New tool for the wife

[dhermesc]

The Speed queens are tough to beat for longevity, but for the additional that you pay for your water heating, detergent, longer wash time, and rewashes you could replace a front loader every five years and come out ahead. The simple physics is that a front loader will use 1/3 the water and give you three times the agitation. Perhaps this is why there is no such thing as an industrial top loader. Commercial laundries are in it to make money.

The front loads just don't get clothes clean. They don't use enough water to truly clean work cloths - and that is by design. They are supposed to be very "efficient" and use as little water was possible. If you work in an office and all you are really washing your cloths for is the get the BO out of them more than "cleaning" them. A few years back my brother who works on a hog farm bought the very best top of the line front loader (If I recall the washer alone was nearly $2000). Within 2 weeks his wife was washing his cloths in her wringer washer (left by the previous owner) then putting them in the front loader to "finish" before tossing them in the dryer.

 

[dhermesc]

I remember my mother's Speed Queen wringer washer.

My mom was still using wringer washers through most of the 1980s - and she had about 60 yards of 4 wire clothesline (in true farm wife fashion the lines were #9 galvanized wire). I recall telling a person my mom did 32 loads on one Saturday. She commented - I don't think you can do that many in day with a washing machine. I said - she has three washers- one automatic and two wringer washers. One drier and the afore mentioned clothesline. I wouldn't mind having a wringer washer now for the occasionally really nasty clothes (or truck seat cover) that come up once in the while. Like the ones I was wearing when a hydraulic line sprayed me from head to toe - thank god it was on start up or the burns would have been horrible.