My mother always says to me, “We never had ______ (fill in the blank) and we managed just fine. While I agree with her that simple usually is best most of the time, I really can’t go back to using an ordinary washer and dryer. My Whirlpool washing machine is about 80% smarter than my old washing machine in ways I never thought would matter in an appliance. Whether I have a stain in my toddler’s favorite leggings or a shirt that really should be hand washed, my Whirlpool Duet is smart enough to adjust water temperatures and washing cycles to accommodate almost anything I wash in it. My jeans even have their own cycle!
So you might say – do jeans really need their own cycle? Well, if you have ever washed jeans and tried to dry them in a dryer, then you may have had to put them through more than one cycle to get them washed. Also, did you know if you wash jeans with t-shirts, the shirts will wear out quicker? Just think of how rough your jeans are, then imagine your other clothes beating against them in the wash. So yes, my jeans need their own cycle.
When my hubby first saw all the options on the washing machine, he was completely overwhelmed. He promised to always bring the laundry downstairs and back up for me, so long as he never had to go near that machine. I found his offer comical, but didn’t respond too soon. I needed to play with all these features first before I let him off that easy. After about five minutes of playing with the machine, I noticed I could make my own cycles. PERFECT! So now, there is a cycle already pre-set for the following: baby clothes, normal clothes, cloth diapers, sheets, and towels. All he has to do is turn the dial to “My Cycle” and choose the appropriate cycle. He doesn’t even have to measure out detergent and I will tell you why in the next segment!
I haven’t measured out detergent since receiving my new washing machine. It has a small container that I fill to the top about twice a month. Depending on the load and cycle, the Whirlpool Duet can accurately measure out exactly how much detergent is necessary. Note: The Whirlpool Duet is a High Efficiency washing machine and carries the HE logo. This means that you can only use HE detergent. Any other detergent may ruin the machine. Afraid you won’t find HE detergent or that it will be more expensive? Nope! It is the same price as other detergents and may actually run a bit cheaper because you are using much less detergent per cycle. How’s THAT for smart?
Lately I’ve tried to do all my laundry on the weekend because I have my toddler in various activities throughout the week. A few times, my hubby and I have decided to leave the house before the laundry was done. Specifically last weekend we weren’t sure when we would be back home and worried that the clothes in the machine would sit and have to be rewashed – ever get that moldy smell? YUCK! Then I remembered the Fan Fresh option on the Whirlpool Duet and ran back into the laundry room to turn it on. The Fan Fresh cycle will rotate the clothes once the cycle is done to keep them fresh. It also turns on a fan so that clothes won’t get musty.
I have an Eskimo blanket that my mother in law gave us when we got married, and my mother always advised to take it to the laundromat to have it washed since they had the heavy duty machines. She warned that the weight of the wet blanket would break the barrel of the washing machine. She was probably right – if we were talking about an older, top loading machine. However, with my new Whirlpool Duet, I have the option for a heavy duty load setting and it can handle this blanket just fine. It tosses it around and doesn’t even shake or make a peep! My previous machine also had a heavy duty option, but let me tell you – my neighbors knew when I was washing this blanket because the machine would slam against the floor and shake during the spin cycle.
Just a few weeks ago my machine wasn’t feeling so fresh – and it told me. Wait, you mean a washing machine isn’t self cleaning? NO! I can personally tell you that residues from your clothes, detergents, and softeners will get left behind in your machine and may even cause the stinkies. What are the stinkies you might ask? Well – have you ever washed a load of laundry only to open the door once they are finished and find they smell worse coming out then they did going in? THOSE are the stinkies. We actually had this problem with our old machine. We didn’t always have this issue, but the last few months before getting the new machine we were at a loss as to why the clothes would smell. I even went so far as to hike my laundry to my moms house just to see if her even older machine could do a better job. I changed detergents, softeners, you name it – I tried it. The Whirlpool Duet will tell you to pop in an Affresh tablet, push the option for that cycle on the machine, and let the machine do the rest. In about an hour you have a shiny, fresh smelling machine!
So, with all these options, you might find that simple may not always be the best way to go. Or maybe you will think like me and figure that all these options actually SIMPLIFY your life because everything you need is at your fingertips! I choose to go with that statement. I find that laundry is no longer “the bain of my existence.”
Thank you Whirlpool and Mom Central for this awesome opportunity!!
Disclosure: I wrote this review while participating in a test-drive campaign by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Whirlpool and received a complimentaryWhirlpooll Duet washer and dryer to facilitate my review.