I mustache you a question....

Alternately titled, care to help me with my rich people problems?

A.  I just ditched the Disqus commenting system.  Totally thought that I loved it, but then I totally turned on it.  I was leaving replies, feeling all super organized and communicative, but... the replies that I left apparently go straight into space.  LAME.
Plus it doesn't even work on certain browsers.  DOUBLE LAME.
So here is the deal, there are now threaded replies in the Blogger comment form.  Yay.  Sort of.  If you ask a question, that is where I will leave a unicorny reply.  Thing is, I guess The MAN Google considers it spam to send the reply back to the email address it came from.  That means, that you will never know if I answered, or was just lame and lazy, unless you come back and check.  That is a hardcore rich person problem that I cannot fix.

B.  We are looking into a new washing machine.  Got one you love?  Hate?  Front loader?  I need real people details.  Not the dude at the store.  A mom who has gobs of kids who wear gobs of clothes.  Help a mama out.  Ours is 14 years old and it had a very, very, very good life.  BUT IT NEEDS TO GO.

C.  The previous owner of our house had dogs.  Big dogs.  They had freedoms.  Big indoor freedoms.  You can imagine what our carpet looks like.  I clean it, the marks they left reappear.  Clean, reappear, clean, reappear.  Over and over and over and I am OVER it.  So...  we are researching new carpet too.   I need advice from someone with gobs of kids who throws gobs of parties.  Not the dude that didn't even exist at the Lowe's flooring department, while I waited for 37 minutes yesterday.

D.  Can you tell that we just got our tax refund?

Thank you in advance for your info...


81 Comments

  1. As far as the carpet goes, the stains are in the pad now. That's why they keep coming back. So make sure you for sure change the pad too. Good luck! Love the cute baby!

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    1. I am curious about the comment stuff. I have intensedebate for the threaded comments, but now that they are available in Blogger . . . hmmm. Maybe I should switch back.

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    2. And you have to paint the floor with Bin or possibly Kilz might work. Bin for certain.

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  2. A. I have Disqus too and couldn't comment on your quilt post this morning. BOO! I wanted to tell you that I have all my fabric purchased. Just waiting for some happy mail!

    B. We have the front load Frigidaire "affinity" washer and dryer and love them.

    C. Want to see people's carpet recs. We want new carpet too!

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  3. I have a top loader, because EVERY TIME I do laundry, I find something that I forgot to throw in. I like to be able to run back to the washer and throw it in. I'd look in Santa Ana for less expensive carpet, everything is cheaper there! we will be needing it soon too.

    -Tiffany Peek

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  4. I'm still using the old blogger commenting, so I don't know. We have an old washer, so nothing on that one either. As for carpet, I say, don't do it. We just bought click-loc engineered hardwood for our living room, hallway, and entryway. It's less expensive than actual hardwood but looks similar. When we pulled up our carpet, I was shocked at how much dust was under it. I'll never go back. But if you must do carpet, there are stainmaster ones that are supposed to pretty good.

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    1. Yes yes yes yes yes on the flooring! We have Pergo-ish flooring in almost every room now, slowly replaced over the 10 years when this house was built (we put in carpet b/c there was no way we could afford the builder-mandated flooring company's price for Pergo-ish floors). We have cats, birthday parties, Girl Scout meetings and I Do Not Care if something gets spilled b/c a paper towel will fix it (and really fix it, not "it's in the pad forever, I don't care how much Resolve you use" fix it). It also drastically reduced the allergens in the house. Get yourself a Roomba and you're good.

      We have a new-ish LG front loader, and it's excellent. Uses far less water and detergent, clothes are much cleaner and less wrinkly than my old Kenmore top loader. Plus you can cram a lot of clothes into each load, and they still come out cleaner.

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  5. we have a front loader circa 2005ish.. it's a kenmore and it's just OK.. I just don't know how clean my clothes really get with such little water. so if mine were to break tomorrow I would go with a top loader high efficiency that has an add more water cycle and one of those dryer that does steam just so you can freshen something with a whole wash and dry cycle!! and ditto on the above I'm always forgetting something and pausing to unlock takes too long. :). happy new stuff shopping!!

