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Post by Chris on Apr 24, 2010 9:20:49 GMT -5
I am just curious especially after my recent washer repair where the pump had to be replaced? How many loads do you typically wash - one right after the other with your washer at home? One of the reasons I am asking is that I wonder if I was simply too hard on my machine the first 7 years -- because I do have the habit of washing 3 or more loads in one day (bing, bang one right after the other) -- then going a week or so and then doing 3-4 more -- back to back loads. And I really don't know if other people do this too. maybe I just have a wimpy machine. [front loader and other than the busted pump after only 7 years it has been a solid machine] When I replace it I need to look for something meant to withstand battle. With just my DH and me it was not as bad. With his Mom here our laundry is much more as she is big on using 3-4 towels for one shower and tons of kitchen towels (where I normally just let my dishes dry in the drainer) -- things like that. No offense taken she just has real different habits and she just uses so much more soap, towels, water, etc. that our whole habits have to change to adapt to her usage. Nothing I do or say can alter 90 years of habit. Another reason I ask is just plain curiosity. I am also interested in how long people usually get from a washer! I am from the old school where appliances used to last nearly 20 years. But even my Dad tells me a typical washer now is more like 10 years -- he used to repair them and he said things have changed drastically.
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Post by dtesposito on Apr 24, 2010 9:47:30 GMT -5
Hi Chris, I usually only wash one load at a time, very occasionally two. But I'm the oddball because I actually enjoy doing laundry! So it's one job I never put off, and I live alone so am not doing laundry for a whole family. On the other hand, I have cats so there is the hair/vomit issue which makes for more laundry than if I had none.
My current washer is almost 14 years old, as is my dryer and my fridge--all bought new (but cheaper end models) when I moved into this place. I just know that they will start failing soon, at a time when I can least afford to replace them, but as of now they all work, though the washer and the fridge occasionally make a sound that is different than usual--maybe the first warning sign of trouble to come? None have ever needed repairs so far.
I wouldn't think doing a few loads in a row would be any harder than spreading them out, since the motor isn't running constantly the same way throughout the load--but I'm not mechanically inclined so don't take my word for it! I would think it would be more total number of loads, and how heavy the clothes are.
Diane
Diane
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Post by zen on Apr 24, 2010 9:50:32 GMT -5
We have a Maytag Neptune set here in the rental we live in - the washer can be a little finicky at times but so far it is still working and has been in use for at least 5 years continually. The three of us in our home each take care of our own laundry each week (we each have our own day) I do two loads, SD has one, and DH can let his go longer as he has more clothes which cracks me up - he has at least two - so thats about 5-7 loads a week. How on earth does one use 3-4 towels for one shower I wonder - what on earth need that much towel drying attention
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Post by mellowyellow on Apr 24, 2010 10:05:48 GMT -5
In answer to the 3-4 towel question... It's not totally crazy I do use that many. One to place on the floor so I can step on something warm. One to wrap around my body. One to wrap around my hair like a turban. And when I had long hair.... I needed a fourth towel, because the first "hair wrap" towel would get soaked and I would replace it with a dry one. For those of us with crazy thick hair, towel drying is often a necessity to cut down on air drying or blow drying time. ETA: All my appliances were going strong when I moved into this house, but they were old. (From the 60's or 70's, I would guess, by their appearance.) I hated how they looked, and I felt that the fridge and oven brought down the appearance of my kitchen. It's a retro kitchen, and anything that is not clean or shiny makes it look shabby. So I ended up buying all new appliances about seven years ago. Part of the inspiration was that I wanted someone to lug out all the appliances from the basement and kitchen. By buying them from a large department stores, I got that done for free, plus they disposed of them, so I didn't have to pay a dumping fee. They were more expensive because I insisted on getting Energy Saving ones. It took me a really long time to find a small fridge that was short enough, but wide enough to fit in a certain space. In the long run, I think it was a good thing to do. I had problems with my washer right from the start, but after four repair visits, I finally persuaded them to just give me a new machine, and I've never had problems again. I was a notorious over-boiler of food on the stove. And I always made huge messes under the burners. And hated how dirty the stove could get. So I bought a flat top Ceran stove, and I scared myself reading forums where people were complaining about them. BUT I have never been HAPPIER with a stove. SO EASY for me to keep it totally clean! It still looks almost mint.
