pole' would just do short twists but always in a circle, instead of with a swishing motion.

I finally found a washer that I really like. It is a top load, Speed Queen. It basically has the 'old' time works/mechanisms in it, in how the center 'pole' moves in an actual swishing motions like old machines used too 20 or so odd years ago. It is a new/modern machine, and has a lot of choices of settings, including water levels etc. But what I really like as well, is that it washes and spins without tangling up the clothes/fabric and since having it for almost a year now, it has yet to get off balance, even with heavy blankets or quilts.

just be sure the machine wasn't set to low water and can be changed. A friend had that happen to her and didn't know.

I too have the top load Speed Queen. It is a joy. I spent several months searching the stores for a machine like this. Most of them did not have an agitater and I definetly did not want that model. I don't now how the clothes can wash clean.

I bought a speed queen washer too. It works great, just like the older machines and has a longer warranty.

Yeah, I also have a low water washer. When my old washer died and I was looking at new ones, I was not very happy to discover the vast majority of machines available were of the low water variety. However, if I set it on "bedding" -- which I almost always do -- it really does use sufficient water. I add a color catcher to any load of fabric I'm pre-washing, and also when I wash a finished quilt, and everything comes out fine without any color transfer or bleeding.

I panicked when I learned appliances were hard to come by as my washer was 20+ years old. So I rushed to the store, asked what washers they currently had in stock. Well, they had 3 models A huge one, an even bigger one, and one with a very tiny agitator basket. So I got the huge one which does not have an agitator. It does have a lot of "cycles" to chose from and you can also program a custom cycle. Took me a while to figure it out but I can do two queen sized quilts in it, no problem an I can let the machine decide how much water or I can choose "full fill for both the wash and the rinse if I want to as well as how hard it spins, how hot the water is. So far I am liking it although I can hardly reach the lone sock at the bottom of the basket. I wanted a top loader so if need, I could soak things.

Another happy Speed Queen, top loader, owner!

I have SQ also & like it very much. The automatic water setting stops so I can add more water by holding the “fill knob” to the right. I only do this when the load is larger size.

My daughter works with younger wives and the ones who had machines with no agitators got rid of them and went to models with agitators. That tells me a lot.

I bought a Maytag, not as same as the one it replaced I do like it I set it on deep water, and if I want more I just keep opening and closing the lid until water level is to my liking. It will add more water everytime I open lid. We no longer get our clothes real dirty, just body oil or sweat. I set it on quick wash and it is the shortest cycle. Clothes are always clean and smell good. It has an agitator I would not want without.

For whites with bleach I do the soak and takes more time. Whites really come out clean and white.

Always ways to out smart washers, etc.

The water pump in my 1990-ish Maytag suds saver failed about a month ago. When it had a load of water and clothes in it. It has an agitator in it. It is a compatatively low tech machine, but seems to do the job for most of my laundry.

I - very fortunately - found a replacement part - with the same part number! - on ebay to replace it. The Maytag web site - not available - no longer made!

DH and DS fixed it. They did give me credit for "diagnosing" the problem.

The idea of having to shop for a new washing machine - or any other major appliance - is not appealing to me.

I refuse to buy a new washer! Even if I wanted one, I think my son would have a fit. He works in HVAC, but they are required to also take appliance repair. He despises working on the newer ones, and has repeatedly told me that he can keep my washer and dryer going forever. My washer is older than dirt, and has 4 water level/load sizes, and can wash for 3-15 minutes. It is a work horse, and is 30+ years old. My dryer is very similar, and he has worked on that also. He also collects parts for my machines, "just in case."

Another top load SQ laundry queen here.

I can adjust water levels, temperatures, and cycles at any point in the wash cycle. It has a true hot water wash. I don’t want someone else having a say in my laundry. LOL!

Another happy Speed Queen owner!
I had a front-loading Kenmore for 15 years. Boy was I happy when that thing finally died. My husband wanted to shop around but I'd spent 2 years doing research, talked to a lot of quilters AND hand-dyers, watched a lot of washing machine footage on YouTube. Did you know you can watch entire wash cycles of a whole bunch of different machines? 😆 I knew exactly which make and model I wanted. My husband kept nagging me, wanting to shop around. I finally asked him who did more laundry, me or him? Who was the quilter and needed to wash quilts and fabric? Ha ha! He said "Well, you do do ALL the laundry, so I guess if that's the machine you want, that's the machine we'll get."

