Need a Washing Machine That Actually Washes

Moi Too on 06/01/2025 - 11:13

I sometimes do the laundry at our house. We have an old Hoover. Lately, whenever I put a load in, the stupid thing shuts off in the middle of the spin cycle. It's because the load has bunched up to one side of the tub, and put it off balance.

No matter how carefully I arrange the items in the tub, and get them all equally distributed, they always end up off-centre. Doing the laundry now involves standing by waiting to sort out the load when the machine spits the dummy.

There must be a machine that has addressed this latent flaw in washing machines? Anyone know of any?

Electrical & Electronics Washing Machine

Comments

  • StonedWizard on 06/01/2025 - 11:18

    How small is this load?

    Even new machines will struggle if your load is too small.

    Maybe consider hand washing or a mini/benchtop washer.

    • Moi Too on 06/01/2025 - 11:28

      Small or large, it doesn't matter. Although, I find it happens less often if I only put a couple of things in. Then there's more room for them to swish around and they don't bunch up.

      Not into hand-washing. We use lots of towels etc..

      Isn't there a large machine that doesn't have this problem? I would have thought some mob would have addressed this by now.

      • StonedWizard on 06/01/2025 - 12:37

        A large load should definitely spin and complete without issue. You need to define how small your load is.

        If you're washing 2 - 3 hand towels or 1 normal sized towel, it would be an issue with the load being unbalanced and this is a fairly common problem with front loaders.

    • HeWhoKnows on 07/01/2025 - 07:52
      +1

      This could be the answer for OP

      Top Load Washer | How to fix a load imbalance and level your washing machine….

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mnvfK__mKbU&t=80s

      If not, could need new dampers (top loader) or tub bearing (front loader)

  • Duckie2hh on 06/01/2025 - 11:21
    +6

    must be a machine

    Dang, I was going to suggest you find a wife.

    • TheMills on 06/01/2025 - 11:31
      +2

      High expectations!

    • JIMB0 on 06/01/2025 - 13:11
      +2

      To put a load into?

    • boomramada on 06/01/2025 - 13:45
      +3

      Perhaps OP complaining about the wife, and now want to replace with a machine :)

  • sumyungguy on 06/01/2025 - 11:29
    +12

    Yes, pretty much every front loader on the market

    • Loopholio on 07/01/2025 - 08:58

      My front loader has never done this and it's 14 years old. You're just a frontist biggot!

  • Moi Too on 06/01/2025 - 11:30

    You're saying front loaders never have this problem?

    • sumyungguy on 06/01/2025 - 11:39
      +6

      They have imbalance detection and are programmed to redistribute the load. Worst case the machine will error out with an uncompleted spin. You then have to redistribute manually and repeat the final spin. This happens maybe once a year at my place.

    • try2bhelpful on 06/01/2025 - 11:49
      +13

      No front loader I’ve ever had has shutdown due to load imbalance. They rotate vertically so the clothes continually tumble and drop down to the bottom rather than caught around the agitator.

  • Moi Too on 06/01/2025 - 11:37

    I suppose that makes sense. Different mechanism, different operating action.

    So, what 's the downside of front loaders?

    • sumyungguy on 06/01/2025 - 11:42
      +7

      Front loaders have longer wash cycles but higher spin speeds so your end-to-end time is much the same. There used to be a perception that top loaders had higher capacity but the market is pretty much over this now.

    • Duckie2hh on 06/01/2025 - 11:49
      +7

      Upside is lower water usage per cycle.

    • freefall101 on 06/01/2025 - 11:56
      +4

      Not being able to just flip over the dirty clothes basket to dump it all into the machine, instead need to grab handfuls and throw it in.

      Need to remember to clean the seal around the door on a front loader, plus you need to pause it if you want to drop something extra in (it used to be a lot of front loaders wouldn't let you put in more once it had started). But basically front load is better than top load in all regards. It's why there are so few top loader models on the market (looking at TGG, they sell 24 top loader and 90 front loader models.

    • try2bhelpful on 06/01/2025 - 11:59

      https://www.weekendnotes.com/top-loaders-vs-front-loaders-gu…

      I didn’t think the article was great but it had some useful links.

      To me the only real disadvantage of the front loader is you can’t add any more washing once the cycle starts. You have to cancel the cycle, this drains the water. You then can open the door to drop in the item and then starting the whole cycle again including adding laundry detergent.

      • Moi Too on 06/01/2025 - 12:17

        I didn't know that, but of course it makes sense. I suppose you'd just have to take a few minutes to work it out before beginning, not just dumping an armful of stuff in and hitting Start.

        Thanks for that link. :)

        • try2bhelpful on 06/01/2025 - 12:19
          +1

          No probs. Hope it helps.

          Used to have top loaders early on. Haven’t looked back since we went front loaders.

      • waade395 on 06/01/2025 - 12:57
        +2

        you can add items to front loaders. If it's a small load mine just unlatches the door if you pause it. Otherwise there's an 'add an item' button you can press.

