We'd had our whirlpool washer dryer combo since we moved into our house going on 13 years ago. It was fine. It washed the clothes. You know, like a washer's supposed to. Then it started to act grumpy. It would spit extra water on my clothes when it was supposed to be spinning the water out. It would chew on them while they were agitating. It would yell at me when I wouldn't get to it in time to keep it from getting off balanced. For a while, it would spew nastiness out it's bottom (I'm sure it was out of spite), causing me to have to bleach the cement floor every so often.
The last straw came when it began to wind my clothes around the agitator. It just kept winding and winding. It was too much! So we made the decision to let my old friend go. It was a bittersweet parting.
There it is, strapped to another miscreant washer, off to be refurbished, or sent to washer juvy...
Anyway, we decided to go with one of the newer High Efficiency washers we've heard tell about. The new kid in town. Quiet. No agitation. Super extended spin cycle, and a second rinse. Less water, less detergent. No spitting.
Um, I almost hate to say it, but I kind of miss my old grumpy washer! The first HE we got crapped out in the first three days. We ended up having to go to the laundromat while we waited for a replacement. (Love Lowes, though, who replaced it for free)
So we replaced it with the same thing. It's quiet, sure. But I never can tell if it's done or not. There's no loud metallic screaching or grinding. I have to actually go down the stairs and look. I like that there's no agitator, but how the heck do the clothes get clean? There's no splashing, smashing clothes. They just kind of swirl around. Something about that doesn't seem right. Too wishy washy.
And it's a top loader, but I never know when I can add stuff. Like the baking soda/vinegar combo I use for diapers. So, I feel like I should be way too extra careful. Do I put it in before the clothes? After the wash cycle but before the rinse? Maybe during the second rinse? And how long do I hold down the "pause" button? Too. Much. Information.
On the old washer, as long as you didn't stick your hand in while it was agitating, you could do whatever you wanted to the thing. Very accomodating.
And the detergent. An eighth of a cup? Really? Um, ok.
And then spinning? Holy cow, does it spin. Like so-much-that-the-clothes-are-almost-too-dry-when-they-come-out-and-are-wrinkly spinning. And I don't iron.
Ever.
So, I don't know. I kind of liked my grumpy, loud, screechy, spitty washer. At least I knew where I stood. I'm getting to know the new kid in town, though. Maybe in another 13 years we'll be friends.
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