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    1. and that's suppose to say WITHOUT a whole wash dry cycle! wonky comment system!!

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  6. Sadly, the replies do not work on anyone's blogs. I usually usually just leave m answers on their blogs, but that can be time consuming, or if they have their e-mail in their profile then I send them an e-mail. No good solution
    We have the GE front loaders . Love them! The run about 3 times a day. We have hardwood floor since we have allergies. Our basement has tiles.

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  7. I have the maytag frontloader and it is ok. I dreamed of frontloader until I have to buy the frontloader smell good things from tide because it smells so mildew no matter that I have to leave the door open all the time! It can't even look pretty because I have to leave the door OPEN (as per the instructions). I also do not like the fact that there is no soak cycle. I used to throw in baby laundry overnight or bleach things and soak them. No such luck with the frontloader. I do like how quiet it is and I like how it cleans my big loads of laundry. Good luck!

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  8. We bought a plain-jane top-loading Maytag for about $500 at Lowe's about 6 months ago. I do at least one load of kid-laundry every single day and it has been a champ. Top load because I heard too many horror stories of how front-loaders have to be left open to dry or they get a funky mildewy smell. I don't need one more funky-smelling hazard or one more thing to remember around here. And we have Berber carpet and I won't ever buy anything else. It takes a beating and still looks so good. (Full-disclosure: we *only* have two kids two and under and thus are too exhausted to throw gobs of parties.) Solving rich-people problems are so fun! :)

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  9. A. No clue on the coment thing. No one ever visits my blog.

    B front loader lover here. Only one kid but a DH in construction who wears lots of clothes. I love mine. It's a frigidare. No complaints other than the gasket in the font that needs to be dried after the wash is done or it gets moldy.

    C. Tile. My WHOLE house is tile. I adore it!

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  10. I manage a flooring business and you really want to get new pad when you purchase your carpet as far as carpet recommendations Shaw is the BIG name in carpet and they make a stainmaster label that is pretty darn good if you have a lot of traffic and with kids you do you might want to consider a dense looped carpet. Carpet is of course going to stay clean and last longer with no shoes walked on it. Stay away from polyester carpet its the carpet that smashes when walked on that's no bueno, and keep in mind the more face weight i.e. 46 oz as an example the higher the number the more dense the carpet. Please ask me any questions I would be happy to answer. Good luck and don't be afraid to ask for samples take them home lay them out and see what you like you will be walking on it every single day. :)

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  11. I'm not sure any specifics of my new carpet, but when I got our playroom replaced last year, I asked for dirt colored berber (I have 4 kids between 5 and 10). I have this wonderful light brown/tan speckled berber type carpet that I can hardly tell when it's dirty and when I vacuum it makes all kinds of wonderful picking lots of dirt sounds. :)

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  12. I do not have a front loader but have two friends that do. Both complained of mildew issues within 2 years of purchasing them. One of them says it is terrible for soiled clothing because it uses so much less water that she has to let the clothes soak in a tub before putting them in the washer. I would go with a top load just because I have two kids who cannot go two days without getting something on their clothes.
    As for the floor, I am with teal915. The dust, mites, mold, mildew, and overall yuck that manages to get trapped beneath carpet just creeps me out. As soon as we can afford to do it, we are getting fake pergo and some carpet tiles from www.flor.com. They come in a bazillion colors and textures, and if something spills you can remove just the tiles that got dirty to clean them. Not to mention pull them all up to vacuum underneath them :-)

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  13. A) switch to Wordpress. Blogger is so 2008.
    B) don't get an lg whatever u do. We got a may tag maxima last year and so far I love it. The washer doesn't smell funky and the dryer works. I can do more than one load a day which is rad.
    C) don't get your carpet from lowes or home depot. We have a good place we used a couple of years ago but it's I'm north oc.

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  14. I should have also told you go to a flooring company stay away from big box stores. You will have a much better service experience with a smaller flooring company.