        • try2bhelpful on 06/01/2025 - 13:00

          Thanks. Ours can’t because it wants to drain off the water. What model do you have and what size?

      • bamzero on 08/01/2025 - 12:50

        I thought most of them these days have an Add item button or just pause and it will unlock the door (up to a certain point, and if its in a wet cycle can take a minute or two to let the water settle before it unlocks) (Have an LG 11kg now, but even my old Technika from years back did this)

  • Moi Too on 06/01/2025 - 11:45

    Yes, that's what I've always thought, that they wouldn't take as big a load as a top loader..

    But several smaller loads would be better anyway, I'd have thought.

    Thanks.

    • sumyungguy on 06/01/2025 - 11:47
      +2

      Have you ever weighed a basket of washing? Even 5kg is a massive load, but consumers like bigger numbers so the whitegoods industry happily obliges.

      • dust on 06/01/2025 - 11:52
        +2

        Who weighs their basket of washing?

        I normally just fill it till I think it's full and then yell across the house to my spouse to check if it seems full enough and then press start.

      • Moi Too on 06/01/2025 - 12:12
        +1

        Yes, you see these ads where they claim the machine will take X tonnes of clothes. I've never weighed a load but I think 10kg of stuff like clothing, towels, undies etc would be a helluva lot of things.

        • try2bhelpful on 06/01/2025 - 12:34

          We found most stuff is fine with our front loader. What we have had issues with is bedding like pillow top underlays. We usually wait for really hot days then just wash them in the bath, squeeze out the water and dry outside. We’ve found even if we can squeeze it into the machine the filling gets bunched with the spinning.

          • Moi Too on 06/01/2025 - 12:43

            @try2bhelpful: Yes, we do similar, with bed sheets etc, Not in the bath, but we soak them in the laundry tub and then sort of hand wash them.

            We have sometimes washed double bed sheets in the machine, but she has to wrap them evenly around the agitator, and then add nothing else.

            But even then, it sometimes fails.

            • try2bhelpful on 06/01/2025 - 12:59
              +2

              @Moi Too: Sounds like you, definitely, need a front loader. In our case we have Miele. They are expensive but work well. Our first one lasted 13 years and our latest is currently 10 plus. We could’ve got the first one repaired but we decided to upgrade anyway. The service guy who took the first machine was going to refurb and resell.

              • Moi Too on 06/01/2025 - 13:14

                @try2bhelpful: Whoa, expensive all right! I think we'd have to settle for something a bit cheaper. Like Bugs Bunny's "Acme" brand. :)

                • Baysew on 06/01/2025 - 16:38
                  +2

                  @Moi Too: You will probably end up buying the coyote's "Acme" brand.

                  • Moi Too on 06/01/2025 - 16:57

                    @Baysew: Oh yes! It's the coyote who uses Acme isn't it!

                    :D

  • Drakesy on 06/01/2025 - 12:33

    Get a new front loader.

    Simplez

    /thread

    • Moi Too on 06/01/2025 - 12:43

      Got any recommendations re brand?

      • Shadowsfury on 06/01/2025 - 13:18

        Like our Bosch.

        • sammm on 07/01/2025 - 08:27
          +1

          I have had a Samsung front loader for over 10 years and its great. there is even a quick cycle which is only 28 minutes.

      • larndis on 07/01/2025 - 09:26

        Have had several LGs and been very happy with all of them. Returned an 8.5kg Bosch that could only fit about 3kg, half of what I could wash in my 7kg LG. No one at Bosch could explain to me how the 8.5kg capacity was determined.

  • Murkymerv on 06/01/2025 - 13:07

    Buy a top loader machine , Simpson.

  • yippy on 06/01/2025 - 13:26

    LG top loader, doesn't have the agitator thing in the middle.

    • Moi Too on 06/01/2025 - 13:27

      Interesting. I'll google that. Thanks.

    • joshash on 07/01/2025 - 07:45

      I own one, they dont wash that good

      • yippy on 07/01/2025 - 07:49

        I have one too and have no complaints with it. Just don't over fill it otherwise the clothes don't get agitated properly.

        • joshash on 07/01/2025 - 10:31

          Yeah, this is my problem - I always have too much in it.
          I just got back from a holiday where the places had front loaders, they really do wash the clothes better

  • Gunther on 06/01/2025 - 13:36

    Speed Queen Toploader and you'll never look back!

    -Commercial grade
    -Never off balance, massive tub size
    -30min wash cycles
    -5 year warranty

    • Moi Too on 06/01/2025 - 13:40

      Yeah no a bit exxy for us.

    • Murkymerv on 06/01/2025 - 15:28

      You forgot the expensive part !

      • Gunther on 06/01/2025 - 16:30

        Designed to last for 25 years+…. $2500 on a deal thats only $100/year

        • Murkymerv on 06/01/2025 - 18:33

          Fair point ✅

  • bargaino on 06/01/2025 - 13:47
    +3

    Why are people still suggesting a top-loader in 2024? Ugh! They should have gone the way of the Twin-Tub by now.

