I finally got the chance to visit the Maytag Atlantis washer my family bought in 2002. Right now it's at my boyfriend's dad's house, still valiantly workhorsing a 6 person family's laundry. The only reason I don't have it with me is lack of space, and it was in his garage for a time until his LG frontloading set (the matching dryer is next to the washer) completely failed, at which point they took to the road and asked if they could use the Maytag.
I remember that I was in 6th grade at the time we got it, and the day it was being delivered I could hardly focus at school. It replaced the KitchenAid washer my mom had gotten right after I was born because of a transmission failure, though I didn't get to hang out with them when they diagnosed it, so I'm pretty sure it was the coupler with the knowledge I have now. I wish I could travel back in time and educate my younger self, but oh well. Anyway, I got to go with my parents to the TRUE Maytag dealer store in Tuscumbia, AL, back when they were showcasing the new Neptune front-loaders. They were still being built well back then, so the only differences in models were the features like Max Extract spins, detergent dispensers built into the lid, and the "finger wash" nozzle, where you could push a button/switch to spray a small stream of water towards the tub that you could use to clean detergent or pretreater or what-have-you off your hands. They ended up getting the Atlantis, and I fell in love with it. I loved the angle on the front, and the giant plastic tub with the teardrop indentions around the holes. I also loved that the agitation was strong and wide, especially with oversized loads of towels. I've never known a washer to handle the heavy loads that thing washed and get fresh clean results with just one wash and rinse [Praise be to the LoadSensor agitator]. As I grew up and started taking over all of the laundry/dishes/housework because my dad became disabled and my mom was working two jobs, I took pride in keeping all our appliances spotless, which included the Atlantis. I would do a deep cleaning at least every month. When my father passed away two years ago, my mom had to move, including everything from our two story house to my Mamaw and Papaw's tiny house, and she asked if I wanted the washer since I had taken such care and pride in it.
All these years later, it's still in excellent shape, though it breaks my heart that some of the plastic is yellowing, especially the bleach dispenser, oddly enough. The in-laws don't take near the care of it that I did, as they're not in the least concerned about how the thing works or how clothes get clean, they just want it done. I had to scold them about using Tide Pods and HE detergent as well. When I was over last I SUPER cleaned it. I've never scraped so much softener scum and linty dirty gunk in my life. In the photos I actually had it in the middle of a super sized hot bleach cycle, so I didn't have a chance to get empty money shots, but still, that full tub is beautiful. I would rather it be in good use than to rot in the garage, so I've lent it on the condition that it's theirs until it either breaks, or they decide to buy a new one, at which point I'll take it back and fix it and revive it. I have a feeling that the trans may go, if anything, because it has a slight whine during agitation, but granted it's sounded like that for years, and the agitation and spin are still strong and smooth as ever.
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Comes to the Rescue!
