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Have you ever wished your washing machine would do a better job of getting those stains out of the kids clothes? According to Ken Garozzo of Aitoro Appliances in Norwalk its all about the washing machine.
There are basically three types of washing machines, Garozzo explains. Traditional top-loaders, high-efficiency top-loaders and high-efficiency front-loaders. Whats the difference? The high-efficiency models do a much better job of washing clothes and they can help reduce your carbon footprint.
Washing the laundry used to be a chore that took at least a couple of days. According to The New Homemaker, Monday was the day for washing, either down on the riverbank where clothes were beaten with rocks, or in a large tub heated over a fire. Washing, rinsing and air-drying took all day. In the winter, drying the clothes could take all week. Ironing was done on Tuesday and Wednesday was set aside for sewing.
The advent of electricity spurred the invention in the early 1900s of the modern washing machine and saved housewives a lot of time. The top-loaders still found in many homes today clean clothes by swirling them around a large agitator, which takes up most of the space in the drum. Clothes often get tangled. These machines use up to 40 gallons of water and the 600 revolutions per minute (rpm) spin cycle leaves everything fairly wet. That means extra dryer time.
The high-efficiency machines use less than 25 gallons of water and the spin cycle maxes out at over 1,000 rpms. Clothing spends less time in the dryer and that means lower electricity bills. But the main difference is in the washing action. Clothing goes into a large drum, which agitates throughout the cycle. And everything comes out much cleaner. The front-loaders have an extra-large capacity and often come with sophisticated cleaning cycles that can handle serious stains, like blood or dried paint.
The difference in price between a top-loader and a front-loader is significant, says Garozzo. Top-loaders can be had for under $400 while the most popular brands of front-loaders can run you $1,000. But factor in the savings in water and electricity and that new, efficient washer could end up saving you money. And as for those stains, theyll be a distant memory.
Have you thought about getting a new washing machine? Ive just put a new front loader at the top of my wish list!
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