I had to laugh when we went to the store. The salesman greeted me and showed me their "highest rated washing machine". I asked 'Highest rated, based on what?" He said based on energy savings, water savings, blah blah blah. I said absolutely not. I don't care about water savings, in fact I want a washer that will fill the tub all the way to the top. He then showed me the Speed Queens, which is what I wanted in the first place.

I use the deep fill option on mine. it fills the washer full. The other selections go by sensing and the water level barely covers anything. I keep it on deep fill all the time. Mine is a top loader GE. It's not the best I have ever had but it has been working fine. I've noticed Speed Queen ratings have gone down the last several years. Many are very unhappy with the new ones needing repair a lot.

There were issues with SQs built in 2018. It's been very well documented in a lot of the consumer review sites. I made sure mine was made in 2019 and haven't had a single problem with it.

I have a Maytag and it too doesn't have much of a agitator. I was leary at first about how clean it would get my clothes but it does a very good job of cleaning. It does not use much water either. It is very good for washing a quilt as there isn't an agitator which can be hard on a quilt. You should use HE detergents to really clean the clothes. Good luck.

My daughter has one of those low water machines. It is a pain. So I told her to fill a small tub of water and pour it in her machine. It works much better now. Ridiculous she has to do this.

When we moved 15 years ago, the purchaser of our old home wanted my old Maytag (sigh). So, I purchased a new GE at the time (a high efficiency low water model) and it is just OK. I get around the "low water" issue by choosing the "blanket" setting or "Pet Bedding" setting. It still allows me to open the lid (which I hear you can not do on the new ones). I so miss my old Maytag - It was straight forward - water levels, agitation and water temp - all controllable.

I too bought the Speed Queen commercial model washing machine because it washes just like my very old Maytag washer did (before Maytag sold and changed the brand). It does a great job washing my quilts and everything else too. I had heard the horror stories about the new washing machines, so I researched before I replaced my 30-year-old Maytag.

My new one is a GE, the old one was a fisher-paykal. I loved that one, it used very little water, but it "showered" down on the load and the first thing I noticed after using it the first time, that my lint for each load of clothes was actually a different color instead of the "grey" all my lint used to be. but sadly, they are no longer making the washers and dryers as they are focusing on kitchen appliances per the salesperson. The other shop I checked with at the time had only speed queens, but it was the base commercial model and had very few settings? I can't exactly remember but I am thinking it only did cold washes? can that be right? anyway, the GE is more complicated to use have so many cycles and even a "stain guide" I can pick. It also seems to let me modify just about any of the cycles or make my own custom cycle and as I can easily change temperature, water levels, degree of agitation, although it does not have an agitator which I guess is a good thing if you are washing quilts. I have gotten it off balance once when washing a very thick quilt that was very heavy when it got wet. I should have thrown something else in to balance the load but when I went and redistributed the quilt, it finished just fine. I have learned that doing all washes on "towels and sheets" seems to work just fine for me and I do make sure that I do one "fill" wash cycle and one "fill" rinse cycle. The dryer has been a bit more difficult in that it is also huge and if I am doing a small load, the sensor apparently thinks the load is dry and shuts off, I do have a timed dry cycle, so I am learning to use that when I do small loads and to adjust the temperature. I don't know why they make these things so complicated now. I do enjoy the space in each of them for washing and drying my everyday quilts. Oh, and the one thing I really love about both of them is that the washing and drying time is about half of what it used to be.

My GE top loader has no agitator. It took a little mind adjusting to think of a washing machine without one. I can wash yardage on the delicate cycle in hot water, full fill, and there is no raveling or long threads to deal with. Any good machine that washes, rinses, and spins is fine with me. The older I get the more I don't care.

I bought my washer when I moved into this house back in 2011. This one has the option of less water or more water. I find when washing my bedsheets which would be similar to fabrics I change it to use more water. Otherwise I find part of my sheets are still dry when the machine is all done.

