Wash Day Blues

smoke coming from the inside of the washer
August 2017
One morning put a batch of pillow cases into the washer and went to check some blogs. After a bit, I noticed an odd smell - part smoke and part rubber. I opened the lid of the washer and literally saw smoke roiling out - not good. I knew it wasn't a fire, so I unplugged the machine and moved the pillowcases to the kitchen sink for a hand wash.

The Amana washer and dryer were purchased in 2001 and in the last year, I noticed little signs they were getting close to the end of their lifespan. The latch on the dryer door was broken, so I kept it closed with strong magnets. The washer had been filling the drum at odd times during the wash cycle. Little things tend to add up until it's time to replace.

I went shopping for a washer and dryer and found that many of the new "bells and whistles" on the machines weren't to my liking. I wanted a washer that I could open mid-cycle. I don't do a lot of felting, but I didn't want to limit my possibilities. I wanted a washer that would allow me to manually adjust the water level, that had an agitator, and that had a non-digital control panel. It seems that these features are not the norm anymore; however, I did find a Speed Queen set that met all of my requirements.
knitting at the laundromat
The store delivers to Riverton two days a week, but due to my schedule of commitments, I needed to wait two weeks.  I managed without the washer and dryer for a week, and then caved and went to one of the local laundromats. It's been years since I did laundry outside of my home (I remember Marilyn and I took our post camping clothes to the laundromat in 1999), and the only thing that's changed is the number of quarters required - it's now $2 a load.

While waiting, I knit.
delivery - August 23, 2017
The delivery truck arrived on time, and these two gentlemen removed the old and installed the new in short order.

new laundry set
Speed Queen - commercial heavy duty machines
August 2017
My "wash day blues" have disappeared, hopefully, for more than a decade.

What brand of washer and dryer do you have?


Comments

  1. Congratulations on a new set! And gosh, my washer and dryer are in the basement and I can't remember what brand they are! Maybe GE? I know they are pretty old....but still functioning (knock wood). Laundromats are not my favorite places....

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  2. Glad you got your new washer and dryer. You'll be amazed at how efficient they are.

    In the apartment here we have Amana. Back in my Orlando house I had Samsung front loading washing and the matching dryer.

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  3. Maytag...Had to get up and go look haha

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  4. I would ONLY Get a speed Queen. We had a Samsung that was a disaster. It never spun evenly. Every single load was an issue. UGH. Now we have a speed queen. HAppy for YOU!

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  5. My current ones are Whirlpool and they - along with ALL of our appliances - are original to this house which was built in 1996. And they are all showing some aches and pains. We plan to replace everything this winter. I'll hate seeing that bill.

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  6. Your new washer dryer are the same model as what we bought back the end of last year. LOVE them! I know you will be pleased with your choice. Love to read your blog. I'm from Georgia...and back here now, but lived in Cheyenne for 12 yrs. Loved it out there!!

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  7. How I wish I had your new washer. We bought a new front load washer when we moved in 2002. The struts that hold the drum up are made of plastic and broke after only 8 years. The repair place said it would be cheaper to buy a new washer than repair it! Talk about a throw-away society!!! My new washer is a top load, but no agitator. It doesn't do a very good job of cleaning clothes, as it is also "water efficient", whatever that means. I want my plain and simple washer back! It was like yours, without all of the bells and whistles. Who needs them anyway? I hope yours works well for you for a long, long time.
    Blessings,
    Betsy

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  8. I will keep this brand in mind for my near future! I can't open it mid=cycle and it drives me crazy! I also hate the 'auto level' because it is ALWAYS wrong! So glad you have the new ones and all is well!

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  9. I'm happy you got new washing machines. Dream City. We have a top loading machine in our building. I forgot what it is. It costs $2.25 per wash and $2 a load to dry, but I hang dry a lot things inside the apt. I know, it's not very classy but it's cost effective and my clothes last a little longer I think. In fact I've turned the hallway pullup bar into my personal drying station ha!

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  10. Your new washer/dryer combo looks great. A surprise to me as I didn't think you could buy washing machines like that in America. I thought they were all the front loading type. I love my top loader with agitator. I don't think the front loaders wash as well and they seem to wreck clothes.

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  11. My washer of 21 years, died officialy last weekend. It was a whirlpool and over the years hubby and I fixed it ourselves when the coupler would break. Thanks to YouTube we were able to save a lot of repair money. However, last weekend it was not to be! I too went shopping for two days. I didn't want front load and I didn't want bells and whistles. Almost every brand locks through the cycle so you can't open it mid way. I finally found Speed Queen. I had never known about them. Not only can I open the lid mid cycle but it has an agitator and if water efficient. Well, water efficient more than my old machine. It does use more water than the other new machines. The warranty though sold me. 5 full years! then 15 on the drive train. It arrives Tuesday and as the clothes and towels keep piling up, I am reminded that I can't wait for it to arrive! BTW...Love to read your blog....

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  12. Lucky you Nancy. You must have had some conversations with folks who have high efficiency washers. Mines a front loader and I would love to be able to start filling the drum as I load clothes. It drives me CRAZY that I can't just run a spin cycle with out adding more water. I ALWAYS add an extra rinse cycle to my machine cause I doubt it can get all the soap out. My daughter has the top load with no agitator. YUCK -- it took forever to clean a blanket one time when I was there. I don't know what companies are doing to evaluate these machines but I am unimpressed with the washing machines. The dryer does fine. I would have thought it would have lasted longer than 16 years. Sigh.

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  13. Maytag, a stacked one, takes up less space)

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