I can't see the water on my Duet. The level is below the door level. I think this is the norm for all home front loaders.

I don't see any suds in my washer... wait, I take that back. My MIL was being helpful and did a load of laundry for me when I was busy (she thought a bigger load meant more detergent) and I had lots and lots of bubbles :) Bless her heart! Wasn't anything that a little vinegar couldn't take care of, though!! I use Sears detergent. The bubbles episode was when I was using Tide HE.

Thanks for the confirmation. I have been mis-informed by appliance mfgs before- so better to check with other users.

I must admit that I was surprised that the laundry was simply sodden during the wash cycle. I had expected more water in the laundry itself. However the spin cycle was quite impressive. We sat on the floor for the first cycle to watch it run. Our son thinks we are nuts- watching clothes wash. HA!

So if the detergent doesn't sud up, how do you know you are using enough?

Candace

Your clothing isn't merely sodden during a wash cycle. It is a totally different technology. From the way I understand, the detergent and water is being forced through the fabric and takes the dirt with it. It is sooo much more gentle on your clothing. The biggest thing you will notice is how little lint accumulates in the dryer!

I know I am using the right amount of detergent because my clothes are very clean and fresh :) When I was using too much, my whites were dingy and gray. After I learned that more isn't better, my laundry is all sparkling! It took a little bit of experimenting though. I now use a scant half scoop of Sears Ultra Plus Stain Fighting Formula. Very economical! $20 for a 275 load bucket that will last for more loads than that since we use less than call for!

I had to laugh when I read you watched your first load! We all did here too. Our cats still do. We call it Kitty TV!! Our 7 mo old grandson maneuvers his walker to watch it too.

BTW, you will notice a huge drop in your water usage! A typical TL uses 45 gals where most FL use 15 gals a load. Plus you will do less laundry :)

Check out this FAQ item, which explains why the lack of suds is essential in a FL.

Here is a link that might be useful: Laundry Room FAQ on HE detergent & Suds

better2boutside~~Too funny!!!! I just had the very same question/situation. I thought that for sure my machine was not filling correctly. Everybody here is so friendly and helpful.

Thanks for all the kind responses. Glad to hear that we are not the only ones who have watched our laundry wash.

Our reason we bought the front loader was that it uses less water. We have been trying to conserve water because our water bill has been so high the last few years. The next thing on our list is a well for the garden and rain barrels at the down spouts.

Thanks all!

Think of it like you do your dishwasher. DW detergent doesn't make suds but does clean your dishes doesn't it?

Detergents don't have to make suds to clean well. Many decades ago, marketers learned that suds were perceived as evidence of cleaning power by Susie Homemaker (also Susie detergent-buyer) so manufacturers basically engaged in a competition to be the sudsiest. Dish liquid mfg's are still doing this. Thing is, suds have nothing to do with cleaning ability. (When I was in College in the sixties, they used to teach us about marketing studies of and campaigns for these products. P&G execs. would come in and tell us about it. Even they thought it was silly, but it helped sell soap.)

As far as your new FL, how much you need will depend on your load, water temp, and water quality more than anything else. Most people can judge the first two but few have any idea about hardness or softness or their water.

FWIW, I have Duet9400 which is nominal 3.8cf capacity. I have soft water. For a full load of laundry (about 18lbs) I use 1/4 - 1/3 cup of Tide HE powder. Sometimes a tablespoon of Oxyclean. I get consistently excellent results, clean rinsing, and no deposits. I never see suds.

Depending on the hardness of YOUR water you may use that amount or, perhaps, double or triple. It depends.