I bought an American made washer with an agitator after dealing with washers that don't agitate and don't get anything clean. Worth every penny.

I had to replace my washer about 3 years ago & it's an LG. When we bought it, I didn't notice that it didn't have an agitator. I thought it had one & that it "popped up" from the bottom where there is a round circular looking thing...silly me! Well, it also conserves on water by the weight of the clothes that are put into the machine. When I want to wash with a full tub of water, I put it on "bulky/bedding" cycle & it will fill to the top. Yes, it takes longer to wash the clothes but I feel better with more water since it doesn't agitate very hard. Plus it's very deep & I have to tippy toe to reach the bottom to remove my clothes. Lessons learned with my next washer!

My husband and I don't get our clothes dirt dirty. He likes to garden but has all raised beds waist high so not much dirty involved. We don't do yard work anymore. No DIY improvements or car maintenance. Our clothes are worn once and then washed and usually can't tell they have been worn. Any washer will do us just fine. A little perk of getting older.

When we sold our house in AZ and moved to PA, the buyers of the AZ house wanted the washer and dryer. They were Maytag and they were 8 years old and basic...nothing fancy. The washer had an agitator and basic settings and lots of water.

The house we bought in PA also had the washer and dryer that stayed with the house. They are new within the last 3-4 years. They are Whirlpool and I'm sure they were purchased at Lowe's. The washer is top-load with an agitator but it has the low water level and it's taken me a while to figure out what setting to use to get more water. I don't particularly like the washer but it's fairly new and we'll keep it until it conks out. We're retired so we don't have a lot of soil in our clothes so I guess this washer will do for now. At least we didn't have to spend additional money to buy a set as we just had 3 rooms completely gutted and remodeled and that was a huge chunk of money. I can live with this washer and dryer for now.

I have an LG, but can add more water. Also I found that I need to put color catchers in a small lingerie bag so they don't get stuck in the drain.

That's a problem. You need water to clean clothes !
We need a washer that WE can decide
HOW MUCH WATER TO USE.
HOW MUCH TIME TO LET IT WASH !

I can't wait till my front loader dies so I can get a Speed Queen. I've heard nothing but raves about them.
My washer works fine but I don't like that I can't soak quilts etc in it. Never thought of it when I bought it. DUH!!!

New washing machines
 

My love affair with Maytag started back in the 1960s. We were attending a summer course in California and I had access to the Maytags. I knew then if I ever replaced my existing GE set it would be with Maytags. Moving to another state gave me the opportunity to get a new washer/dryer combo and I bought Maytags that lasted 30 years and were still going strong when we retired and moved away. Again I bought Maytags -- front loader and loved the set. Washer finally gave out and I replaced it with yet again another Maytag set which is now 14 years old and going strong. I love the front loader and can wash BIG loads and they all come out clean. If I need a replacement? Maytag front loader and matching dryer.

I had to replace my washing machine about a month ago and also bought Speed Queen (commercial variety) and I love it! Fills up with water, has cycles for all the stuff the old machine had. It isn't as quiet as the old machine, but that may be because it's really working! Peace and grace....

My front loader is fine for clothes, and I do pre=wash most batiks and reds/hot pinks because they seem to run the most. But unfortunately, bed-sized quilts need more water to wash without colors running so I take them to the laundromat and use the big washers. This is a drag but I don't do it very often.

This came at the perfect time for me. My 5-year-old front-loader LG quit spinning on me (just a few months after the warranty expired). Up to this point I had really liked the machine - all the bells and whistles. It took over 2 weeks to get a repairman out to look at it. Bad news. The drum bearing went out so the cost of a repair would be nearly $1200 for parts and labor. I asked the repairman which makes he thought had the best reliability. He said Amana on the low end, Maytag in the middle and Speed Queen if I wanted to spend that much. Well, after reading about all you Speed Queen lovers, I purchased one this morning and they could deliver it as soon as Wednesday (which didn't work for me so I'm getting it next Saturday). Thanks everybody for your recommendations.

Speed Queen is the best. It is what the washer repairman recommended. Just got a new one-still learning to use it to the best advantage. But I still like to take my bigger quilts to the laundromat and use a large front loader where there is adequate water and it lifts and drops the quilt instead of agitating it.