Thread Number: 73689  /  Tag: Modern Automatic Washers
Laundry Capacity?
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Post# 973145   12/12/2017 at 01:19 (2,298 days old) by johnrk (BP TX)        

Somewhere along the line, washers changed from being rated by pounds of laundry to cubic feet of the tub, as I understand it.

As Lord Kenmore, a few others and I have noted, we seldom run our particular washers at capacity, simply because we don't generate enough laundry (doing proper sorting) to require big loads. My first 1977 Filter-Flo was the regular capacity machine, not the extra large; I think it was 14 lb. by the rating of the day, and I never really filled that up. My next two Filter-Flo sets were the extra large because I wanted the features only available on the 18 lb. machines. I never, ever filled those to capacity.

My parents bought a Frigidaire set in 1963 when they built a new home. Going back in the literature sold here, the VIP guide states that that machine now had a 12 lb. capacity. However, they recommended that salesmen place a basket with 6 lb. of laundry on one side of the machine, and another basket with 12 lb. on the other side. The source states that 9 out of 10 women would pick the 6 lb. basket as their average load.

So what's happened? As far as I can tell, we wear fewer clothes than in 1963. Is it what some have stated here, that today's younger people are just slobs who want to throw everything in at once and to hell with fading or lint or wrinkling?

It never made sense to me to buy a washer based on very occasional needs. I've seen not only on here, but on other reviews at websites, that people will down-rate a washer because it won't hold their damn king-sized comforter. Would you all who read this, buy your washer based on something laundered as seldom as that? I have a local laundromat, and if I had one of those monstrosities I'd just take it down and do it on one of their double-capacity front loaders. To me, that's like buying a 9-passenger SUV because at Christmas and maybe Thanksgiving I'd need to haul a bunch of people!

Of course, I've seen those magazine articles from the 50's and 60's that insisted that by this time washers would be gone anyway, replaced by ultrasonic cabinets that would vibrate the dirt away...





Post# 973156 , Reply# 1   12/12/2017 at 03:41 (2,298 days old) by Yogitunes (New Jersey)        

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no matter the time frame....it still holds true today....the standard AHAM load is 8lbs......and that's what everything is judged by...

as people complain of HE low water machines not using enough water...no matter how big the cuft of the machine....as long as it can wash that size load, all is perfect...

but yeah, I have a buddy who spent over 2 thousand bucks on the biggest set he could find to wash his one king size comforter.....what?, maybe once every two months?....

to each his own, but with three kids, I have excessive laundry, and two kings size beds, the 3cuft Neptune is more than enough....



Post# 973170 , Reply# 2   12/12/2017 at 05:01 (2,298 days old) by mrb627 (Buford, GA)        
Well...

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The original post hit it on the head for many shoppers. I bought the uber machine because it had the features I was looking for, not for capacity.

Malcolm


Post# 973172 , Reply# 3   12/12/2017 at 05:14 (2,298 days old) by appnut (TX)        

