Clothes Washer & Dryer

[Drew]

Our clothes washer and dryer are dying. They're both about 10y old, "generic" Whirlpool front load washer and dryer, and starting to make bearing noises. I would love to relocate the laundry in our home to upstairs where the noise doesn't matter, but this is not an option. Thus, I am on the hunt for quiet washer and dryer.

I'm done with front load washers. The kids don't have the mental capacity to leave the door open, and the washer grows mold on the door seal and stinks. I'm tired of cleaning it. Top load washer only.

Any recommendations? I want as quiet as possible. Price... within reason, not a concern. It's easy to go to Lowe's etc and get another pair of (disposable) Whirlpools. I have a corporate discount from Whirlpool that makes this option attractive.

Speed Queen says their 7 series stuff is quiet... anybody have experience with them? Warranty is great (7 year) and we have a shop in town that sells them. I'm going to go see them today. But... they're expensive. They say 25 year life expectancy, which from my experience, is equivalent to three sets of Whirlpools. So the price probably favors Speed Queen in the long run... if they actually last the 25 years advertised.

We don't have major stain issues or anything - I don't expect miracles from the washer... we usually pretreat the kids' baseball stuff/grass stains/etc.

Just looking for first hand experience if anyone is willing to share.

Thanks!

[Moke]

Hey Uncle Drew, We bought our Speed Queen washer/drier set about 7 years ago. it is a top loader and one of their last years of analog controls(so I have been told). Other than not having a coin slot it is just like the ones in the washateria down the street. I don't really know if it is all that quiet compared to others, but does not seem overly loud to me. When we moved into our new place I wanted a machine as simple is it would get because our last one needed an electronics degree just to push all the right buttons. The Speed Queen just has a nob for temp, load size and the wash cycle and no keypad. For a knuckle dragger like me it is perfect. The salesman said he hated to sell these machines as they last so long and are so easy to fix that he only gets one sale per customer. That might have been his spiel but so far so good for us. Sorry I couldn't quantify the noise level, but it seemed no louder or quieter than other washer machines I have used.

[Saab2000]

Moke's experience above is close to mine.

I moved into my current townhouse in the fall of 2019 and quickly realized the Kenmore washer that was in the house was at the end of its life. I walked into the local appliance store and asked if money was not an object, what was the best washer and dryer I could buy? The guy said, without hesitation, Speed Queen. So I looked at various models and decided on a front loading washer and gas dryer. I know you're not looking for a front loader but this is what I ended up with. I'm sure the top loader is very nice as well and has the option of just leaving it open to stay dry.

So far they're trouble free. I live alone so don't use it nearly as much as a family would but it still gets frequent usage for my cycling kit.

I agree that it is hard to quantify the noise levels. They're not silent but it's not a huge concern of mine anyway.

As an aside, they're in the hallway between my garage and my kitchen, which is how I get into my house 99.99% of the time. Given that I leave the door of the washer as well as the detergent drawer open, they're both in the way of foot traffic. It's just me but if I had regular traffic there it would surely be damaged at some point.

So I'm looking to relocate my washer and dryer into my basement utility area. For this I'll have to get a plumber I guess and maybe an electrician for an outlet near where I want them. But it'll be nice to get them out of the way and I can turn that space into a sort of mud room.



Anyway, I'm happy with my Speed Queen. I want them to just work and last a long time. Not interested in design, just function and to this end I think they're great.

[Scott G.]

I've the Speed Queen top loader with Di2 panel that Saab has,
you can also get them with Suntour like power ratchet dial controls for the authentic laundromat
experience. The top versions have a real old timey agitator.

SQ even makes a freedom version without a lid lock, but you'll miss out
on the sound a 2in dia tungsten solenoid firing, ker-thunk.

[AngryScientist]

We inherited mid level maytag machines with the house we bought last year. They both totally suck and the washer in particular is incredibly loud. So, I would say stay away from Maytag.

[funcrusher]

We just got speed queen 7 series washer and dryer last year to replace garbage whirlpool machines. They are built for industrial use. Top loaders aren’t as efficient with water but boy do your clothes seem cleaner. Reasonably quiet.

They were recommended by an appliance repair guy who said he’s never called to repair them when he was trying to fix the whirlpool washer.

Interestingly my kid came back from first semester at college and they have speed queens in his dorm. They are built for 10k washing cycles.

[j44ke]

Excellent. I hope the endorsements here (including mine) are valid. Leave open to ventilate, even the top loaders.

As always, RTFM. Read The Full Manual.

FWIW, I’m a huge believer in air drying most of my clothes. I have a drying rack and virtually everything but the largest items are air dried. That lint in the lint filter? That’s your clothes, one fiber at a time.

Save energy and your clothes. I have the dryer but it’s used only for bulky items.

I hope these are keepers.

Air drying is the secret to a long life for most clothes, especially cotton stuff and definitely synthetics.

[NYCfixie]

FWIW, I’m a huge believer in air drying most of my clothes. I have a drying rack and virtually everything but the largest items are air dried. That lint in the lint filter? That’s your clothes, one fiber at a time.

Save energy and your clothes. I have the dryer but it’s used only for bulky items.

Air drying is the secret to a long life for most clothes, especially cotton stuff and definitely synthetics.

This is what my wife and I do. Sheets, towels, (cotton) underwear, and (cotton) socks go in the dryer but anything else gets air dried. It is annoying in an apartment because we have several clothes drying racks and also stuff hanging in the shower/tub area for at least a day but it is so much better on clothes.