Gurgle, glug. Stop. Gurgle, gurgle. Stop. For the first few days we had our new front-loading washer, my husband and I just stood in the laundry corner of our basement listening to and watching our amazing new appliance. The manual had warned us of the strange new sounds and behavior of our front-loading washer -- cool.
Our old washer broke down (for the second time in 2 years). We'd already spent a chunk of $$ to get it repaired the first time. This time, we decided to cut our losses and get a new Energy-Star rated front-loading washer. And we also went for the matching dryer and sold our eight-year-old (or more) dryer on Craigslist (we got $75 for it, by the way).
We're thrilled to be using about 2/3 less water than we used to with our old washer (or maybe even 75% less). And the energy use by the washer and more-efficient dryer is much less as well. And another plus: Our clothes will likely last longer as well -- especially since our old washer ONLY worked on the heavy-duty cycle! Sure, it takes longer on average to wash clothes...but I figure it takes less time to dry the clothes (since they're "less wet" due to the new washer). And we can live with that -- especially since we can also schedule it to wash anytime we want.
We found our new appliances on sale at Sears...and though I usually shop around for the best deal, that day I just didn't have the will for it. Both units were about $700 each (after the rebate). I expect they'll pay for themselves in energy/water use savings over the next five years!
Do YOU have a front-loading washer? Or are you thinking about getting one? It's definitely something to consider if you need (or want) to replace your current washer -- and if you want to be environmentally friendly and save money.
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Jennifer K. Smith, 18-year resident of Arlington
Arlington County employee
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