Deborah, Not sure if you are asking for a recommendation or not from your post. I have a 3 year old Speed Queen top loader. Very happy with it. Out of warranty 3 months now...fingers crossed all stays in a state of bliss for years to come. Be forewarned though, Speed Queen has two model lines of TL washers now. You would want what is being referred to as the "classic" line. The other model line swishes the clothes a little bit (my salads see more agitation than clothes in those washers), unlike a classic style SQ washer which gives a rather intense agitation through the cycle. A little too much agitation for our needs to be honest, but ranch apparel needs a beating like that. So far, my washer is built like a tank and has not had an issue to date with anything I've put in it. I do take pillows to the laundromat, but that is because pillows want to float at the top of a TL and I put them through the triple load sized Speed Queen front loaders so they get a better wash (IMO). For note, SQ does make a fine front loading washing machine if you were interested in that. I can't speak to whether it could handle your soils, but something tells me it could based on a few videos I've seen of it in action.

Thanks for all the insight everyone. I've been experiencing some major problems with the washer recently, which backup your theories about the glass door scratches. Namely, when the washer gets out of balance the tub is moving so far in every direction that it seems to be hitting the exterior of the washer! Or at least that's what it sounds like. I've taken a close look when it gets crazy out of balance like this, and while I've never caught the tub hitting the glass, it looks to come pretty close. It also causes the gasket to ripple like crazy as the tub moves back and forth towards the door. Obviously something is wrong with the washer. I never noticed this behaviour during my first loads in the machine which caused the scratches, but I wasn't sticking around to pay attention to the wash cycles at that time like I am now. The balance problem / tub movement seems to be getting worse with each use of the machine! I wonder if each time it goes out of balance it is damaging the (presumably already damaged) suspension each time? I'm wondering if it was defective from day 1, or if the delivery people did something wrong. When they came on delivery day they unboxed the washer and dryer on the street, lay them down on their backs, screwed on the pedestals, then brought them in the house upright on dollies. I didn't see if they removed the shipping bolts before or after bringing the machine into the house. In any case, I went to Sears and told the salesperson what's going on. I also brought a video I took on my phone of the spin cycle going nuts and hitting all over the place. He watched the video for just a few seconds and said from the sound of it he could immediately tell something was wrong. He ordered a new unit to exchange this one, so hopefully all will be operating normal soon.

I too suspect excess dosing. Wipe the inner gasket, that seems to be where the water is held. Are you getting a lot of suds? That would indicate too much detergent. To add to what Asolo said, I'd run an occasional hot cycle. Probably could use it for some of your clothes anyway or else just run a cleaning cycle possibly with some old towels in there. Maybe a bleach cycle occasionally. Many just use dishwasher detergent or use Tide washer cleaner, Affresh or something like that. But I think an occasional hot cycle might go a long way in solving your troubles. Being in NYC you shouldn't have excess moisture issues. Does the air circulate where you have your machine? I think Asolo was alluding to what capacity machine you have? Model? If it's the small capacity you shouldn't need to use much and with either, you need to measure carefully. Powders seem to be easier for many people to measure than liquids. Some claim that liquids cause trouble more than powder but I've had no such experience.

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.