Since I’m so super excited about our washer and dryer, I thought I would suggest a few reasons why getting these new appliances will actually save you money in the long run. We had been using a 9-year-old Siemens washer/dryer combo machine before which was great to save space in our original apartment. But over the last few years, we had to have it serviced every year which was slowly costing us a fortune…and really upsetting our laundry routine when it was out of service. So maybe this list is also to justify our unexpected costs when we suddenly decided to get a new washer and dryer ourselves.
- A new front-load washing machine will conserve water
Front-load machines are designed to use very little water (about 3 inches when filled) and use the natural friction of the clothes to get them clean. Plus they usually have a sensor built in to judge how much clothing is in the machine so only the amount of water needed is added. In comparison, a top-load washing machine actually fills up with 18-inches of water (at its highest level) and uses an agitator to wash your clothing which has been known to destroy a few items for me in the past. - Conserve energy
Front-load washing machines also have the ability to spin a lot faster so they can draw a lot more excess water out of your clothes before you hang them up on a drying rack or put them into the dryer. That means a whole lot less energy use for your ultimate drying time. - Lower electricity/gas and water bills
Although the price of front-load washing machines and new dryers can be steep, you’re going to see a significant drop in your utility bills. That means you’re going to be able to recover your investment costs pretty quickly. - Less wear and tear on clothing
We wear a lot of t-shirts here with foil images and screen prints on them. Unfortunately these shirts don’t seem to last as long as they used to. But because the machine doesn’t have an agitator, your new front-load washing machine is actually a lot more gentle on your clothing. Plus reduced drying times also keeps screen-prints and foils on your clothing in great condition. - New machines function better and more efficiently which means you spend less time doing laundry
My dryer used to need 1 1/2 hours to get a normal load of laundry dry. The new dryer only need about 30 minutes. And because the machine also has a moisture sensor, it knows when the clothing is dry so it stops running. No more drying the clothes long after they are already dry! - Save money on detergent
Because front-load washing machines run so much more efficiently with less water and actually rub the clothes together, you’ll probably need a lot less soap to get the job done. - More advanced washing and drying cycles
New machines have a myriad of options for washing and drying, from clothing styles to silver particle injections to reduce bacteria. We even noticed machines with special racks for drying stuffed animals. Our dryer even has a special drying cycle just for outdoor jackets. - Child-safety features
I don’t know if your toddler is like mine, but she is obsessed with the washer and dryer. And she really loves pushing all the buttons. Thankfully there are also now features like many ovens have that allow you to lock your machine while it is in use and prevent your kids from changing the settings. No more worrying that they will accidentally shrink all the clothes or leave it running for hours. - Less pet fur on our clothing
Our last machine didn’t actually have a removable lint trap (I guess because it was both a washer and dryer) and actually had a self-cleaning lint trap that flushed everything away. But we’d end up with big balls of fur on our clothing from Ayla, regardless of whether she had actually been near us when we’d worn those clothes. The fur balls just never seemed to end and Stefan’s t-shirts and our sheets (thanks to the cats) would just be loaded with these balls after ever wash. But since we’ve gotten the new machines, I have yet to find one fur ball! - Doing the laundry might actually become fun again
I have never been one to really loath laundry day, but there were times when it really felt like a menial, boring task. There was nothing exciting about it and it took forever, especially because we just had one machine to get the job done. But since we’ve gotten our new washer and dryer, I actually look forward to doing the laundry. I’ve also been known to actually find things in the house that should be washed like drapes and our jackets because I like using the new machines that much.
When we moved into a different rental with no washer/dryer a few months ago, we bought a used dryer but a NEW front-loader: the consumer reports best buy (frigidaire). With the rebate from the CA gov plus savings in water/energy I think we will break even (compared to buying a used top-loader) within a year. I wash cloth diapers, so I feel extra green using my front-loader for them — so much less water!
When we got married, we bought a basic washer/dryer set. We blew all of our wedding gift money on the purchase, but it was worth it–I figured out we’d have paid for it in laundry quarters in two years or less. Now that we’ve gotten our “money’s worth” out of it, I am secretly hoping they’ll break as soon as we get out of debt so I can justify buying new eco-friendly new ones.
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