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MNHQ

to love my American washing machine and its speedy ways

36 replies

Tech · 15/07/2010 20:40

I am a saddo and love my American washing machine. There. I've said.

My supposedly fancy Bosch washer in London used to take up to two hours to do a 30/40° wash. Here, a regular Frigidaire front-loader gets the whole lot done in 30 minutes or less, and the washing is just as clean. I sometimes stand looking at the machine just marvelling at its abilities.

Do I need to get a life?

OP posts:
Earlybird · 15/07/2010 20:42

No - a speedy, efficient and effective machine like that enables you to have a life!

chandellina · 15/07/2010 20:48

i have to say i couldn't understand why it took my clothes 30 minutes to get clean in NYC but two hours in London!

Alouiseg · 15/07/2010 20:51

I love, love, love American washing machines. Especially top loaders.

I wanted to post earlier about how much I hate my Bosch with it's noisy beeping at the end of every cycle. It doesn't clean anything properly or quickly.

In fact I'm going to sell the fucker and buy a new one

MmeRedWhiteandBlueberry · 15/07/2010 21:05

American top load washers do not get the clothes as clean (I have far too many friends in that particular industry who have done all the testing). Front loaders are better, if used with HE detergent.

With European washers, they sit with the clothes soaking for a substantial amount of time, letting the detergent do the work.

American top loaders rely on the fierce agitator, and put unused detergent down the drain.

It is much better to use a long cycle, but I know that my British machine has a 30 minute cycle as well as the normal 2 hour one.

Alouiseg · 15/07/2010 21:14

What is HE detergent?

I am a laundry bore

MmeRedWhiteandBlueberry · 15/07/2010 21:24

HE is High Efficiency detergent. It is formulated for front loaders. It is more like Euro detergents (not as sudsy as 'regular' American detergents).

Alouiseg · 15/07/2010 21:28

I think it's the agitation that cleans the best tbh. I used to have a Dyson which broke down a lot but cleaned everything beautifully.

I've come to the conclusion that I need 2 washing machines anyway...........

Flisspaps · 15/07/2010 21:49

My lovely indesit does a 30degree wash in 30 minutes

It is not American.

I do not stand and look at it though.

usualsuspect · 15/07/2010 21:52

my cheapo washing machine has a 30 minute wash ..I don't care how long it takes though I'm in no rush for my washing

Alouiseg · 15/07/2010 21:54

My fucking useless Bosch has a 15 minute wash and a 30 minute wash...........I use the term wash loosely. It's about as effective as a 4 year old child having an unsupervised wash.

MmeRedWhiteandBlueberry · 15/07/2010 22:26

15 minutes is just stupid as there is no way that the detergent can get to work in that time (minus the filling, rinsing and spinning time).

Agitation is not good for your clothes, btw. Much better to just have them soak.

elsiepiddock · 15/07/2010 22:30

We rent a house in the US each summer and I have to say, I get ridiculously excited about the washing machine.

So quick! So efficient! I could live in America for this alone..

Alouiseg · 15/07/2010 22:48

Me too. We're in US for three weeks this summer, the first half In hotels but the second half we're renting and I can't wait for the laundry room.

MmeRedWhiteandBlueberry · 15/07/2010 22:51

I spent a month in the US and Canada last year and was seriously disappointed with the laundry. Everything came out stained.
Yes, it was convenient to line up four machines in the laundromat and only have to wait 20 minutes to transfer the clothes to the driers, but I would have preferred to have them properly clean. I never have that problem with euro machines that take ages.

bibbitybobbityhat · 15/07/2010 22:51

What is the problem with two hour washes? I just don't get it.

Me, I like my clothes to come out clean.

duchesse · 15/07/2010 22:54

Our experience of American and European machines was that they do get the clothes just as clean and in a fraction of the time. You can wash and dry a 10 kg load in Canada in less than 2 hours.

BUT

And this is a big but, they are massively energy and water-greedy. Although this may be compensated by the fact that they twice the capacity of a standard European machine, they use more than twice the water (about 170 litres per cycle vs 50 or less in a standard European machine).

We loved our US machines in Canada, but the ticket price included a big side order of environmental guilt. Back in the UK, we still have our lovely Dyson, still going very strong after 10 years. 7kg+ loads, very efficient and uses nowhere nearly as many resources as our US machines did.

fernie3 · 15/07/2010 22:54

tomorrow I am going to time my washing machine, I have no idea how long it take I just always put it on "40" and press start.

Alouiseg · 15/07/2010 22:56

Dyson was great because it agitated.

Bosch is just pathetic, it's a tickling soaking drum. It has to go.

ljgibbs · 15/07/2010 23:00

My Zanussi gets things clean in 55 mins on a 40 wash.

MNHQ
Tech · 15/07/2010 23:01

The main problem with the two hour washes for me was short attention span. By the time it finished I'd have forgotten I put it on and then leave it to get smelly for a couple of days before remembering.

If you have someone sick in the house and have to wash bedding etc, which can take more than one load to get done, you can end up feeling like you spent the whole day dealing with washing and might as well just stand at the sink and get a mangle.

OP posts:
NonnoMum · 15/07/2010 23:06

Ooooh - think this might be my favourite thread ever! (And I've chatted with Gordon Brown, doncha know...)

Have lived abroad for awhile (not the states but in the Caribbean where everything was American) and was quite impressed with the top loader. Yes, indeed, I was dancing in the moonlight with glee at their seeming efficiency.

And I thought that being America and super-efficient, they would be better for the environment. But, oh no, duchesse has corrected my slack thinking with damn statistics...

So, can I be a bit less guilty about putting my Euro-front-loader on twice, or indeed thrice a day, to keep the Nonnoses clothes clean? (6 of us - and 2 and a half of us are incontinent) And can I at last justify my £150 a month energy bill or could I do better?

PosyPetrovaPauline · 15/07/2010 23:07

my bf lived in the states for three years and she LOATHED american machines and LOVED coming home to her bosch

AnyFuleKno · 15/07/2010 23:10

oooh this is interesting, I am learning lots here.

Are the driers different too? Are they toploaders?

My mum had a toploading washing machine and I used to stand and watch it for ages! so relaxing

BoysAreLikeDogs · 15/07/2010 23:11

tech, is it you?

are you back or are you flitting in?

elsiepiddock · 15/07/2010 23:13

Have always suspected that American machines are not eco-friendly (but not known details)

But they're so blimmin' good and you can fit shed loads of clothes in a wash. My washing machine here takes about an hour on its quickest wash.

And don't get me started on their tumble dryers (10 minutes!). Roll on the end of August - it's the only time of year that I become domesticated!