front loader--anyone love theirs?

[LauraK]

We live in the desert so we need to reduce our water use. We have relatvely hard water. We are thinking of getting a front loader. I wash diapers every other day so don't do huge loads. Does anyone wash dipes in a front loader and have good results? What type do yo have?

[zak]

I think Sara has had a bad experience with her front loader?

[Gretchen]

We have a front loader and love it. No one's in diapers anymore, but I did wash them in our front loader with great results.

I'd definitely look for one with an internal heater - apparently some of the cheaper models don't have one and that IMO is a must. My diaper cycle was set up with a 2-hr pre-soak, the longest wash cycle at 160 degrees and an extra rinse. The whole thing took about 4 hours, but I could just dump everything in and let it do its thing overnight. It was slow, but much easier for me than going back to restart another cycle, extra rinses, etc. on my old top loader.

There is a Laundry forum on the That Home Site forums (lots of good home/home improvement forums there) which is a good resource for other people's experiences with various brands:
http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/laundry/

Our machine is an Asko, and we are very happy with it. I know that Maytag has had some problems with the seal on their Neptune, but don't know if that's still an issue or they've worked it out.

Gretchen

[Irene]

I love mine too! Mines not as fancy as Gretchens though ;) My mom runs a B&B and she needs to conserve water too, and she has two that she loves also!

I wash diapers in it and never had a problem- love it love it love it!!!

[gochicken]

I love my front loader!!! :tu

We have the whirlpool duet and my diapers are in great condition - never had any stains. :)

It is awesome! I put them on a cold rinse cycle then on whitest whites and have GREAT results!

[canadiyank]

We have a Kenmore HE3t...I think it is great! If you have hard water make sure to pick up a box of Calgon, though...that will really help. I use Bi-o-Kleen and some Calgon every few loads. I, too, recommend the on-board heater...I use the sanitary cycle on mine, and the extra rinse...the 4t's have another rinse, which I would likely do. Sometimes I do a pre-wash on delicates b/c it uses more water and then drain but don't spin out so the water stays in the dipes...people have sometimes found that the FL washers are TOO efficient and just plain don't use enough water so I do a quick rinse so they're filled up with water so they don't suck up all the water during the regular cycle..hope that made sense, I'm tired!

[4LovesMom]

We have good results with our Maytag... so far! We've only been cd-ing for a month now, but I have to wash almost every day since I have 2 in diapers and one toddler wearing cds overnight - and it's done fine. Guess I better give it some more time before I recommend my brand, but so far it's been cleaning fine!

[Larissa]

I absolutely love my front loader. I have the Kenmore HE3...and it has the internal heater...and I also use the sanitary cycle on my diapers. I also have very hard water....and have found that if my diapers every do have an odor...I just put in a couple drops of tea tree oil...and run a sanitary cycle...and the smell is gone. They have never been stinky...but if there is a smell to them at all...I can't stand it!

I love the front loader and highly recommend it!