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Well, I do.  I was raised whereby a full load as much as possible.  But then, when I wasn't doing the laundry, my mom pretty much didn't sort.  The GE ex. lg. capacity washer.  Sorted loads were pretty much full.  I've had a ton of clothes for decades since college.  The Lady Shredmore held more than the GE.  Then the Frigdgemore more than the LK.  And now the Duet.  Now with the Duet, there are special loads that aren't.  But I still accumulate.  Nice terrycloth wash cloths used as napkins.  Kitchen towels.  Those are done on Sanitary & steam for heavy stains.  But 2 sets of queen size sheets in a load.  Underwear/t-shirts around 18 pair.  12 pair slacks.  Work shirts for summer or winter--about 25 each, more in winter.  14+ sets of towels for fall/winter or spring/summer (darker or lighter).  Winter work shirts, I can go for 2 months plus without having to wash a shirt.   Everything is accumulated, properly sorted and washed.  Usual loads after sorted are at least 3/4 full if not full.  8-10 sets of sweats.  I've caused a suds lock a couple of times with those 16-20 pieces of sweats n a load.  My sewer rate is calculated on 3 month average from billing cycle of January-March.  That rate also impacts my cost/100 gallons for the next 12 months too.  One gets a break if those 3 months is < 2000 gallons/month.  This past year because of surgery, someone staying here for 3 weeks helping me and them washing small loads every day (as well as leaky toilet ) my monthly average was 2900 gallons/month.  That has cost me over $100 more for the year.  I will be taking desperate measures this 3 month period to get well below the 2000 gallons/month.  Stockpiling laundry and only doing loads as I've gone through an entire category and absolutely necessary.  Included will be (as I've done before year ago when I still had the LK), accumulating the water in my mopping bucket the water that's wasted bringing hot water to my shower--2.5 gallons.  That will be used to flush the toilet.  It all adds up.  It's why I'm so concerned about water usage and my water bills.  Because of very little rain the last couple of months, I have still run the sprinklers to keep my yard wet and ground around my foundation wet.  This month, my water bill was 1.49 times what my electric bill was and I live in an all-electric house.   


Post# 973175 , Reply# 4   12/12/2017 at 05:33 (2,298 days old) by johnrk (BP TX)        
appnut

I don't like smelly dirty laundry sitting around. I guess I could put it all in the garage, but I don't want to. But then, I don't use anything like that amount of laundry, never have. But I'd sure bet that you're the exception rather than the rule. And I use kitchen towels constantly instead of endless rolls of paper towels. But thanks for that interesting breakdown of clothing.

Post# 973178 , Reply# 5   12/12/2017 at 05:49 (2,298 days old) by appnut (TX)        

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John, my two bathrooms have good ol fashioned large dirty clothes hampers as part of the cabinetry.  I have plenty of room to store dirty clothes.  It's how our house in Houston was too (3 of them).  I bought a special wicker basket that is in laundry room for kitchen linens.  All towels are thoroughly dried out before being put in respective hampers.  NO smell.    


Post# 973180 , Reply# 6   12/12/2017 at 06:06 (2,298 days old) by Frigilux (The Minnesota Prairie)        

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I found the 4.5 cu.ft. capacity of my front-loading Maytag 8100 hit the sweet spot in terms of capacity. The washer and dryer were each 27" wide (which was important due to the width of the doorways at the house). I washed a queen-sized comforter each week in rotation--one for each cat and my own. Also washed a BobLoad of bath linens each week. Otherwise, I'll admit most other loads were 1/3-2/3 of full capacity. I usually changed sheets twice a week and did 2 queen-sized sets plus 14 (yes, I have seven pillows on the bed) pillowcases.

In an effort to downsize laundry costs/machine wear & tear, I'm now using a bath towel twice for the first time in my life, eliminating the need for a second load of towels in the top-loading SQ.

I think two sets of sheets and 14 pillowcases will overwhelm the SQ, so am trying to change sheets only once a week--again, for the first time in my life. Washing the comforter only once every two or three months. Bathroom rugs every 2-3 weeks.

Am also learning to dose the liquid Persil to spec (lines in the cap). The only load that gets a full cap dose--along with 2/3-cup Clorox-- is the weekly very large load of heavily-stained kitchen whites (and personal whites, which, no, aren't heavily stained, LOL.)

At any rate, that brings me down to 5 loads a week rather than 7. Add a load for weeks when the comforter or rugs get washed.

Interesting to compare one's laundry habits with others, isn't it?



Post# 973197 , Reply# 7   12/12/2017 at 09:08 (2,298 days old) by appnut (TX)        

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Generally about 7 to 10 lo
ads a month.