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  15. 1. Washer. We love out Whirlpool Duet. It has a huge drum. Tons of clothes fit in a load. Cleans like no ones business. Blankets sleeping bags. You name it. It takes HE laundry soap, but you only need a tiny bit to get clothes clean.

    Negatives: it can get mold under the rubber lip because it's a front loader, so it takes care to clean. And I've found some small little holes in knit clothing from time to time.

    Carpet: speckled!!! I know that sounds weird but it helps with dirt and stains and wear. We love out short shaggy carpet in a tan color with speckles in the coloring. It does mat down after a year (of course vacuuming perks it up) but a good professional carpet cleaning makes it look like new.

    Good luck :)

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  16. We have a front loader from 2004 and I hate it. Mildewy and gross. I like the large capacity, but I will get a top loader next.

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    1. Forgot to mention we have Pergo flooring. Great pet-proof, kid-proof, and potty-training proof. Carpet in the bedrooms though, but it's gross. I once read an article on the amount of dirt, dander, and *feces!* in carpet and I've been scarred for life.

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  17. I have this...
    http://www.kenmore.com/kenmore-elite-4.3-cu-ft-front-load-he-steam-washer/p-02641549000P

    it is INTENSE.
    I didn't pick it, it was an arranged marriage. My Mom got it and the dryer for us a surprise gift. (Awesome!) But lemme tell you. I would've proposed to it, if I could have.

    It is A.MAZ.ING.
    No joke.

    My kids are gross. Most of the time. And my preteen who just became a 'woman' is killing me in the washing dept of my life, if you get my drift.

    This sucker does everything. Its like toomuchwasheranddryer for me. Like my first car was a V8 Camero and too much car for a 16 year old girl. That's how much this washer is too much for me. Like I've owned it a year and I still don't know all the computer magic that is does.

    Here is what I know. It gets out all my stains.

    It never smells.

    Its red and bright and pretty.

    I love it.

    Seriously, rainbows, hearts and unicorns when I do my laundry.
    Well except when I do my daughters laundry, yuck.

    Happy Shopping!

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    1. Oh my word I'm dying let's hope your daughter doesn't read this buahhh

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    2. ps! It has sensors. SENSORS! really, it knows how much stuff I put in there and adjusts its water and cleaning or drying magic accordingly.

      Serious awesomeness here.

      It's amazing to have something that just k.n.o.w.s. what I need.
      I wish my husband had sensors :)

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  18. I HAD to comment on the washer thing. We have owned two front loaders in the past 8 years 4 kids, two dogs, one husband that runs twice a day later ...we broke both of them....hence I do laundry ALL day! Anyway when we moved to COLORADO....(can you tell I am excited?) we bought the BEST thing ever it is an HE whirlpool Cabrio Platinum series... I can fit an entire super huge laundry basket FULL of laundry in it..it does a fantastic job of cleaning...then I can pop the entire MOTHER load into the dryer and it dries faster than my washer washes.. Then when I forget about it which happens I can wrinkle release it with a little steam. Oh yes, as you can tell this is the best purchase I have ever made! It litterally cuts my laundry time by more than half.... Also, on a side note when are you coming to give me house decorating advice?

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    1. It is a top loader...forgot to mention that...oops the excitement you would have thought I got a HUGE diamond or something

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    2. Also...about the carpet, we put all woods except bedrooms in our new home, and I can't believe how nasty my carpet must have been vacuum, dust mop, repeat...I have got to learn to let some stuff go.

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    3. I have this washer and love it too! We opted for a top loader bc I like to dye fabric and I wasn't sure if that would work in a front loader. The cabrio is awesome!

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  19. I agree with Drew B. Do not get an LG. I have one, it walk across the floor no matter what we do. I shakes the whole house. I can be upstairs and can feel when it is in the spin cycle. I would check out Electrolux. I know someone that has one. It is super quiet, holds a lot of stuff and has a light inside.