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Post by Chris on Apr 24, 2010 10:09:08 GMT -5
-- yes it actually is 3-4 per shower. One to put on the shower bench so as not to be cold, one to put on the floor for water that sprays, (in addition to the bath mat), one to dry body and one to put on the toilet for when she sits there to dress.
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Post by jkai3 on Apr 24, 2010 11:00:59 GMT -5
Dear One Chris In answer to how many loads? I normally do 3 a day, weekends can be five as I do bedding, curtains, etc. My washer is a very cheapo, that has handled this for 7 years now, I feel so lucky that it has never broke down! Jkai3
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Post by mouseanne on Apr 24, 2010 11:22:36 GMT -5
4 towels for elder care totally makes sense. I am smilar to mellowyellow. My bath mat is terrycloth & I wash it about every two weeks, I have 2 so sometimes it is 4 weeks. (wash the 2 bathmats, the tub mat, and my slippers all in the same load) Depends on my OCD. The cat jumps in the tub and there are usually muddy paw prints on it. Sometimes this freaks me out & sometimes I take it in stride. Dunno the dif. I use a hair towel (long hair) and a bath sheet for my body. However, I hang to dry & use them multiple times. What? you're clean... how dirty can the towel be? ! (I dont wipe my face with the body towel, tho!) If I were Chris, I think I would cut about 3 towels in half and hem them. half a bath towel on the bath seat and toilet would save a load a week. Might use hand towels if they covered enough area on the seat & mom's behind. I voted 2. When my laundry is caught up, I generally do one or two a day. I dont like to leave a load in the washer as there are one or two drain holes that have lost the ceramic covering and leave bitty rust spots on the clothing. So I toss it in the dryer and leave it there wet. I dont leave the house or go to bed with the dryer running. (fire hazard issues) However, when I am way behind, I will wash all day sat and or sun to catch up. Like after vacation or an illness or busy period (jan) at work. Right now, I am way way way behind as I had a 2 wk vacation then a 10 day illness back to back. I have heard (via repairmen) that it is much easier on your washer to only run once or twice a day than an all day session. My washer is an anomaly. It is an antique Maytag. I bought it for $300 with a one year warranty 18 years ago. It was 30 years old, so is now so now, it is 48 years old. I have only had repair once, if memory serves. It is not very big. I am a queen size woman, and an amazon, 3 of my jeans is one load. One load is 2 queen size sheets. One load is 2 bath sheets & 3 towels (plus that week's hand towels). About 12-15 t-shirts. and so on. I am single, and it works for me. When I had DD at home, we did fine. I wash my blankets in it. My DD has a more modern washer, very large, I take my quilts to her place.
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yamecita
New Member
Joined: November 2009
Posts: 18
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Post by yamecita on Apr 24, 2010 13:30:06 GMT -5
HI, I divide into hot water, cold water and very delicate. I go to the laundromat.
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Post by gini on Apr 24, 2010 13:57:24 GMT -5
Chris
Well, your post made me go down to the basement to check what kind of washer and dryer I have. The washing machine is a front-loader and both appliances are Maytag Neptunes. I can't remember when we got them, maybe 5 to 8 years ago. I do 3-4 loads in a row and no problems so far.
I actually enjoy doing laundry, especially the folding and putting-away parts. And in the summer, hanging stuff outside on the clothes-line in strict order from large to small items.
Oh man, I sound like Susie Homemaker!
It's kind of strange how one can be Squalor-y in general, but hyper-clean about certain things. Like I never use a bath towel twice. Or use a kitchen or hand towel for longer than one day. And the bed....every week, I wash ALL the linens on it.....the duvet cover, the mattress pad, the whole works.
Doing laundry is a major component of GINI'S EXTREMELY EFFECTIVE PROCRASTINATION AND AVOIDANCE ROUTINE.
So I don't have to tackle the clutter. Or the paper-piles. Or those boxes full of God-knows-what.
But back on topic, I think your Dad is correct about appliances having a shorter lifespan nowadays......built-in obsolescence after 10 years or so.
My parents had an ancient little fridge from their first house. It wasn't square, but had a rounded top and a tiny inside freezer. You had to latch it closed with this ENORMOUS handle, that looked like it belonged on the door of an airplane or something. It finished its days in their basement cold room. 40 years later. STILL RUNNING. It was the handle that broke.
