Front Loaders - a second attemptApr 30 '01 Write an essay on this topic.
Popular Products in Washing Machines
The Bottom Line In England, these are domestic, not laundromat appliances. The entertainment value of the window is often higher than that of the telly!
Yes, I have written an opinion on this before - background Back in the dim and distant past (well, March 12, but that seems a long time in epinions timescales...) I wrote my fourth article for this site. I wrote an article that should have been a comment instead, and a kindly member left a comment to tell me what I'd done wrong. That article was my last short, almost information-free essay. (Thanks guys!) Fast forward a month and a bit Living in England, I STILL have a front loader - indeed, I've bought a new one lately. So I thought I'd have another bash at this topic, and tell you all about my new acquisition. Technical Specifications I bought a Hoover 6 1300 Express Combined Washer Dryer. It can wash 6 kilos of laundry and dry 2.5 kilos (I'd like to know, though, who weighs their laundry before washing?) It has a maximum spin speed of 1300 rpm. It can wash at 90, 60, 50, 40, 30 degrees Celsius, or you can use the Express Wash feature, which washes the clothes at the ambient temperature of the incoming water. It also has an extra rinse feature for washing heavy and absorbent items such as towels. It automatically adjusts the water level for the size of the load. This machine cost £399. Yes, you read correctly - it's a COMBINED Washer AND Dryer My washing machine dries as well! This is brilliant for me, since my small, English, end of terrace house has no basement or utility room. It means I only need one machine for laundry in my kitchen rather than two. The Downside of this, however, is that I can only dry just under half as much as I can wash. Having said THAT, this isn't really a big problem for us, since we tend to hang out shirts and T-shirts and anything else that shrinks or wrinkles. But does it work? So far, yes. Hoover doesn't have the greatest reliability record, but we live and hope that ours will survive (we are the domestic appliance jinx of SW London - everything we touch seems to break...I could tell stories!). So far, we are happy with it, especially as it replaced a second hand machine that was very noisy and on its last legs. The 1300 rpm spin speed (many machines in this price range have spin speeds of between 1000 and 1200 rpm) means that the clothes come out of the washing machine without feeling like they've been tossed into a swimming pool. The dryer is quiet and effective, and because it's a condensing dryer, I don't need to vent it outside. My husband swears that the whites come out whiter, but I personally think he's imagining that! But why are most machines in England front loaders? One word - space. There simply isn't the room in many houses to put a top loader. Our machine is in the kitchen under the counter. We have workspace over the top - I can cut my veg over my washing machine. I don't need a dedicated room for it. Other Differences between Front and Top Loaders Front loaders are considerably more water efficient than top loaders. The drum is sideways (you even get a little window to watch your laundry go around - hours of fun for the whole family), and usually fills less than halfway. It's potentially better for the environment more indirectly, since we use less detergent, and the detergent is a low foaming type (as there isn't so much space for loads 'o' foam). However, we can use Biological detergent in England, which has enzymes that are potentially harmful (and can cause allergic reactions in babies and those with sensitive skin) to the environment. Still, it does get laundry really clean. Disadvantages The maximum load is MUCH smaller than the top loaders in the States. For my family of three, we run the machine about 2 days in every 3, sometimes more. This is a real downside. I get sick of hanging and folding laundry almost constantly (especially as both my husband and I work full time). When I visit my mother, I can do a week's worth of laundry for the three of us PLUS my mum's at one time. Bliss. The other thing I SERIOUSLY miss about top loaders is the ability to open them while they are running. As I said in my first essay on this topic, I can't tell you how many times I have put the laundry on only to discover one sock has somehow escaped (I imagine them forming escape plans...). It is obvious that with a front loader, you cannot open the door once the drum has filled with water, unless you WANT a flood in your kitchen. This can also be a problem if there is a power outage, or some other minor or major disaster when the machine is running. The door locks during the cycle (yes, it can be overridden, but it's a pain), so you're somewhat stuck. Well, what more can I say? Not a lot really. Given the choice, I'd have a big enough house to have a big, water guzzling American top loader. But I don't. So I console myself with the fact that I don't use as much water as you do, and I get hours of ever-changing viewing whilst my laundry is washing. Cheers, Kate  |
| Read all comments (4)|Write your own comment |
|
Ads by Google
|