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    1. I have an electrolux front load. Love it! 4 boys and a husband living on a farm with a muddy creek. Nuff said. :)

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  20. I'm a momma of a 7 month old and a wife to a civil engineer...both are ALWAYS dirty, therefore I do a lot of laundry!
    We just bought a new front loading set from Lowe's, they are Samsung and I LOVE them! They are quiet enough, sturdy and can handle my husband's heavy-duty carhart clothes! I do still have to leave the washer door open slightly, not all the way but just slightly enough to make sure it dries. But to be honest I'm doing laundry so much it never dries anyway!
    Happy tax-money hunting!!

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  21. I will chime in on C... We put tile in our house downstairs. It makes me super,super, super happy! Especially when a little someone flooded a sink downstairs and I just threw towels on it..

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  22. Happy tax money day yahoo!!! My tax money is gonna get me a photo shoot with joy from wildflowers I'm dying of excitement. Lg no Bueno flooring darker speckled change the pad happy hunting!

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  23. Ok. We just went through this and had so many headaches and problems. We originally went to sears and bought the kenmore elite 4.3 cubic feet high efficiency top load washer and matching dryer. Loved loved loved the dryer. Amazing. It has a brain. It can tell how long my clothes need to be in for and adjusts the time and they are always dry. Always. And it is super quick. No more running the dryer 3 times because the clothes never dry. The washer, not so much. It has no agitator, so it holds tons of clothes. This machine had a problem with balancing. It was super sensitive and it would go off balance every. Single. Load. It sounded like bombs going off in my house, for two full months. My poor little babies would cry and scream they were so scared and it was sooooo loud. Read reviews online and this was a common problem with this specific model. We went back to the store and they were amazing. They let us return it. We talked with the district appliance manager there, and he said he had the model up and loved it. The store manager came over and she said she had the model up and that she loved it. They convinced us to get the more expensive one, it was about $200-$300 more. It is the kenmore elite 4.5 cubic foot high efficiency top loader. We have had it for 3 months now and we LOVE it! Not one problem with unbalanced loads. It fits a ridiculous amount of laundry in it. I can put my puffy king comforter and sheets in there and there is still room. When the baby had the stomach bug and got sick all over her crib, I used the sanitize mode, it is hardcore. Love love love it! I have had a bunch of friends that got the front loaders, and they hate them. You have to be really good about cleaning them, they get mildew. Way to much hassle and maintenance for me. Best of luck with choosing. It is such a difficult decision, kind of like you are picking a spouse. You want to make sure you choose good, because you are gonna be stuck with it for a looooonnnnnggggg time!

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  24. Just bought a front loading LG washing machine, it is great and you only need to use about half as much soap as the manufacturer says.

    Before that I had a Kenmore front loader which was also really good, I got it at the Sears scratch and dent outlet in Santa Ana if you are up for an adventure... really good taquitos over there too :)

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  25. Just read the other LG comments and for full disclosure our LG is in Australia so could be a different model.

    Forgot to mention that the Sears Outlet prices are 30 - 70% of Sears Retail. It is on Dyer Rd.

    Also, we went front loader for the water consumption/energy consumption and haven't ever had mildew.

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  26. I have a love/hate relationship with my front loader. Spend the extra money and get the stands to save your back. I also recommend taking an average size load of laundry with you to the store to see if it fits in the ones you like. I used towels and it worked awesome to see the differences in drum sizes. You will get a few funny looks but then they will start to nod when they realize maybe they should try the same thing, or maybe they were looking funny at my kid trying to climb in too :).

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  27. About carpet...go with a high quality stainmaster. We've had ours for a few years and even though it gets dirty (hello 3 kids and a cat), it cleans up reaaaallllly nice. It was worth the extra money. I would also recommend going with something a little darker. It will hide things better :) This is very similar to what we have and we really like it: http://shawfloors.com/carpetDetails/Pattern/Reminiscing_Z6257-Sunbeam
    It's short and easy to maintain. Good luck with all your decision making!