Post# 973212 , Reply# 8   12/12/2017 at 10:55 (2,298 days old) by Yogitunes (New Jersey)        

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also, they probably go by cubic foot sizing as people can judge size, like a king comforter, which is more puffy than heavy, by volume/sizing, than by actual poundage for what a machine will hold...

guarantee most just want a huge machine, to wash, correction, pack as much into a machine as they can for one cycle....

a lot of variables as to why people choose a machine/set...

space available can be one.....

their washing habits.....

and how often they wash....sometimes daily, other times, wait until it builds up...

one thing about a FLer, there are loads you can mix together versus using a TL machine....

for a single person, laundry may not pile up so fast.....for a family of just 5....in just one week, that's 35 pairs of jeans to wash, add in shirts, towels, and undergarments/socks....then tack on bedding

you can keep up quite well if you do one or two loads a day versus an all day event....


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Post# 973245 , Reply# 9   12/12/2017 at 14:04 (2,298 days old) by rp2813 (Sannazay)        

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I made an interesting discovery this past weekend while the Affinity FL was OOS waiting for a new pump.

 

As my luck would have it, the king size mattress pad needed to be washed, and all I had was the Maytag A712.  I recalled that our larger tub '97 Amana had trouble with a mattress pad that size, so was figuring it would be a hands-on operation in the 712. 

 

Much to my surprise, it fit fine in the 712 and its long stroke turnover was better than in the Amana.  So much for the naysayers about Maytag wash action!  The only think I can think of is that the mattress pad we used when we had the Amana was maybe a little more puffy.


Post# 973252 , Reply# 10   12/12/2017 at 14:47 (2,298 days old) by jerrod6 (Southeastern Pennsylvania)        

I think people buy a large machine because they think it will be able to wash their large comforter, never mind that the rest of the loads will never fill it. Also there are many older folks that don't know that much about sorting and just pitch anything in the washer together. I became more aware of sorting after I bought a house that had the washer draining into the laundry sink. After seeing the wash water pumped out I realized the every color fades a bit during the wash...
at least if it is cotton, so now I sort according to color or at least color family. I do have a few loads that completely fill the machine which is 6k or about 13 pounds. I would not like to break that up into 8 pound loads, and actually think that with today's washers, that 8 pound standard should be raised. Sales literature calls my machine a compact, yet it holds more than the 8 pound standard.

I let my dirty clothes accumulate in a hamper and when it is full I take the clothes to the basement laundry sort them into piles and let them sit until I think have enough to make a full loads. So far no problem with this method. It looks tacky but no one sees it except me so...so what.


Post# 973258 , Reply# 11   12/12/2017 at 15:56 (2,298 days old) by DADoES (TX, U.S. of A.)        

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I typically don't run a given type of load until:  a) I have a full load, or b) I don't have any clean items of the type left, or c) it's a large item that runs solo such as a quilt.  I use the same bath towel for several days (hung to dry between), and have enough ankle socks and kitchen linens and such to last 3+ weeks which is what determines when the whites are done.


Post# 973266 , Reply# 12   12/12/2017 at 17:30 (2,298 days old) by appnut (TX)        

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Glenn & I approach laundry very similarly--was waiting for him to contribute. My segments are:   Personal whites, kitchen hand towels, napkins & dish rags, sheets, towels, shirts I wear to work, stuff I wear around the house, pants, jeans.  Spring/summer are lighter colors; fall/winter are darker colors. 


Post# 973286 , Reply# 13   12/12/2017 at 18:42 (2,298 days old) by ea56 (Cotati, Calif.)        

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I’m a creature of habit and I do our main laundry on Thursday, every week. Three loads, whites, light colors and towels, dark colors. On Saturday I change the bed and wash the sheets, one load. So, we average 4 loads a week, with the occasional extra load for the shower curtain, liner, rubber tub mat and bath mat, throw rugs, curtains, slipcovers, blankets, bedspreads, pillows, ect.

Our machine is rated at 3.6 cu ft. capacity, and I’ve never had a problem handing any of these loads. I don't’ see the need for a machine any larger than this. But I wouldn’t want a smaller machine either.

