Washer
Whirlpool Duet Sport
When we bought a house in October, it meant we could install a washer and dryer and end the trips to the laundromat on Route 59 in Plainfield. (Not that it wasn't superfun getting threatened by a dude in apparent 'roid rage, but I was getting sick of hauling my laundry around.)
Once I'd scrounged up some money again after the closing, we went to pick out a high-efficiency washer and dryer.
HEs, also called top-loaders, use much less water and power (it's an Energy Star) than traditional washers. They're gentler on clothes and use less soap. Those are all great green things, and things that result in clothes that just feel better.
Because the barrel is sideways instead of upright, you only need half as much water because the clothes are spun through the half-filled barrel. The Duet Sport uses up to 22 gallons less water per load than a traditional washer. Twenty-two gallons for every load! In the tradition washer, water has to cover the clothes, so a bigger load means bigger water consumption.
We ended up with the Duet Sport. It's slightly smaller than the Duet with only 3.4 cubic feet of space. Oh, yes, 3.4 cubic feet. You wouldn't believe the stacks of clothes that can go into one load.
And it's go options a go-go. Prewashes, and whitest-white settings, and special soak settings. If you can think of a laundry situation, it's got a setting for it.
I even jammed my massive comforter in there with no problem. It washed quietly and I hung it on the line for the greenest dry possible.
The high-efficiency washers leave little soap residue behind. Your jeans come out feeling soft like you've already worn them once ... only they're clean.
If you've never used an HE washer, you might think it's too quiet, then you might think it's shaking too much. That shaking is, according to my mother, warp speed. That pulls out more water than a traditional washer. Clothes are practically dry when you pull them out so you shorten your drying time.
You do need to us high-efficiency detergent, but that's easy to find. And you can only use nonchlorine bleach in the Duet Sport. You won't need bleach after you try the heavy-duty setting, I bet.
Dinosaurs and dryers
Don't be fooled by front loader machines that aren't high-efficiency. The Duet Sport is the real deal, and I'll never go back to the dinosaurlike traditional machines. They use up too many resources, resources I have to pay for and that we can't get back.
We also got the gas dryer, since we didn't have one. It's got great settings and dries a load in about half of an hour since the clothes are already so dry from the washer.
But don't feel like you can't keep your old dryer. In the HE world, it's the washers that really make the difference. Get an HE washer, keep your old dryer and give your washer to someone who can't afford one. Good karma all around.
First lessons
My first experiences with an HE machine were when my mother bought one to replace the 28-year-old washer that had finally given up the ghost. (The repairman couldn't fix it anymore because the piece he had expended all sources for the piece it needed.)
Salesman: Yes, they cost more upfront, but you'll make up the money in no time in energy and water savings.
My mother (who qualified for AARP already): I probably won't make the money back in my lifetime, but it's the right thing to do for the planet.
Well said, Mom.
Julie Todd is the night editor at The Herald News in Joliet. She and her
husband are looking to cut the chemicals and get back to basics -- minus the
granola and hemp clothing. They live in a home they bought last year in
Plainfield, where they're making changes to create their own little patch of
utopia.
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