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  28. if i could, i'd recover all our floors with FLOR tiles too. you can replace onesies if needed! and i just dont get how a front loader is useful. i am always running things under the stream of hot water and scrubbing in stain stuff with my old school washer. and needing to throw other stuff in five minutes later. i cant give that up due to stupid men choosing white for baseball pants every single year.

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  29. Got a Kenmore direct drive washer last time-just means no belt but shaft driven. NO-NO-NO. We had the repair man out 3 times in 4 months, it is noisy, if it gets off balance it just continues to whomp, whomp in spin cycle shaking the machine off the floor. Do not reccommend.

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  30. Can I rip out our carpet and ship it to you? I'll vacuum the dog hair first? When will people realize that pets and carpet DO NOT mix. Feel your pain. Especially if it's not even your OWN pet. We have the Whirlpool Duet front loader stacker. I like it 80% of the time. And I can't tell if that percentage warrants a recommendation. So it probably doesn't. But it's not terrible. Just not my favorite. And I'm with Leslie, I miss starting the washer and tossing things in after the fact. The front loader stresses me out that I have to be super prepared with my dirty laundry. #MBP

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  31. Do not buy Electrolux. Had to replace it after one year. Thankfully under warranty. But then it went out again within 6 months. I have Whirlpool front loader now. It's starting to get louder and had to repair dryer already. The repair guy said HG and Whirpool are the least repaired brands. Front loaders are high maintenance. Need the monthly cleaning, wipe it dry after use, etc. it also lies to me.....I put it on for a 20 min cycle and go back to check and it says it has 30 min left!

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  32. I have a LG front loading washer and dryer and wish I could get rid of them! Whether I do a small load or a large load my clothes come out so wrinkled and twisted that the dryer cannot take the wrinkles out and I have to iron everything! It also takes forever to run a load. The dryer can dry a whole load before the washer even gets to the rinse cycle. Never again, my next one will be a top loader. And I agree with the comments about the smell. I have to leave the washer door open all the time or else the smell is terrible.
    Good luck finding a good washer and dryer!

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  33. I think you might be more confused after reading all these opinions! :) So to confuse you even more, we bought an LG front loader (in Ohio, by the way) about 6 years ago and love it; HOWEVER, make sure you check (if you get a front loader) if you have to leave the washing machine door OPEN. Yes, this is dangerous if you have little ones. We found out AFTER buying it, that the rubber boot will collect water and get a nasty odor in it. You need to clean the thing out with bleach. Sounds odd, doesn't it? Cleaning your washing machine? Yep. Gotta remember though - ours is 6 years old so they may have fixed this problem!

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  34. I have four kids and love my LG front loader we got last year. Uses waaay less water and sings you a happy tune at the end =) As far as floors go, I say ditch the carpet and do laminate, hard wood or tile. Carpet looks crappy after time even if you buy the $$$ stuff. With the amount of traffic your house gets, you will never regret doing a solid surface like the ones I mentioned above. Best of luck and cant wait to see what you choose!

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  35. First of all, don't go to Lowe's for carpet. :o) My mom has sold carpet for 35 years, and she can tell you some horror stories about Lowes. Don't get me wrong; I love Lowes. Great for plumbing supplies and spray paint selection, but not carpet. Find a good local place. Second of all, get something in a frieze (tight twisted carpet) in a burber coloration (lots of flecks of different colors). Super soft for all of the summersaults and hides dirt. With kids you need to be hiding dirt, because if you're like me, you're lucky if you get to vaccuum once a month! :o) We have all hardwood up stairs, but we have this carpet down stairs in our family room, so we go down there to wrestle and practice scaring mommy into thinking that we're probably going to have to go to the ER again. I have boys. 'Nuff said. This carpet saves lives. Not really, but it's pretty stinking awesome. Oh, and I have a top loader. Front loaders look cool, but you have to bend a lot to load them. I need to save my back!

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  36. Besides the moldy smell and the fact that once it gets going, you cannot open a front-loading washer to add anything, I didn't see mentioned that one load takes just under an hour, which can be infuriating if you're in rush. There is a speed wash setting, but I feel like that's for a lighter wash and isn't cleaning as well (that could just be in my head). And my door is now leaking. When my washer konks out, I'm going back to a top loader.