They don't make 'em like that anymore.
gini
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Post by charis on Apr 24, 2010 14:28:40 GMT -5
I have an electrolux that we bought with last year's tax refund.
I think three loads a day is common usage for a machine in good working order. The heavy towels you are washing might be a strain on the workings of a washer that had a motor going out, though.
How many loads do I wash at one time? My goodness, I do so much laundry that I am never not doing laundry, except when I sleep. There is always a load waiting to be switched. Poor little electrolux.
No wear and tear yet, but the computer stuff has issues. Every once in a while the door of the washer stays locked after a cycle and I have to shut off the circuit breaker to make it release its death grip on my laundry.
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Post by Chris on Apr 24, 2010 15:23:38 GMT -5
<snip> If I were Chris, I think I would cut about 3 towels in half and hem them. half a bath towel on the bath seat and toilet would save a load a week. Might use hand towels if they covered enough area on the seat & mom's behind. <snip> My washer is an anomaly. It is an antique Maytag. I bought it for $300 with a one year warranty 18 years ago. It was 30 years old, so is now so now, it is 48 years old. I have only had repair once, if memory serves. <snip> Oh I love this idea Mouseanne -- of cutting some towels and hemming hem. YES! I had not thought of it but the half would be just right for the toilet and for the shower bench. As it is I feel fortunate that I have some smaller towels (I almost got rid of them when it was just me and DH as 4 nice big towels was all we needed). I hang my towel up too and use it for the week then wash it once a week normally. And WOW to have a washer last that long -- that is amazing. My Dad would say that the older ones were made better/different and he was an appliance repairman when I was little. So wow that is awesome to have a washer work that hard that long for you!!!!!!!!
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Post by Chris on Apr 24, 2010 15:32:05 GMT -5
<snip> No wear and tear yet, but the computer stuff has issues. Every once in a while the door of the washer stays locked after a cycle and I have to shut off the circuit breaker to make it release its death grip on my laundry. Oh gosh I had to laugh when I read this charis -- whenever I go looking at appliances these days I'm really scared that one day there will be none left that are easy to operate by knob rather than push button programming (requiring an engineering degree to operate)-- I really do get a bit frightened ..... When I shopped for a new gas stove after my old one kicked over dead with only 16 years service -- I finally found a great one made by Premier Pro Series (Conn's) that is "normal". My washer has that death grip on the door too but if I press the knob in I can override it. HEEHEE
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Post by Chris on Apr 24, 2010 15:37:26 GMT -5
I guess another reason I started this thread was I just wanted to see if other people are able to wash 3 + loads without breaking their machines. I do know that I don't overload. I'm real aware of keeping the loads reasonable even though this machine is a really super capacity. The repairman said that the pump was getting hot and making strange noises after he ran it to pump water out several times so he asked what # load I was on when it failed to pump out/drain or spin last week. So in my mind I got to thinking -- I wonder if this machine will last me longer now with the new pump if I never do more than 2 loads at a time. But then I thought about the days I change the sheets and stuff and those days I always do 3-4 loads but I don't HAVE to do them all at once if there is evidence that a rest will help this machine last longer. my mind has strange inner workings..............
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Post by cosmic1 on Apr 24, 2010 15:55:09 GMT -5
Chris, I always do 2 loads per week. One for sheets, towels and undies with hot and then another in cold for everything else. I do them back to back and have no issues. I have a General Electric washer (top loader) and it works just fine. My mother always did laundry daily - at least 2 loads per day and I think she's burned out a few pumps, . She swears by Maytag. Hopefully, your washer will be fine for another 7 years with the pump being replaced.
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Post by sleepymom on Apr 24, 2010 17:40:05 GMT -5
Hmm, now I am wondering about mine. I do about 7 loads a week, usually skip a couple of days, then do 2, depends on what all needs washed. I think the most I have done in one day is 3. I bought a new Frigid Aire last year, the cheapest front loader I could find, on the theory that even a cheap(ish) front loader is more efficient than a higher end top loader. One of the things with it being a lower end model is there is no computer to go out at least Anyway we had it for 18 months, and the pump went out. I was thorougly annoyed at such a new machine having an expensive problem, but I was told by a family friend who works at an appliance place that this is a fairly common problem, even with a relatively new machine. Our old machine worked for the 10 years we had it (it was in the house when we bought it), and this one can`t even make it a year.
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