What now? Stackable vs Side by side

lamplighter

Wed, Apr 27 2011, 9:10 pm

I need to buy a new washing machine. My last one was a hand me down so we "took what we got".
What do you have? What are the pros and cons?
What do you suggest?
Any brands in particular?
This is a major purchase, can all you wonderful ladies help? Smile

Henya

Wed, Apr 27 2011, 9:23 pm

We have a front loading washer & dryer, made by Frigidaire. It can be side by side or stackable. It`s been 6 1/2 years that we have it & so far, so good!

IamAJewishWoman

Wed, Apr 27 2011, 9:31 pm

I like the side by side a lot better. When I was a teenage girl my parents got the stackable, I couldnt get used to it. so by the time I got married I insisted on a side by side. (taka have one and love it!) for the most part I hated stackable because: 'I was never able to throw something in' once the machine started. also hated the place where you put soap.. it gets sticky and needs to be cleaned often, but stackable is definitely neater and saves you space. its more modern to! good luck

Happy 2B

Wed, Apr 27 2011, 9:48 pm

I also have I believe frigidaire side by side front loaders that are stacked in my current apartment but can be unstacked when I will have the room.

So ideally if you can afford front loaders (they are supposed to be better for your clothes) you should get front loaders and stack them if you don't have the room with the option to put them side by side.

The benefits of stackables if you don't have the extra cash is that they take up less room. So the question you have to ask yourself is:

a) Do you have room for side by sides?
b) do you have the money to invest in front loaders so that you have the option to do either.

If you are living in say a house etc and have a laundry room then there is no reason to get stackable. I find regular washing machines and separate dryers easier in stackables usually the door doesn't open fully etc.

good luck if you have any questions ask away!!

IamAJewishWoman

Wed, Apr 27 2011, 10:21 pm

lamplighter wrote:

Silly question but I'm short - does that matter?

well, you can keep a step stool in washroom area.. depends how short you are- it definitely matters! you need to be able to dig in to the dryer..

Happy 2B

Thu, Apr 28 2011, 12:19 am

I'm five feet and have no problem reaching into my stacked front loaders but they are lower than the regular stacked cuz they are front loaders there is no space between the two units.

nana18

Thu, Apr 28 2011, 1:24 am

we have a stackable (front loader) that can be used side by side. We are happy with it. just a few things : you CAN add clothing to the load once started. you just have to press pause and wait a few seconds for the door to unlock. The soap tray stays super clean so maybe this is just a different or newer model. Also the wash cycle is very long. it takes generally 1 hour to wash the clothing. There is a 20 minute speed wash but not so thorough. The clothes does come out pretty dry and the dryer usually takes 40 minutes or even 30 minutes depending. It also saves water if youre paying the water bills you might keep that in mind. Also look for rebates when buying the front loaders. hope this helps

MaBelleVie

Thu, Apr 28 2011, 10:19 am

Front leaders are gentler on your clothing. Also, the clothing comes out of the washer pretty dry, which shortens drying time whether in the machine or air dried. An he machine uses a lot less water. Most top loading models can be stacked or side by side, so you can always move them if one format doesn't work for you. Plus, my maytag has an indicator for when the machine is full, and no matter how much I pack in, it always tells me to add more clothes! Whereas with a top loader packing in is not recommended.

poelmamosh

Thu, Apr 28 2011, 10:27 am

one thing against front-loaders: they shake a lot more during the spin cycle. With my laundry room on the 2nd floor of my 100 yr old house, it has become an issue.

life'sgreat

Thu, Apr 28 2011, 6:29 pm

poelmamosh wrote:

one thing against front-loaders: they shake a lot more during the spin cycle. With my laundry room on the 2nd floor of my 100 yr old house, it has become an issue.

That shouldn't be the case with front loaders. Many front loaders are almost completely silent. Mine was great for a few years and recently started shaking a lot more. I'm not sure if it's the pump, the placement, or something within the machine, but a good front loader in good condition shouldn't shake.

chocolate chips

Thu, Apr 28 2011, 6:52 pm

I think stackable is more space efficient...that said if I had the space I would possibly put my machines side by side because this way the top one doesn't shake along with the bottom one etc.
I guess it really depends on how much space you have and how sturdy the machines are when washing/drying.

As for front/top loaders...definitely front. I have a top loader now and I hate hate hate it! I am not used to it from home, it doesn't clean nearly as well as the front loader and I often find things get soooo twisted around the drum in the middle.

amother

Thu, Apr 28 2011, 7:05 pm

One problem I do have with my fridgidair front loader is that the rubber rim inside the washer tends to stay wet and sometimes gets a bit brown and smells moldy- it does not come off easily. Anyone else have that?
Otherwise I like it

Rubber Ducky

Thu, Apr 28 2011, 11:54 pm

I've had both and my favorite was a stackable front-loader. It was very easy on the clothes and used very little detergent. Ergonomically I like front loaders placed side-by-side on pedestals best.

Iy"H my next washer/dryer will be stacked, because that's all the room I can spare on the main floor. My current side-by-side washer and dryer are in the basement; they came with the house.