HE vs non-HE. Top load vs Front Load. Topics that resonates at this forum. Really a lot of factors at play to consider before laying down your hard earned cash on a new washer. Utility costs: -wash hot water most of the time; FLW or HE TLW the way to go -water and sewer cost a fortune; FLW or HE TLW the way to go -wash warm most of the time; not much to be saved with HE TLW -water and sewer cheap; not much to be saved with HE TLW -BTW, 90%+ of a washer's energy use is to heat the water -modern detergents work great in warm water IMHO Your personal time: -many HE TLW washers have really long cycle times; with less mechanical action they must work the laundry longer to get it as clean; cycle 60 min+; some have nearly 90 minute cycles that get top or near top rated by Consumer's Reports -traditional TLW washers have more mechanical action; 30-35 min cycle -how will the top load cycle match up to the dryer? Traditional TLW will give 150G spin and generally wash faster than the dryer can dry; dry time 40-60 min; you get that 150G every time with a repeatable cycle length -HE TLW claim they give 300G spin, but that requires nearly a perfect balanced machine; many have time consuming algorithms that attempt to rebalance; if they can't rebalance you get 150G or potentially much lower spin speed; many horror stories posted here about HE TLW balancing issues; so do you really get that extra cup or two of H2O out of the laundry after spin that you paid dearly for? -do you mind doing the wash all weekend or do you want to get it done fast? Your personal tolerance for detergent residue: - only traditional TLW has a good deep soak -HE TLW have a spray or partial bath rinse; not as effective to get all the soap out Your personal tolerance for fabric wear: -traditional agitator is generally harsher on clothes than a little puck on the bottom of an HE wash basket Since you are ruling out front load washers, you leave some of their advantages off the table for a low energy, low water use machine. Saving the world one wash load at a time: -certain areas are very hard pressed for water; it is an undeniable fact -all areas some day will face energy shortages some day if not already -does saving one gallon of water in the Upper Midwest really help the drought stricken southwest or a farmer in Florida? How will that saved gallon get from say Chicago, a water rich location, get to Phoenix, a water short location? -is the same Eco minded person buying an HE washer driving around in a gas guzzling SUV or living in a 10,000 SQ ft mega mansion? -why do certain people guilt those who buy traditional TLW as energy/water gluttons, yet move or chose to live by choice in water starved area or in a desert running the AC non-stop that the local environment cannot sustain? I know I am being cynical here, but being ecologically sensitive is an all-inclusive way of life, a summation of all the choices that a person makes. But if buying an HE TLW or better yet a FLW is your first step to helping our planet, then great, but be aware of all your decisions that impact the environment.

Thanks for all the advice. I'll try a pill shaver. We have one somewhere, but I never used it. For what it's worth, I only use the dryer for towels and sheets. I sometimes put clothes in for 10-15 minutes to fluff, but never more than that. I'm afraid of my clothes shrinking. I have had that happen too often. Can anybody tell me how to purchase clothing that won't wear out right away? My husband seems to think that anything expensive must be good, but I've had trouble with expensive clothes too. Price is not a guarantee of quality! (And I'm less forgiving of poor quality in expensive clothes than cheap clothes, because I paid for quality.)

I've had a new SQ TL set for about 1 month and love it. I do not have soft water, but I did for many years in my previous home. Do you have a water conditioner? I ask, because when ours needed attention, it affected rinsing soap/detergent out of everything. I would suggest that you only wash with 1 HE detergent, skip all the other products, use the appropriate water temp and cycle for the sorted clothes and detergent - don't wash jeans with nice delicate items for instance - and use the correct level of water. I would do a second rinse since you have soft water. I love the small and medium levels. I only use delicate cycle for nice blouses, tanks, etc. and usually a small load. The delicate cycle is too gentle to get your everyday clothes clean. All that said, please use the dryer - no dryer sheets - and save your time and sanity, since the dryer isn't the source of the problem. I really like the nearly dry cycle choice for alot of my clothing. Using Downey and dryer sheets is adding a layer of 'stuff' on your clothes you don't need - just my personal opinion.

I use Cheer liquid, but I'm moving to Woolite Dark because we really want to keep dark blues and blacks as saturated in color as possible. WD states that it reduces "frays" and "pills" on clothing washed in it. But Woolite Dark is far more expensive than Cheer. We use good old Cheer on regular jeans and dark clothes that are less likely fade. What are the advantages to Woolite Dark formula?