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  37. Don't do carpet! Go with wood or cork. Carpet never comes clean no matter what and is just ick.

    I have a top loader that uses less water. Lots of people talk about mildew/mold issues with their front loaders and that scares me.

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  38. I have no helpful comment for you. I have an old washing machine that has knobs, no lights or sounds (unless you count the banging sound it makes because it's not level- nice), & nothing digital. I only have 2 kids (with one more due in 4 1/2 weeks...yikes). We were the first owners of our home, so whatever's on our carpet is, our fault. But...that baby with the mustache...is beautiful. And I've never told him that. Have fun with the tax return. Awesome.

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  39. We also have an LG which I hear is the best around, but quite honestly, I hate it. I like the way that I can customize my wash, and the fact that it doesn't use a lot of water, but I really don'g think it washes my stuff well. I use cloth diapers and I had a top loader for about 10 mos before we switched. They're definitely not as clean. but, our clothes aren't clean either. They don't stink or anything, but the stuff that my son has visibly soiled-like with food still on it-comes out with food still on them. I do love that it spins my clothes so well that they don't take long to dry and I love that I can stack them, but if I had to buy again, I'd do a top loader, so they actually soak.

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  40. I have the Whirlpool Duet washer and dryer--front load (my first). They don't have the fancy steam option, but do an excellent job of cleaning clothes and providing options for soak, heavy soil, extra rinse, etc. I did not buy the expensive stands. I leave the door open and use either the clean wash cycle or bleach a load of clothes on a regular basis and I have no problems with mildew or moldy smells. I have two teenage boys--the machine can handle a large load of dirty jeans or a large load of towels without a probelm. It also spins out a lot of the water so the dryer does the job more quickly. As for carpet, most of our house is hardwood, but we do have an awesome berber in our family room--a taupe speckled mixture with a few other colors--cleans well and looks good after 9 years of wear plus the two teenagers and a dog. Good luck!!

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  41. L-O-V-E my LG front loader with the sanitary cycle (the machine heats the water to a temperature and doesn't rely on your hot water supply). I thrift clothes for my tween boys for button-down shirts, polos, t-shirts, shorts and khakis (and jeans if you can find them). I frequently buy with a stain...and after a turn in my machine...the clothes look close to new. I purchased the matching dryer with the Dryel cycle so I could do sweaters---works well but I don't use frequently.

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  42. I had a front loader (not the big capacity)...I loved the way it spun the water out of the clothes. It made my dryer's job much easier. We wash A LOT. I have 4 kids and we don't re-use towels. I now have a top loader with an agitator...don't love it so much. I agree with other comments, though, if you like to be able to add in laundry once you've started a load a front loader is probably not for you. As far as flooring...hands down I would go with hardwood or engineered hardwood floors. They are so clean! If you want the comfy feel of carpet, just purchase a piece of Berber and use it as an area rug. A friend did this and didn't bother with having it bound...it cost her about $50 for a large piece at a carpet outlet store.

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  43. I'm with the laminate flooring crowd. I have allergies and it's a blessing to not have carpet trapping allergens. I was worried how my son and now daughter might hurt them selves or not be comfortable on it when babies, but it's not been an issue. We got Traffic master from Home Depot. If you go the laminate flooring route, get samples and soak them in a bucket of water over night. You hope you'll get to the messes quickly, but sometimes you don't know about them right away.

    I'm a top loader too. We got a Speed Queen. It's a classic champ. After returning several fancy dryers that sang songs to us we went with the economical no frills pair. I need to wash clothes, not fight with machines.

    Enjoy spending your tax return. We're going to get a fence around our yard. My husband is tired of mowing dog poop. We don't have a dog...

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  44. Hi mom of 4 kids here...oldest is 5...3 of them are boys ...I think that says it all.... We have dirt folks and lots and lots of laundry.... Hardwood floors the darker the better.. with a heavy finish on them. That way it won't show dirt and when the tonka trucks get dropped on them they will hold up.

