I feel for ya. I used to have a front loader and had the same problems, that is why I went back to an old fashioned TL. I am sure the technology has improved in some areas from when I had my FL, but as long as my clothes are getting clean in my TL, I am not going to give into the newest thing again.

Feather,

Several Speed Queen models or a Fisher and Paykel WaterSmart WA3927G1 would be my choices if I had to go back to a top loader...highly unlikely for me. though.

Short of that there is always older/used models on Craigslist.

Jeff

HE top loader would never be my choice. The right front loader is superior IMO but I was looking at Speed Queen the other day and it seems very well built. I have a Miele FL but I was looking at all the latest models from other brands.

Jeffrey Caban - Thanks for the suggestion. I looked up that F&P model and I love that it has a real agitator and while there are few reviews, they are all positive. I'll definitely keep it in mind. The only drawback is I think it's made in China. AJ website doesn't say (or I can't find it). But the older I get the more I try to buy US made, another reason SQ came to mind.

livebetter - thank you. I guess I'll look into front loaders and consider them. I passed them up originally because I didn't want to pay $500 more for the supports/storage bins they sit on.

Jody "but as long as my clothes are getting clean in my TL, I am not going to give into the newest thing again."

I'm with you!!!

Another reason I hate the LG washer - the quickest cycle is around 35 minutes - which is fine, but LG doesn't allow HOT water on the quick cycle (only cold or warm). This drives me nuts!!!! YOU SUCK LG!!!!!

@FeatherBee....you need a Miele Little Giant. Their Express Cycle is 30 mins, does an amazing job, gives 2 great rinses and lets you choose up to 105F for the wash water!!

larsi_gw - thanks for the suggestion. I just looked up that model and WOW it's pricey lol. Over $4,000 on AJ. Unfortunately that's too much for me. I am going to Vegas soon maybe if I win big I'll consider it :)

Thank you Sea Sea. I'm definitely going to check out Speed Queen options. I don't mind smaller loads either, and like you said, they are less of a chore. One of the main reasons I went with the big LG was because I wanted to wash my king comforter. I do wash it, but I know it just sits in water not moving much. When I get a new washer, then I'll take my comforter to the local laundry mat.

My first FL was a Frigidaire...after several other problems being repaired, it finally caught on fire one day. No warning other than a quick grinding sound. By the time I got into the laundry room black smoke was pouring from it. I was very lucky that I stayed home that day. I used to be in the habit of starting the washer and dryer and letting them run with no one home. Not anymore!!!!

Not learning my lesson, I bought a Maytag FL. I spent over $500 in repairs. It would start weighing the clothes, fill up and then stop...and never start again. I can't remember what part that was. Then it would only wash on the heaviest soil setting, nothing else. That was another expensive repair. Then the final straw came when the damn thing locked me out and wouldn't let me into it without unplugging the machine.

Can you imagine what a pain in the butt that was? Having to crawl over the machine to unplug it after each use. I had to put up with that until my new machine got here.

Jody!!! YIKES!! Fire!!!!! I can't imagine going through that. I have animals at home so that makes me a nervous wreck.

And round two with Maytag doesn't sound much better. I'd go back to a top loader too if I had that many issues with FL.

I'm going to check Speed queen and F&P this weekend or very soon. I'm hoping to replace my washer in the next month. I can't take it anymore.

My advice is to purchase a Speed Queen (SQ) TL or the F&P WaterSmart TL.

I dumped the FL washer four years ago and replaced it with the then top of the line SQ 542. I am absolutely thrilled with my choice. Clean clothes on time ALL the day long.

I would not tarry too long. Many rumors abound on the web that Federal regulations coming into effect in 2018 will further diminish the choices you may have for a TL that has a full fill wash cycles.

A technique I learned for my S&Q TL 542 was to use the regular cycle BUT use the highest water level with "knits" selection on the fabric knob. Gives a deep fill with gentle washes and a high RPM spin. Works quite well on badly soiled clothes IMO. On newer touch pad S&Q TL washers I believe this option is the "bulky" setting.

