Advice on New Washer and Dishwasher

We picked Whirlpool Duet front-loaders a few years back.. and I LOVE the set. We did also buy the drawer platform that slides underneath the machines for storage. I don't use them for storage really, as it doesn't fit tall bottles... but they lifted the machine up almost a foot off the floor.... This was important because I don't have to bend down to get the clothes out of the machine. Also, tall baskets fit underneath the front loader opening. I can swing the door open and scoop out the clothes into tall baskets without any problem.
These things may sound trivial, but these machines are running almost every day, so conveniences are everything. In the store, you'll notice the display models are always on some sort of platform...

I have heard great things about BOSCH dishwashers. I have a VIKING now, and I am NOT impressed. It's falling apart and it's only 4yrs old. I had a KENMORE dishwasher in my previous home, which I thought was wonderful and pretty quiet..

Washer - We've had a Whirlpool front loader for 5 years and have had two serious problems with it that the technicians can't fix.
(1) it sometimes does not work (just makes clicking noise when you press start). Repair guy said to unplug it for a few mins and plug it back in, and wait for the computer inside to reset itself. Unfortunately, we've found it takes a three to five hours for the washer to reset itself (hours!!). This problem started about 6 months ago. Three different repair people have been unable to fix the problem.
(2) we sometimes get stains on the clothing after washing that look like bleach stains. Like bleach stains, they do not wash out. We do not use bleach. I've asked 2 different repair people and they have no explanation and can't fix it. I called the company and they have no explanation. We use Tide HE, and only the minimum amount. It happens only with t-shirt type cloth, not jeans or slacks. Sometimes the shirts are ruined, sometimes it's small enough to not be noticeable.
So no, I do not recomend a Whirlpool front loader!

Dishwasher - we've liked our dishwasher, also 5 years old. It gets the dishes very clean without melting the thin plastic containers we put in there, and it's quiet. It had one minor problem with the door that a technician fixed easily. I do not remember the brand, but if you email me I will check when I get home.

Hi D.!
I don't know about washers...I'm about to go there myself! But...Dish washers...DO NOT get a Maytag! They are the worst! We got one a few years ago, supposed to be a top on the line, and it never worked great. We were very unhappy. Then, as soon as the warranty expired it started having all sorts of problems. Sometimes things come out completely un-touched, as in no different than they went in. Even worse, some come out dirtier! I hate it, and can't wait to get a new one. We are going w/the Kenmore Elite. All of the Kenmore appliances we have are wonderful! Our stove is Kenmore from the 50's and still works great! It was here when we bought the house. It's nice and big and is a double oven/range combo. I'm keeping it till it dies! Hope this helps!

Hi D.,
We have a Bosch. Now, they're pretty pricey and we wouldn't have been able to purchase one if we hadn't gotten it off ebay. A legitimate store was selling last years model and we got it for 1/3 of the regular price. I was skeptical at first (my husband found it online), but it did indeed come unopened. I LOVE IT! I NEVER prerinse! I just scrape off any bite size pieces of food left on the plate and stick it in the dishwasher. It has a power scrub cycle for pots and pans that's amazing! It's really REALLY quiet, but there's even a delay button so you can start it later if you want.

One brand I would never recommend is GE Profile. I purchased all new appliance a year ago a stove, dishwasher, refrigerator and I have to say I hate them all. I have had my stove repaired 4 times and it still doesn't work, the dishwasher does not clean well and the shelf in the freezer falls off continuously. I do have a Maytag front loader and I love it. The front loaders are great and I do tons of wash. I do know people who have Kenmore products and love them. I will never purchase GE profile products again.

My kenmore washing machine is 16 years old and running like a pro. (hope i didnt jinx it) I have a GE Profile spectra oven thats fine except the grills on top are a pain to clean not to mention heavy. (They might all be this way though) I have no problems with my oven. my oven has a warming drawer at the bottom.
I have a GE dish washer that i dont like. I think it was put in not properly. I don't like it because it doesnt clean that well.
Because of my space where the refregerator goes the only company to fit it was Amana. I LOVE my refregerator.
I have all kitchen aide baking/cooking items; blender, mixers etc. I LOVE them. Don't know how their big appliances are.
my dryer is whirlpool gold. it's 9 years old and need repair 2ce.
don't know if this helps but as i re-read my response my kemore washer and Amana are my favorites.
by the way my microwave is GE also with a double shelf. I only use the main/bottom part which works well,no problems.
The upper shelf doesnt cook or heat food the same as the bottom so i dont like it. Besides it is bigger than most microwaves and takes up space. DO NOT RECOMMEND DOUBLE SHELVED MICROWAVES.
Good luck happy researching.

