New and Unimproved

In this very fast-paced world, I feel like it’s very hard to be up-to-date when it comes to owning the latest model of anything.  Companies are always coming out with the next big thing and the newest model is always the latest and greatest with more bells and whistles than the last (cars, electronics, appliances, beauty products, you name it).

I am as guilty as the next person following trends and being influenced but what everyone is doing and what has become popular and mainstream.  I think it’s easy to fall in to this trap. We live in a material world and sometimes I am a material girl!

I like to know what the new products are and if newly improved models/products become available my interest is piqued.  The problem is sometimes the new model is not an improvement of the older model, this is rare but it happens. I am not the best at researching the ins and outs before I buy something.  I pretty much assume if a lot of people are buying/using something and the reviews are good, it’s worth a shot. I learned the hard way with the purchase of my latest washing machine.

We have a front-load washing machine.  And I hate it. We bought it when we moved in to our home a few years ago because it was the “new style” of washer that not only looked more sleek and modern, it was touted to save water and was better for the environment.  It was energy efficient and seemed like an upgrade from the old-fashioned top loader. It was featured in all the ads, all the model homes had them, and when you walked in to the store they were always out front for you to see.  So I got sucked in.

Yes the front-load washing machine looks nicer than a top-load machine.  But it has huge issues from my experience. Our clothes are not as clean because it doesn’t immerse the laundry in water it just swishes it around with the soap and just a little bit of water, I don’t even think the soap is washed out properly.  The capacity is small, I have trouble with large blankets and towels. And the worst part is the plastic ring that seals the door collects water and mold. Gross! It has so many ridges and grooves it’s impossible to clean and dry out completely. It’s not made to be removed but we managed to get it out and we had to soak it in a tub of bleach and water to get the gunk off and even then it wasn’t 100% clean.

In doing research about this problem (I know too late now) many people on the online forums have complained about this issue with all different makes and models of front-load washing machines.  I even contacted a few washing machine professionals to replace the ring to which they responded that this is a very common issue and a problem with front-load machines, and it’s not worth spending the money to have them come fix / replace the ring, it will just happen again. They basically said wait until it breaks and replace the machine because it’s more cost-effective that way.

This really irks me.  We spent money on this machine and use it every single day, we depend on it.  But it’s become a huge annoyance and a high maintenance appliance. My husband and I have just decided to ride it out and when it gets really bad or it needs some repairs, we will replace it with a trusty top-load machine. How sad!

I am all for saving energy and water but in this particular case I don’t think it warrants all the unnecessary drama it is causing to use the front-load machine.  Modern machines and technology bring so many new conveniences to make our lives easier and better, but the front-loader isn’t one of them. Sometimes new does not mean improved.  There’s a reason some things are tried and true.