If I had to buy a FL loader I would go with a Miele Little Giant or a SQ FL. Despite the higher prices I surmise they are simply better built.

Also note that the SQ FL washers do not have storage bins/support units and this will keep the prices down.

Salmo Trutta - WOW, thanks for all the input. I really appreciate it. And thanks for the tip on the SQ for badly soiled clothes (my husband has them regularly). I found some local stores that are supposed to carry both brands (SQ & F&P) so I'm hoping to see them in person soon. Who knew a washing machine could get me so excited lol.

The speed queen front loader doesn't have an internal heater, the Miele does.

Feather Bee, you might like my Speed Queen stacked set. It is not as nice as the Miele, and if I had it to do over again, I would have bitten the financial bullet to get that onboard heater the Miele offers. That said, I have awesome machines, and the set runs $2600. They are trim with a modest footprint, and they have washed everything I've thrown at them, up to a fat queen comforter. We have four cats, are constantly washing beds and blankets, plus my husband's grubby rowing and running gear. This is commercial equipment, just like what they put in laundromats, so take a really grubby load of clothes around to the local laundromats and see if you can find a set to put to the test. Shouldn't be hard.

One downside is you WILL want a good dealer with local service. And the warranty may require a downstairs installation so if your laundry is upstairs, do some research. My set actually IS upstairs -- long, strange story about a dealer error that allowed them to get installed -- but they ran like champs and I was given a warranty waiver. Mine was one of the first of the new models that got installed, and I doubt they are giving those waivers now. My Miele regrets aside, I find this set far superior to my beloved old Kenmore top-tank. I thought I'd miss old Kennie a lot more.

Thank you enduring and MizLizzie .... I'm afraid Miele is just too expensive for me. Plus I don't see any top loaders offered by them and that is my preferred choice.

I want to stay under $1000, preferably under $800. My hubby just wants me to drive up to the Sears Outlet (less than a mile from my home) and buy some scratch n dent $300 washer. But I want something that I know will work.

I'm looking forward to checking out Speed Queen TL and F&P TL.

I thought about buying a Kenmore dryer when mine went out, but with Sears looking more and more like it's going to go belly up soon, I wondered about the warranty work it could need, so I chose a Whirlpool.

FeatherBee,

Fisher & Paykel is a long-established company (early 1900s) based in New Zealand. They've had appliances on the U.S. market since the mid/late 1990s. My F&P washers dating to 1999 & 2004 and dryer dating to 2004 were produced in New Zealand. Whirlpool partnered with them for some products, during which time F&P had a washer production facility in the U.S. but I believe that facility is closed. Haier became majority owner a few years ago and have thus far not made any changes to the products. I've not heard that any production has been sourced to China but I suppose that's possible.

I purchased a kenmore FL washer 2 years ago and am very disappointed with this product. It doesn't do a good job cleaning clothes, the wash cycles take forever, there are frequent error codes, and it stinks! I miss my dependable top loading 3 cycle washer.

One of my most frustrating issues was with the installation. The basement where the washer was installed is not completely level, so the spin cycle will stop if I have more than a few pounds of laundry in this fancy high capacity washer. I really really wish someone had informed me beforehand that this would be an issue.

All HE laundry detergents are not the same. I can't use the HE tide product as it produces too many suds with even the smallest amount of detergent. Too much suds and the machine won't work properly. ECOS works OK, no suds, but no cleaning power either.

I have to pre-treat even the smallest spots, and rinse the pre-treater out after or it leaves residue on the clothes.

My current laundry adventure takes hours longer than with the old fashioned top loading machine. I've even had to read the owners manual!! I RTFM only to discover it glosses over the numerous problems I've had with this useless piece of junk.

Sorry to vent, but after reading the postings here, and the issues I've had with a FL washer, I really feel more needs to be said about these expensive appliances that don't seem to work very well.