    I have a front loader. It allows me to get massive loads of laundry done at once. It doesn't use a lot of water but it spins out at about 200 miles per hour...this mechanism is what is getting your clothes clean not necessarily the amount of water .. I haven't had a problem adding clothes in.. I just hit the pause button and throw them in...

    I don't clean it monthly and I haven't had problems with it moving across the floor..we have it upstairs so its on a tray incase there every was some type of water damage... maybe that keeps it from moving.. I would only buy a samsung.

    Good luck...I'm so bad at making decisions.

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  45. I vote: Can't go wrong with Maytag Front Loader washer/dryer - I have washed at LEAST 10 loads of dirty grimy husband work clothes per week and endless other loads and things (like large throw rugs and backpacks and car mats) for the last 7 years and haven' even had so much as hiccup on me. Kids, dirty-work-husbands, and a dog are a great test on appliances, so says I.

    Floors: I vote - ix-nay on the arpet-cay and go with hardwoods and throw rugs. then you can throw your throw rugs in the washing machine. Kids and carpet don't go well, one episode of "household-flu-bug" and someone doesn't make it to the trash can? The stains you are fighting with pets will be nothing compared to the stain you will fight from a kid-human-biological-flu-stain.


    ~ hope it helps.
    ~ Beth, from WV =)

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  46. On the FLOR tile front... we had FLOR tiles in our old house on the hardwoods as our front door entrance. LOVED THEM.

    So we move to the new house and get FLOR tiles to go in our mudroom. It is the most heavily trafficked room in our house because we go in and out our mudroom. I am ready to kick the FLOR tiles to the curb. They never stay assembled because very active kids are running all over them. I have tried new dots and reassembled and NOPE.

    Also the whole "wash one" thing is a MYTH because if you have to wash one, you have to reassemble the whole thing. NOT WORTH IT.

    I have decided FLOR tiles are so fancy people with no children.

    We use small area rugs everywhere else, buy them on the cheap from Overstock.com.

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  47. I can hardly focus with that adorable picture of the baby boy!!! But ...I will try..we have an electrolux front loader and it is seriously a dream! We have LOADS of laundry with 3 kiddos and a hubby that works out everyday producing gross sweaty deals. We also have a big dog and this machine takes care of all of this...so many features its crazy! Did I mention im a crazy neat freak so im washing all the time! Two thumbs up!!!!

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  48. Top loading, old fashioned, heavy duty washing machine with dials not computer chips....my favorite. I loved my kitchen aid W&D, lasted 16 yrs, replaced with AMERICAN made Speed Queen top loading etc. and I am not impressed. Be sure to get Heavy Duty.

    We love our marmoleum flooring, used in institutions/hospitals, and, our home. We had to rip up old flooring, carpet+underpad and subfloor due to dog pee, I could never get rid of the odor and if the humidity rose it smelled like I was living in a public restroom, only worse! You have my sympathy about that issue.

    Now, I'm going to read the other comments and feel humbled that I'm the 20th same response. Oh well, if you're counting then you'll have good data for your decisions.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. PS. Two decades of raising boys and a dog, rough and tough living, hard scrabble on everything, so lots of laundry done and abuse on appliances and flooring come with my comments.

      Delete
  49. The manufacturers of front loaders actually make a product to WASH YOUR WASHER because of the mildew smell that so many front loaders have. A salesman told me to wipe the inner lip of the door dry and always leave the door open inbetween loads. He was actually serious. Yes, really serious. That is when I bought my Kenmore top loader. No agitator bar in middle so I can wash big bedding. LOVE LOVE LOVE IT! Steam feature gets wrinkles out - bye bye iron!

    Ditch the carpet! Put down solid flooring! Then get a 10x 10 piece of stainmaster carpet and have it bound. Throw a rug pad under it and place it on top of the solid flooring. When it gets gross, toss and replace. But your major investment - the solid flooring, stays intact!

