to love my American washing machine and its speedy ways

[Tech]

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?

My mum had a toploader (she had lived in the States and insisted on having one here when she got back) and I used to love the sound it made. But it must have been rough on the clothes.

Come to think of it, when I first left home and used to do my washing in launderettes, they usually had toploaders.

But nowadays I am very suspicious of washing that is done too quickly .

bibbity yes thats what my friend said - ruined stuff

Hi B-A-L-D, yes it is me. I'm back working for MN for a time, but from the US, hence the washing machine, which I hasten to add is a front-loader (or high-efficiency machine, as they seem to call them here) and looks just like a regular UK one. Except maybe it has a bigger drum. None of this old-fashioned top-loading carry on

Well how you doin?

I don't like my American top loader at all - it doesn't get stains out (unless I use huge quantities of stain remover, which adds to the environmentally unfriendly aspect) but it does destroy clothes. I have a couple of tops that were ruined after two or three washes.

I love using the American top-loaders and they are really fast (my LG at home takes about three and half weeks to do a 40% cottons cycle, but it is very good) but I must say I don't find the American ones get the stains out as well. I agree we all need two - one for heavy duty washing and one for American style quick washing. You can buy them in Costco I think.

Alouiseg - I derived an obscene amount of pleasure from hanging out in the laundry room every day when we rented a house in Florida. It's not really normal beahviour is it? And don't get me started on their supermarkets and pharmacies. I get soooo excited that I barely recognise anything. I'm in there for hours, looking quizzical and fascinated, like it was the V&A or something.

Grrr. I've just washed white bedlinen on a 60 cycle which took nearly 2 hours. Guess what it's not that clean. Couple of stains still there, doesn't smell fantastic. I used persil non bio.

8 days and I'll be in America doing heaps of laundry and stocking up in Walgreens and Vons.

I'm a bit at the advert that says you can go down to 15 degrees with whites with that new Ariel and persil gel stuff. My machine doesn't go below 30 anyway!

I have just discovered "Method" washing liquid. It's a whole new world! A squirty pump bottle that you just pump into the drum or drawer. No little plastic measuring things. Smells divine too.

I can't comment on it's cleaning prowess cos my machine doesn't clean anything properly anyway.