I have no desire to take anything to a laundromat, unless there is no other alternative. People wash anything and everything in these machines, with cold water and who knows what detergent. And I remember when I used to have to go to a laundromat to dry clothes when I didn’t have a dryer. I made the mistake once of not checking the interior of the dryer first. Well when the time was up and I took the load out it was covered with chocolate. Some wisenheimer had apparently thrown a candy bar in the dryer, just for the hell of it. I got the hell of it when I had to rewash everything and bring it back to dry, at another laundromat!

So, no thanks, I want to be able to wash my large items at home.
Eddie




This post was last edited 12/12/2017 at 20:26
Post# 973291 , Reply# 14   12/12/2017 at 19:11 (2,298 days old) by jamiel (Detroit, Michigan and Palm Springs, CA)        

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I do most of the laundry; usually 3 loads of colored clothes (jeans/knits/Brian's cotton boxer briefs) every two weeks, one load of whites a week (Brian's T-shirts, some towels, kitchen linens, some sheets), one load of colored synthetics (UA boxerjocks, gym wear, golf shirts) a week and one load of white synthetics (jocks/compression shorts/golf shirts/UA underwear) every 3 weeks or so. All socks and underwear and spandex-containing clothes are hung to dry; other stuff is tumbled in our 45 year old Kenmore gas dryer.


Post# 973392 , Reply# 15   12/13/2017 at 04:05 (2,297 days old) by thomasortega (El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora de Los Angeles de Porciúncula)        

I need a giant washer for two things:

1) My duvet (white, i like to wash once a week)
2) Towels: 2 or 3 baths per day (I hate showers), each bath is a clean towel and a clean floor mat. Instead of hand towels, i use wash cloths to dry hands... again, use and toss into the dirty laundry hamper.

Without considering darryl, it is an average of 20 bath towels and 20 mats, per week.

For now the Magic Chef 1.6 cu ft and the Superpop are ok for the towels (I wash twice a week), but my duvet is a nightmare... it's huge.

Oh, and I'm drying everything in a Magic Chef 2.6 cu ft dryer. Think of patience....


Post# 973820 , Reply# 16   12/15/2017 at 15:11 (2,295 days old) by mrboilwash (Munich,Germany)        

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The source states that 9 out of 10 women would pick the 6 lb. basket as their average load. 

 

 

6 lb. is also the amount of dry clothes what P&G and other US detergent manufacturers consider a medium, regular or normal load size. That would make just about a half load in a small European FL by dry weight.



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Post# 973825 , Reply# 17   12/15/2017 at 16:13 (2,295 days old) by henene4 (Heidenheim a.d. Brenz (Germany))        
half a load

Depends.

Our current Gorenje slimline is rated 6kg (12lbs.), thus 6lbs by weigh were a half load.

Drum is only 42l (1.4-1.5cuft) though, so half load would be more like 4 pounds and 8 pounds would be a full load.

Also, keep in mind that especially with US FLs and their shorter wash cycles, you shoud adda anothe half cuft for space for tumbling..


Post# 973835 , Reply# 18   12/15/2017 at 17:07 (2,295 days old) by johnrk (BP TX)        
I Think

that you Germans need to realize, as I think I stated, that this is from a 1963 Frigidaire sales booklet.

I have no idea what the average is considered these days, but knowing the people I do, it's a lot more than 6 pounds.


Post# 973846 , Reply# 19   12/15/2017 at 17:39 (2,295 days old) by GusHerb (Chicago/NWI)        

Once a week I wash my clothes which is usually a full load in the SQ. I don't sort since everything is dark anyway. The few lights I have usually sit around for weeks if not longer until I have other light things to wash, usually socks. If I have bulky things to wash such as jeans, hoodie, sweatpants, sweater then that's a separate load. I use one towel per shower and also wipe down the bathroom floor with it after my shower, I have enough to last two weeks. Half are colored and half are white so they get split into two full loads. Sheets are usually washed once a week.

I try to stick to doing a full load, some things just can't be a full load like the sheets or the whites. I have no idea what anything weighs but I can fit a lot more in the SQ than I could in the SamsungTag before it would have fits if you tried to pack it full.