Those that fall for the shiny aesthetics of an HE TL will become quickly disappointed. The reality is NONE of them clean well enough, prone to tangling and clothing damage, and have a sub standard service and repair history. Anyone who believes you can load a 4 or 5 cf unit with clothing and wash them in a couple buckets of water with no rollover or submersion is just plain wrong. Even an old school conventional TL can't clean without lots of water! They can spin it, cut it, discuss it, market it, but in the end the machines dont work!

A modern FL washer will out clean both an old school TL and HE TL hands down. They can heat to very high wash temperatures, uses a higher concentration of water/detergent ratio, and removes much more water in the spin.

This forum is packed full of negatives for FL machines, but after reading hundreds of them, it usually comes down to poor laundry habits, improper use and installation, and in some cases genuinely defective units.

For those who do not want to move into the FL world, your left with Speed Queen old school conventional which is nothing to write home about either.

cheryl E. get someone to help, a paid professional if need be, to level up your washing machine.

The machine will have four adjustable feet, if they don't have enough range then you go to shims, and if neither of those provide enough range pay a carpenter or a mason to construct a small platform that is level (but that drains somewhere in case of spillage). If it's a wood platform then cover the entire platform with a think layer of rubber to cause friction and prevent movement. It is a truism for any rotating industrial equipment that the cabinet, frame, shell etc must be perfectly level or else damage or a shortened lifecycle to the equipment will result.

An insight to anyone buying a used appliance off craigslist. Make sure you see the appliance in operation for a full cycle. Just because the lights come on doesn't mean the device works through to completion. If the seller says no water hookup, or no power hookup, then avoid, or ask him where and how he used the machine, where was the power or water or drain hookup?

Future_retiree,

If I felt it was worth the time and money to fix, I would. With all of the other issues with the washer, I don't see any reason to fix. Poor design throughout.

What's up with the stink from these washers? I have to wash it out at least monthly with bleach to get rid of the smell. I leave the door open and the room it's in is finished and de-humidified. My old washer never did this!

Inferior cleaning of clothes is another problem; long cycle, short cycle, hot or cold it doesn't work as well as my previous TL washers. (Which would also work just fine on my slightly uneven floor).

BTW - I bought the unit at Sears for full price. Sears replaced the washer once, the second machine worked exactly the same. Bottom line is It takes longer to wash clothes and clothes don't come out clean.

Cheryl what is your most used cycle?

Mamapinky0,

For everyday clothes I use normal with an extra rinse and pre wash. I use the HE Ecos Free and Clear detergent since it doesn't seem to over-suds like the HE Tide did. I do small loads of similiar colored laundry. Clothes comes out dingy and I need to pre-treat & scrub every little spot, and then rinse out the pre-treat. Any ideas/suggestions would be appreciated!

cheryl E,

I had two poor performing Fridgidaire Affinity front loaders for 12 years (not at the same time-2nd was a replacement for the first).

They did not clean well. They also were prone to having an unappealing odor. I kept the door open when not being used. The only time the door was closed was when the washer was in use.

The first washer did not have a 'clean washer' cycle. So I put a cup of bleach on my hot cycle with no laundry in it every two weeks to suffice. Still was not fresh and my towels became contaminated and smelled moldy. 2nd washer did have a 'clean washer' cycle that was hidden from the control panel. You had to press this button, while pressing that button and hold it in place for 30ish seconds then the clean washer cycle would activate. I did that every two weeks with a cup of bleach, then I upped my game and immediately did another clean washer cycle after the bleach one, but with a cup of vinegar. Still, not better. I kept at it though.

I think there were two things that caused the issues. The first was that I was using liquid detergent exclusively and the second is that (IMO) they were simply not very good washing machines. I was using hot washes for my whites and lights and also using bleach in my whites loads and still, P.U. and dingy. The whites loads had detectable bleach odor as well which leads me to believe the washers did not rinse well. Moldy and bleach aroma on laundry--not fun. I used warm in my darks loads. I don't use cold wash cycles. Frequent cold washes can lead to funk build up, but I wasn't doing that. These washers, I think did not have dumbed down hot or warm cycles, but I don't know for certain. But I also don't think they had heaters to super heat the water. Super heated washes can help with laundry and washer cleanliness.