    ReplyDelete
  50. we have whirlpool duet sport 2. i love the ease and how clean the clothes get but if you have hard well water (which we do) we get a black scum on the inner lip. doesnt get on the clothes but it looks gross.

    ReplyDelete
  51. We have 10 kids and our Amana front-load machine has faithfully washed clothes for years and years with no mildew issues or repairs.

    Also, we have vinyl composition tile in fun colors throughout our whole house (primarily because two of our kids use wheelchairs and any kind of carpet is hard to wheel on). We love it!

    ReplyDelete
  52. i hate my front loader. I was not a believer of the mildew smell. Didn't think it would happen to me. Guess what..? Three girls and lots of laundry- it stinks. not our clothes, but the machine! If I had to do it all over again, I would get a top loader- no question. Also, it has a funky mildew stain that I cannot get out- I have tried everything! I have told every one I know- don't get a front loader!!!! Ours is a kenmore if that helps. Good luck with the flooring- I vote hard wood if you can swing it. Just my 2 cents! : )

    ReplyDelete
  53. We put SmartStrand carpet by Mohawk Flooring in our home (http://www.mohawkflooring.com/flooring-products/carpet/smartstrand.aspx). The previous owners also had indoor pets that did their business where ever and it smelled awful. Anyway, it's supposed to be super easy to clean (which I have found to be true) and has built in stain and soil resistance.

    ReplyDelete
  54. all i can say (cuz i havent bought a washer/dryer in years and we have hard wood floors) is THOSE EYES - oh em ghee - all of your children have amazing eyes! beautiful!

    your posts always make me happy!

    xoTiffany

    ReplyDelete
  55. It is so worth it to get the waterproof liner on the pad! It's slightly more but not much more! And it means that everything that gets on the carpet, can come back out of the carpet because IT NEVER GETS INTO THE PAD!!! We got all new floors (carpet and pergo, to replace the original 70's flooring - yuck!) a few years ago through Empire. Do they have that in California? They have an A+ BBB rating and did a great job, and if you don't mind haggling (I had the price of other carpets, density of the carpet pile, and all sorts of carpet details I don't know anymore), you can get them down to the same price as your local big box stores. It was Mohawk flooring and we got the recycled earth friendly carpet. It's soft, made from recycled materials, and stain resistant. My mom bought a house that already had it (the former owner was an interior designer) and it was in perfect condition. Still is even though it has had red wine spilled on it and my mom has dogs as well.

    Definitely interested in what others have to say about the washer/dryer. That's coming up soon for us too!

    ReplyDelete
  56. I have one thing to say...ceramic tile.

    Or a second thing to say...GOOD laminate that looks like wood. In a medium light color.

    Love them both! I have learned in 49 years of marriage that NO CARPET stands up to pets and kids-and I have both!!!

    ReplyDelete
  57. Darn. Forgot to say we just got ALL new appliances and chose KitchenAid dishwasher which is VERY quiet (stainless and beautiful in and out, Maytag top loader washer and large dryer because the front loaders have NOT perfected that darned thing where you have to wash the seal all the time and replace it more than auto tires on a Mom taxi. Trust me I have one-very expensive...and hate it. Whirlpool frig with bottom freezer and LOVE that! And GE stove because I had one GE since 1979 and is STILL WORKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Love GE for stoves. Oh, forgot to mention get washer without the center dogiggy thingy. The new ones are best without those things in the road. Love this new washer! Top is clear too to see down in. Dkitty loves that!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I must be tired. Meant to say we got them today! Now to tear out kitchen and blog about it! LOL! : )

      Delete
  58. I need carpet too. We should find a two-fer

    ReplyDelete
  59. I know exactly what you mean about those carpet stains that magically reappear. Ours was exposed to even worse conditions: flooding. I'm happy I found the flood restoration perth carpet cleaning service. They've done a professional job on our carpets.

    ReplyDelete
  60. I enjoy hearing domestic problems, I have no idea why. In terms of the washing machine, let those commercial cleaning perth do it for you, pay them. It's part of the rich people problems.

    ReplyDelete
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