Post# 973922 , Reply# 20   12/16/2017 at 03:28 (2,294 days old) by mrboilwash (Munich,Germany)        

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John, my only point is that the detergent industry in the USA still considers 6 lb. of dry clothes a medium or in other words a normal load just like Frigidaire did in 1963.

There are precise definitions of what a large or extra large load is on P&G`s website. (Link)

I suppose most people don`t need those extra large capacities on a daily basis or haven`t changed laundry habits that much since 1963, otherwise a medium load today would be considered a small load, a large one medium and so on.
And for what it`s worth it`s just the same in Germany and the rest of the EU.
Our washer`s capacities are getting larger and larger, but a standart load is still 4,5 kg.


Post# 973923 , Reply# 21   12/16/2017 at 04:15 (2,294 days old) by johnrk (BP TX)        
Again, I don't know about Germany

but washing has definitely changed over here since Kennedy was president.

As has been pointed out countless times on here, generations behind me (I'm a Baby Boomer) usually dump just about everything in together. And there's a reason for that: our clothing is quite different than it was in 1963. There are treatments for natural materials now that weren't out then. For example, I wear a lot of 100% cotton pullovers and polo-type shirts. Virtually never iron them. However, if I don't get my 100% cotton dress shirts done at the dry cleaners, they will come out very, very wrinkled--and no, it's not a function of machine or settings. In fact, I wear very little that isn't natural and often I don't have to iron anything.

'Bleeding Madras' was so popular in the 60's, at least over here. Shirts or blouses had to be washed separately or they'd ruin other clothing. We really don't have that many articles of clothing now that have that ability.

So, not only have the fabrics that are used to manufacture clothing changed, but the style of clothing has radically changed, particularly for women.

Tendency in this country is to cram all sorts of things together that, 55 years ago, my mother's maid would have separated and washed in separate loads. And my mother had, in 1963, a new Frigidaire that I think had just gone to 12 pound tubs.


Post# 973924 , Reply# 22   12/16/2017 at 04:29 (2,294 days old) by johnrk (BP TX)        
Again, I don't know about Germany

but washing has definitely changed over here since Kennedy was president.

As has been pointed out countless times on here, generations behind me (I'm a Baby Boomer) usually dump just about everything in together. And there's a reason for that: our clothing is quite different than it was in 1963. There are treatments for natural materials now that weren't out then. For example, I wear a lot of 100% cotton pullovers and polo-type shirts. Virtually never iron them. However, if I don't get my 100% cotton dress shirts done at the dry cleaners, they will come out very, very wrinkled--and no, it's not a function of machine or settings. In fact, I wear very little that isn't natural and often I don't have to iron anything.

'Bleeding Madras' was so popular in the 60's, at least over here. Shirts or blouses had to be washed separately or they'd ruin other clothing. We really don't have that many articles of clothing now that have that ability.

So, not only have the fabrics that are used to manufacture clothing changed, but the style of clothing has radically changed, particularly for women.

Tendency in this country is to cram all sorts of things together that, 55 years ago, my mother's maid would have separated and washed in separate loads. And my mother had, in 1963, a new Frigidaire that I think had just gone to 12 pound tubs.


Post# 973926 , Reply# 23   12/16/2017 at 04:54 (2,294 days old) by mrboilwash (Munich,Germany)        

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"In 2014, the average load size of washing machines in North America was 2.8 kilograms."

CLICK HERE TO GO TO mrboilwash's LINK


Post# 973927 , Reply# 24   12/16/2017 at 05:05 (2,294 days old) by mrboilwash (Munich,Germany)        

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According to Clorox which is certainly not a German company,

"on average a large load weighs between 6-8 pounds"

Again not so far away from Frigidaire`s view over 50 years ago.
But to be be fair, all of us tend to find exactly those things on the net that confirm our very own points of view...
And my personal point of view is that for most people the average real life load size hasn`t changed much during the last 50 years. Yours may vary and that`s ok for me.