    • Moi Too on 06/01/2025 - 14:02

      Top loaders do have advantages. It's just those central agitators that let them down. Very bad design flaw, imo. They take up space and they tangle the load.

      Machines should have long tabs around the perimeter of the drum, protruding slightly into the water, I reckon.

      • plmko on 06/01/2025 - 14:27
        +1

        A central agitator is essential to wash your clothes properly using less detergents and rotating clothes to remove dirt.

        Ask yourself why hand washing is the most effective and is the most gentlest on clothes, it's because your hands act as the agitator. Without an agitator you are relying clothes on clothes contact which is how you damage fabric.

        The only reason for the removal of the agitator is because Asian manufacturers have come to dominate the industry and their customers prefer the space saving traits and this then preferences front loaders. Marketing is more than happy to oblige and push this despite the weaknesses.

        • Moi Too on 06/01/2025 - 15:14

          Yes, you must have a way of agitating of course, but I'd say that protruding 'arms" built into the inner circumference of the drum would agitate as well, if not better.

          I'd post a diagram if I knew how to do it.

          • Kelpei on 06/01/2025 - 15:40
            +1

            @Moi Too: Is this what you are referring to?

            Many front loaders already have this

            • Moi Too on 06/01/2025 - 16:21
              +1

              @Kelpei: Yes! That's exactly what I mean. I don't know why top loaders don't have something like that. Maybe they'd have to be a tad more extended inwards than those in the front loader in the pic, but basically the same principle.

      • Murkymerv on 06/01/2025 - 15:30
        +1

        I've had a top loader without the agitator and I can say it doesn't work well at cleaning clothes properly. Never again.

        • Moi Too on 06/01/2025 - 15:36

          I'd probably put the water in and let the load soak for an hour or two first. Then, any kind of agitation should get them clean?

          Just a thought.

          • Murkymerv on 06/01/2025 - 18:32

            @Moi Too: Never had to do that ever in my life , thankfully I'm not starting now !

            • Moi Too on 06/01/2025 - 18:44

              @Murkymerv: I thought everybody did that.

              • larndis on 07/01/2025 - 09:28

                @Moi Too: Get a front loader it will just wash without any mucking around

  • Protractor on 06/01/2025 - 14:31
    -3

    We have an old Hoover

    Your relationship with this WM is over.
    It's said "it's not it, it's you."

    "Top loaders do have advantages. It's just those central agitators that let them down. (LOL) Very bad design flaw,(LOLLER) imo. They take up space and they tangle the load.

    Machines should have long tabs around the perimeter of the drum, protruding slightly into the water, I reckon."

    Off you go Moi, for decades engineers have obviously had it all wrong. Time for you to re-invent the WM and rake in the cash.

    Humour me,what's the actual age and model of that Hoover.

  • Moi Too on 06/01/2025 - 15:10
    -1

    Yeah I'll humour you, right after you've just slagged me.

    smh

  • ihbh on 06/01/2025 - 21:08

    Got a friend? Go to their place and watch how their washing machine washes flawlessly.

    Might mean you need to replace yours with a new/second hand one.

  • jrvb42 on 07/01/2025 - 09:45
    +2

    Looking at other comments, the problem might not be with the machine, but rather that the machine is not levelled correctly.
    Much the same as water spilling on one side of a fountain if it's not level, the same will happen with the load in an unlevel washing machine.
    Worth a try to run your level over the machine - left to right, front to back. Couldn't hurt!

    • Moi Too on 07/01/2025 - 18:21

      I know it's level, so that's not a problem.

      I did think that maybe one of the long springs that anchor the tub might be broken. Haven't had time to upend the machine and check, though. I suppose I'd better do that, before running out and buying a new machine, eh.

  • goody on 07/01/2025 - 09:49
    +1

    For last 3 yrs have a Fisher & Paykel FabricSmart 8.5kg Front Load Washing Machine WH8560F1 - now discontinued.
    No dramas at all, will get off-centre a few times per year with odd loads (1 heavy item etc).
    Only my opinion but use a tiny amount of powdered detergent, avoid liquids and never softeners and run it on clean cycle once per month or two with a cup of white vinegar - and leave door open to dry after use each time.
    Front loaders also are a lot gentler on your clothes and they last longer - again IMO.
    Had a Bosch FL for best part of 20 years and with a few running repairs it kept going and going.
    Big fan of F&P and had them in rentals with no issues despite hard use and neglect.

  • Easyteas85 on 07/01/2025 - 11:57
    +1

    Just get a half decent lg front loader

  • TK Deadwalker on 08/01/2025 - 12:42

    Would the Hoover happen to be a 500M series? Mine has the same problem. It's still going strong after 20 years. But I have been meaning to buy a new one recently.

    • Moi Too on 08/01/2025 - 12:50

      It's the 500 MD. We've had it for a loong time.

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