Anyways, from what I've read on here (I found this group this year), the practices I used don't cause these negative issues in some (or is it many?) front loaders if they are good machines. Meaning the machines do their job well. From what I've read here, my hot washes and my bleach clean washer treatments should have abated the funk. They did not.

At some point during my front loader sad and smelly times, I had read that if you use powder detergent and hot washes, along with occasional warm washes and keep up with the clean washer treatments, the problem should dissipate over time. The problem did not go away for me. I kept at it for two years. Using powder detergent was a nuisance for us at the time due to our laundry room configuration (much easier to store and use a tidy bottle than a messy box of powder when you have no place to put it), but I did not give up! I've seen videos of people with the same problem who did the clean washer treatments and all kinds of crud would release from the machine--to the point of it being visible on the video. I never had any visible crud release. I won't ever know if I didn't have crud or if the washer just never released it with the twice a month treatments since I FINALLY gave up and bought a top loading full fill washing machine.

Everything is good now. I use powder detergent probably 90% of time now and I also use Borax in most loads. The Borax helps with odors for us--breaks down the body oils and sweat. My towels (the same ones that were funked out for 12 years) are fresh, bright, soft and fluffy now. Hurray! DH's white undershirts that are old and previously stinky and dingy are fantastic now. White, bright, fresh smelling. I did try Borax in my old front loaders a few times and didn't have any improvement, but I think I wasn't using enough. I use 1/2 cup in my current top loader and my daughter uses 1/4 cup in her front loader (with good results). Maybe give that a try?

IMO, if you have a dud of a washer, you are more likely to have these negative issues even if you do everything right. Maybe if I was using powder detergent exclusively from the beginning, I wouldn't have had these frustrating issues since the funk would not have built up in the washer or the laundry in the first place. I'll never know for certain though. I've moved on.

I hope something in here helps. Sorry to read things aren't going so great in your laundry room. I've been there and it's frustrating.

Another thing to try is Tide Odor Release pods (I think that's the name--someone correct me if I'm wrong).

When I first came on this site, I was still struggling with getting odors out of DH's clothing. Things were improved since my front loader days, but I felt I could do better with better tools or practices.

It was suggested to me to try Borax, Biz and the Tide Odor Release pods. I bought all three. Both Borax and Biz helped. I gave the Tide Odor Release pods to my other daughter to take to college, so I never had a chance to use them myself.

She uses them on occasion and really likes them. She and her roommate had company staying with them in their apt recently and had a toilet back up. The kind you hope and pray never happens. All over the bathroom floor. They rushed to find anything to contain the overflow. They grabbed all their towels and dumped their hampers onto the floor. Now they had a real mess of their stuff. Daughter used the Tide Odor Release pods in hot water and she said the laundry was perfect. Like nothing happened. Miraculous.

Maybe give those a try. One of our members here, Larsi is a fitness instructor and uses them with his work out clothing and has positive results.

cheryl E - Sorry to hear about your TL. My parents bought a top of the line Kenmore TL years ago when they were new on the market and my mom always complained that she couldn't do small loads. She also said the thing shook the whole house.

You said, "I have to pre-treat even the smallest spots" - I do too if I want the spot/stain to come out :(

I also hate how long the cycles are. Vent away :) I feel your pain...

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rpsinfoman - I get that you're all for the FL machine, but my old washer did the job too. I was dreaming of a SQ a couple weeks ago but I don't want to spend the money right now. Maybe I'll switch to a TL. The jury is still out.

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I recently found a YouTube video where a guy said to wedge a towel in the top portion of the TL - this will help keep the bowl from rocking too much (thus causing the off balance UE error) - I did this and I'd said I have a 60-70% reduction in UE errors so that helps. BUTTTTT I still have to spot clean and hand scrub my hubby's jeans before putting them in the washer.

I'm on a savings kick and the other day I almost felt at peace with my LG washer. I thought to myself - I've made it this long with the stupid thing, why quit now (?) LOL..

Thank you FeatherBee, SeaSea and others!

I'll give your suggestions a try. Hopefully something will help with my laundry challenges.