If you’re planning to replace a laundry appliance, it’s wise to first consider the tradeoffs in repairing vs. replacing a broken appliance.
If your laundry appliances are more than 10 years old, you’ll probably be better off upgrading. For the best energy savings, invest in a high-efficiency washer. They offer lots of high-tech benefits, including:
Energy and Water Savings: High-efficiency washers use half the energy of a conventional appliance and one-third to one-half less water. The spin cycle is also super fast, which means clothes come out of the washer both drier and cleaner than they would with a standard washer. As a result, the dryer runs less, reducing wear and tear on your clothes and your wallet.- Gentle Cycles: With high-efficiency appliances, clothes are tumbled and not spun. This can extend the life of your clothes because the friction caused by the process of washing is far less. These machines also handle delicate items with ease.
- Less detergent: High-efficiency washers use specially formulated detergent and a lot less of it (about 2/3 less) compared to conventional laundry detergent. Fast spin cycles also mean more detergent is flushed out of each load, making clothes that much cleaner.
- Bigger Loads: Unlike their standard counterparts, HE machines are up to the task of washing large and bulk items like comforters, blankets and sleeping bags.
- Appliances that Talk: Actually, they talk and listen, quite possibly one of the healthier relationships you’ll experience. Better yet, they listen to you. Instead of guessing which cycle won’t trash your new delicates, you tell the washer what to do, and it turns around and tells the dryer what to do. From there, all you’ll need to do is have the family chat about separating fabrics and colors and not overloading, and your crew will be good to go.
Energy and Water Savings: High-efficiency washers use half the energy of a conventional appliance and one-third to one-half less water. The spin cycle is also super fast, which means clothes come out of the washer both drier and cleaner than they would with a standard washer. As a result, the dryer runs less, reducing wear and tear on your clothes and your wallet.HE machines do cost more than conventional appliances, but the cost savings can be recouped over the life of the appliance due to the increased efficiency — and these washers will get your clothes cleaner while going easier on them.
Sharp Styling
The ergonomic design of modern machines means they’re not only gentler with clothes, they’re gentler with you. The best choice will depend on both your lifestyle and your laundry style in particular.
The wide variety of appliance heights, sizes and configurations available today allows everyone to find the best fit for them and their laundry space. The increasingly popular front-loaders offer easy access and tangle-free retrieval of laundry. Just as important, their waist-height, easy-access doors are a lot easier on your formerly aching back!
Front-loading machines also make it easy for everyone to help out with the laundry. Plan for plenty of space in front of your machines for an easy approach and maneuvering, and ensure that each unit’s door opens out and away from the other for easy transfer of laundry between machines.
Yet another benefit in front loaders is the ability to have a full-size and stackable installation. Stackable appliances used to be limited to smaller-capacity machines that had you doing laundry almost every time someone needed a change of clothes. Stackable units are now available in a range of dimensions that allow you to save time as well as valuable floor space. Larger baskets in both washers and dryers help to trim down the number of wash loads, and when you add manufacturer-provided pedestals under units and comfortably placed, ample counter space for folding and stain treating, your days of laundry strain are over.
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