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Post# 973946 , Reply# 25   12/16/2017 at 08:17 (2,294 days old) by johnrk (BP TX)        
I Won't Argue With the Stats...

I sure thought sizes were more poundage. Of course, as they say, everything is bigger in Texas!

Best wishes-


Post# 973992 , Reply# 26   12/16/2017 at 11:27 (2,294 days old) by IowaBear (Cedar Rapids, IA)        

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When I was very young we had a GE Filter-Flo. I saw one in person recently for the first time in decades and was surprised at how small the capacity was.

 

Which explained why my father was dispatched once-a-month or so to the closest laundromat with the bedspreads and blankets.  I loved those trips, the laundromat had a separate island with extra-large Wascomats in different sizes.  There was one truly giant-sized one that I always begged to use but usually the items would all fit in the second-to-largest size, LOL.  Of course I loved watching the machines, especially as they went into spin and the suds poured down the glass door.

 

They also had a Bock extractor that we sometimes used.  I remember helping to tuck the top item in around the top per the instructions.  They must have had a serious warning label on them even back then because I remember he always made me stand back away from it when it was running like it might explode or something!

 

I don't own anything that won't fit in my FL Neptune (which is not large by the today's standards) so I haven't used a coin laundry for years.

 


Post# 974023 , Reply# 27   12/16/2017 at 13:27 (2,294 days old) by PassatDoc (Orange County, California)        

My Elux 60 series can handle an entire week's worth of work clothing (khakis and no-iron cotton dress shirts from LL Bean) in a single load. It takes only a bit longer to process the Elux load (loading/unloading slightly longer since there are more articles involved), and thus cuts my laundry time almost in half vs my former Frig 2140. With the 2140 I ran 3-4 loads a week. Now with Elux, only two: the no-iron load above, plus a load of bedding/towels (in winter I use flannel, which is compatible with towel wash/dry cycles). My laundry time is cut in half. In addition, while the largest comforter I own is a Queen, I'm freed from twice yearly laundromat trips, plus the $5-6 in coins needed to run a triple load machine and dryer. The 60 also had the cycles I wanted, and I rarely run small loads in it, unless there are only a few things to wash with separate care guidelines.

Post# 974024 , Reply# 28   12/16/2017 at 13:33 (2,294 days old) by PassatDoc (Orange County, California)        
people ask me for the name of my dry cleaner/laundry

agree with johnrk

In college, my freshman dorm had commercial Maytags with only Warm or Hot wash options. I had darkly colored items that bled and ruined other clothes in the load. From soph year on, my fraternity washroom had machines with cold wash, which I used for any darkly colored items, and the bleeding stopped

all of my button-down dress shirts are from LL Bean with a wrinkle free finish, so i wash them with khakis (same finish) on warm, then dry with a cool down cycle and hang them immediately. I have people asking me for the name of my cleaner/laundry because my shirts look so crisp. Answer: "Electrolux"

I only own a few white dress shirts, for those I use a very hot cycle with steam and they come out looking great, but it's somewhat wasteful since I only wash 2-3 items at a time in this manner (I keep the whites in a separate basket and wash them when I"m running out of whites)


Post# 974041 , Reply# 29   12/16/2017 at 14:38 (2,294 days old) by bendix5 (Central Point, Oregon)        

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Monday I weighed our laundry just for kicks. This included 2 queen sheets and 4 pillow cases. This was a weeks worth of dirty clothes for 2 not including towels. They get done on Wednesday. It was 27 lbs worth. That is spread into 4 loads. Whites (sheets and white socks) mixed colors (colored tees, unders and colored socks. Then a load of light shirts and wifes tops. Last a small load of jeans and a couple of vests. Average 6.75 per load. Our front loader is a Maytag,(Samsung) which we have had since 2005 and it is still going strong. I don't understand why they keep making machines bigger. My sis who is about 5'2' could never get clothes out of these new top loads with out a stool. She loves her front loader.


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