I have worked with appliances and my husband is a technician who fixes appliances. If you want the best and highest quality washer/dryer and dishwasher, your not going to find it within those brands. However, what is an advantage, they are all Whirlpool brands (Whirlpool brought out Maytag some time ago and Whirlpool manufactures Kenmore for Sears only and KitchenAid is a Whirlpool brand as well). Which means that they are easy to fix and parts are always available. Personally, I would stick with Maytag for the dishwasher because they're economical and less problematic. Only downfall is that they tend not to be as quite (50db is normal speech pattern, anything that is about 5db over your definitely going to hear running). If you still wanted to go with the Whirlpool brand, KitchenAid is basically an upscale Whirlpool and it has the benefits of being quiter. My next selection for a dishwasher would be a Bosch, however that wasn't one of your options but its an amazing machine.
For the washer/dryer, you have the good machine already picked out. Out of all regular brand machines (Whirlpool,GE,LG etc), I would go with the Whirlpool Duets (I caution the smaller version though, the Duet Sport which is only a 3.4cuft tub). I also like the Maytag 5000 series for its features, commerical technology and price.
I do recommend to shop around but in my experience with consumer reports is that they yes give conflicting reviews on appliances, which is why I do my own research and take into account features, price, durability (life time expectancy of appliances now is 7-10 years because they are all control board operated-like a computer has a motherboard and harddrive-same idea), and the cost to keep the thing running. Which brings me to something else I recommend, always, always, always, always purchase a service plan, no matter where you go-unless you have a insurance that covers your appliances like through your home insurance. If not, I do recommend purchasing a service plan or warranty because these machines aren't cheap to buy nor are they a cheap fix. They do come with a one year limited manufacture warranty for most machines, but most times, things start to break down after that one year has surpassed. So if you don't want to be stuck with an insane repair bill forbid something does go wrong, a service plan or warranty is highly recommended.
Another piece of advice, compare prices before you buy. Krillion.com is a great website for you to compare prices from your local major appliances retailers. Pop in the model number of the specific item and your zip code, and the results will show which appliance retailer carries that model and how much its being sold for. That way you don't have to spend all your off time looking.
I hope I made your quest easier and gave you some food for thought.

Our GE Profile dishwasher just died and we decided to go with the top of the line Kenmore Elite (can't remember exact product name, but it was the most expensive one). We also considered Bosch, which is a great dishwasher, but ultimately went with the Kenmore because it has a larger tub that holds more and had a few more features, like the turbo wash zone. I've only had the new dishwasher a month, so I can't say how it will do long term, but so far I have been very pleased with the purchase. I no longer have to prewash dishes. I just scrape the big pieces off and stick them in and they come out spotless - even a very messy lasagne pan. It is very quiet and energy efficient.

LOVE the Whirlpool front loader... it's wonderful and still works well after five years. We have had no problems with it, no repairs, or damage to clothing.

As for the dishwasher, I believe that Frigidaire and Kenmore are the same company and I would strongly advise against their dishwashers. Ours may be "faulty", but they have "repaired" it twice and it is so loud that we run it at night b/c you can't hear eachother talking in the living room if it's on. It cleans well, but it is not quiet at all.

Our Dishwasher, washer, and dryer are all Asco. We never rinse dishes before we put them in the dishwasher. (What's the point of having a dishwasher??) Super energy efficient, super water efficient, super quiet.

Best Dishwasher I ever had was a Bosch. Whisper quiet and very efficient...less water/electricity to run, and great performance.
We built a new house, and went with Miele appliances. The Miele dishwasher is good, but the Bosch was way better. And less expensive too!
Also, for Miele, you have to use their cleaning products, and they are more expensive than regular dish detergents, while you can use Cascade etc. in Bosch.

K.

Hi. For the dishwasher, I have a Kitchenaid Whisper Quiet Plus, all stainless steel inside and out. It's super quiet and works great. Has a bunch of settings too. It was well over $1000, but well worth the money in my opinion. Also, Bosch dishwashers are really good, very solid. As for a dishwasher, even though the front loaders are very popular, I hear they have more problems and the water collects in the openings, causing mold, if you don't leave the doors open to dry. We recently purchased two top of the line GE top loaders (washer and dryer). They're called GE Profile Harmony, have multiple cycles, are all digital and "talk to each other." They were over $1000 each also, but work great. I know most people go for the frontloaders these days, but I think they have more problems and are not as durable as the top loaders. A good website to look at is www.ajmadison.com. They have good prices too, usually cheaper than retail stores. Good luck.

Funny you posted this, I've been wondering if other people liked their high efficiency (HE) washer and dishwasher. My MIL has a Maytag HE and she likes it ok but here are my thoughts on HE in general. Our washer is the LG Tromm front loader and compared to non-HE washers, I don't think it cleans very well. I have to stain treat every item, and with 2 little kids, that's a ton of work. Also, it doesn't rinse very well. I don't over-use detergent and only use HE detergent, but even with the extra rinse, when I wring out my washcloths later, there's always a lot of suds. Any little bits of food stuck to the clothing will not rinse away and will be left somewhere on the clothes at the end of the wash. So yes HE saves water, but when you only use about 6 inches of water per cycle, things are not going to get rinsed very well. The other issue with many front loaders is that if you ever forget to add an item to the wash, you can't stop the cycle to put it in. Some machines also get mold in the compartments where you pour the detergent, bleach and softener.

We have an Asco energy efficient dishwasher too and that's funny that someone else loves theirs - I hate it. It's the worst dishwasher I've ever had. I have to pre-wash and pre-scrub everything or the dishes come out with food still on them. We're not talking about days-old dried on food, but just little bits of food residue that's still fresh. An old apartment I lived in had a GE Profile dishwasher which worked great and the dishes didn't need to be pre-rinsed.

My general advice to you is that some of these fancy brands look sleek and have great features but aren't necessarily better or more reliable, and if you ever need repairs, it'll be harder to find a repairman who knows these machines. I know someone with Thermador kitchen appliances which are high end and they stopped working after not too long, and she can't find a repairman near her. But if you get a more mainstream brand, it'll be easier to find someone who can fix it well.

I know it wasn't exactly your original question but hope this helps a little.

Gloria
http://centraljersey.citymommy.com/