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Which Washing Machine?


Rita
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Still trying to get organised for our B&B and just wondering which Washing Machine to buy?

Have any of you any recommendations? ie. would it be better to get an American top loader? If so where do I find one UK or France (Dept 53)?

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks

Rita

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Hi,

We bought 2 with us from the UK but one went bang so we had to buy another here.

The top load machines don't seem to take the sam load as normal front loaders. Speed of spin is important, the faster the better although we found it hard to find a combination of large load and high spin speed.

We settled for a LG 8kg with 1200 spin which works well and has a time delay. We also bought a drying machine.

We currently have 3 rooms, shortly to be increased to 4 for next season and they are all ensuite. We have one machine for colours (towels etc) and one for whites (sheets and pillow cases). We use the dryer in the winter and always put the towels in with a damp cloth to 'fluff' them up.

All our appliances have delays of 3, 6 and 9 hours so we can set them to start on cheap rate electricity to save on bills.

I think I am right in saying that all washing machines in France are cold fill only.

Good luck with the B&B.

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Yes, Quillan, you are right, all machines in France are with cold fill only. The reason is that most people still have their water heated by electricity and a washing machine heats the water up faster than their hot water tank and it uses less electricity.

I've had my hot water tank changed to solar power and oil burner (supplemented in the winter), so for me it is much more economical to have a machine with a hot water intake. Consequently, I'm hoping and praying that my washing machine, which came with us from England, doesn't pack up in a hurry!
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It was our newer one that went bang and it's all electronic. The reason they couldn't repair it in France was that their equivelent model is cold fill and the 'mother board' is different, something to do with the programming, to take this in to account. Aparently if it is a mechanical thing or a pump or main motor you are OK as the parts are the same. Our old Bendix which must be nearly 30 years old and has one of these big mechanical knobs on just keeps going, perhaps low tech is the way to go after all.
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Quillan,

Thanks for the good wishes, we won't be open until next year but just trying to get everything sorted in my head. We will have 2 rooms at first and eventually 5 so like you will need a large drum size.

Think you're right though that low tech just seems to go on and on, when we moved last time gave our son our old washing machine and bought a new one. His is still going stong and ours is on it's last legs.

Think I will look around in UK and see, only got a couple of weeks though so will have to get myself in gear.

Thanks for the advice everyone.

Rita

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[quote]Quillan, Thanks for the good wishes, we won't be open until next year but just trying to get everything sorted in my head. We will have 2 rooms at first and eventually 5 so like you will need a large...[/quote]

Doesn't seem much point in buying new in the UK if you are moving to France? As Quillan said, he couldn't get his repaired here so perhaps better to buy in France and then your machine will be guarenteed and you will also be able to get someone out to repair it.

We have a Bosch toploader (cold fill and bought in France) which works perfectly but probably not big enough for a B&B. Salesman wondered why Brits wanted to watch their washing go round LOL!!

good luck and happy shopping........helen

 

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[quote]Doesn't seem much point in buying new in the UK if you are moving to France? As Quillan said, he couldn't get his repaired here so perhaps better to buy in France and then your machine will be guarent...[/quote]

And they are cheaper. You won't need to buy a 'Y' piece to join the hot and cold together and you won't have to change the plug.
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You actually get a better wash from a cold fill. I do most of my washing on 40C and don't use powder most of the time, I use washing balls. In the UK with a hot fill I had to use 60C for the same effect. When asking the reason I was told that hot water actually sets stains whilst cold water allows them to float off. Blood is a prime example, set for ever if you are unlucky with hot water. If you have very stained washing, put it into the machine with your powder, cold fill, start the wash, turn off and then leave overnight - that used to be called soaking in my mothers day.

What annoys me is that I get bright white cotton sheets by using a very hot wash and oxygen bleach, hang them on the line and then get ruddy fly spots all over them.

If I was washing linen for paying guests I would use washing powder (which I do about once very couple of months or when I get a really dirty load). I have supplied all the family with washing balls as excema is rife in the family and it really seems to help. You also don't need fabric conditioner but we do live in a very very soft water area.

The best washing machine I ever had was a real top loader with the paddle in the middle. It did huge amounts of washing and took about half an hour. I was persuaded to change to a front loader when we fitted out our kitchen years ago and it was the worst thing I ever did. New washing machine lasted 11 months with same amounts of washing and took hours as they do. Perfectly good washing machine ended up in the tip. If I could buy another one I would do so in a shot. These machines are also supposed to spin better as the centrifugal spin is in the right direction helped by gravity, so it causes less wear and tear on the machine.

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It depends on the make, but it is often possible to add a hot water inlet. Brands that are made for a wider market (Bosch / Siemens for example) can often be adapted in this manner. Remove the top of the machine (turn the power off first!) and have a look around the cold water inlet. There is often a blanked off inlet for hot water. If you are feeling confident then this can be opened up and used. I'd wait until the guarantee has expired though, since doing this is bound to invalidate it. The value of doing this from a money-saving standpoint depends on how your water is heated, but solar heating should make it worthwhile. I agree 100% with Iceni, though, that a better clean is obtained by wetting the stains first then heating to wash them out. There's no reason that the same effect couldn't be obtained (though not possibly to the same extent) by spraying stains before loading them into the machine.

In terms of brands...we've been disappointed with Miele appliances, and we've not been happy with Phillips / Whirlpool either. I'd swear by Bosch / Siemens though - one of our collection is 7 years old and has done two children's worth of terry nappies. We reckon its done about 1500 loads so far, and I THINK that manufacturers design on the basis of 1000 load lifetimes, though I'd be happy to be corrected if someone knows better.

If space is an issue, we've had very good experince with a Brandt toploader. Depending on your setup and the frequency that you need to wash, a pair of standard 5-6kg models might be better than a large "industrial" model. Our experince with gites has been that having two machines running Saturday pm through to Tuesday allows us to wash all linen and towels in time for the mamouth ironing session to meet the following Saturday changover. I'd imagine that for the more rapid turnover of linen in a B&B a larger capacity machine would be more appropriate.

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Definately do NOT recommend an A*****rM****n/E********x machine, it is rubbish. In four years I have had two new motors and a new control panel. It's used regularly as normal by a family of four adults and when the five year guarantee runs out next year,any future problems will result in chucking it on the dump and buying a different make. Last time I printed the name,I got told off but it is two male names and a well known name in the UK who also make vacumn cleaners.
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When we bought our campsite B/B 4 years ago, we bought to of the cheapie 'Bluesky' Lave linges and two Seche linges for far less than the branded equivalents and without the ridiculous 'extended warranty' and (touch wood) we have had no problem with any of them. If they hold out fo another year or so, it will have proved worth scrapping them and buying two new ones.
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[quote]Query for Iceni (or anyone else who knows): What is a "washing ball" please?.... Mrs H[/quote]

Washing balls are plastic balls filled with minerals which take the dirt out of washing without the need for chemicals. If you have excema or other allergies they are wonderful. They also cost a minute amount compared with the cost of washing powder and last for about a thousand washes.

I have been using these for a couple of years with great success. It also keeps the washing machine clean with no powder residues. I have used them on the dirtiest boiler suits and door mats with good results. You also don't need fabric conditioner as they soften the water.

http://www.ecozone.co.uk/product_info.php?products_id=314&osCsid=57b0fa02781326d786f0addd4ad0c69a

I have no affiliation to the company above. I have tried the Lakeland version and they do not compare but if you have a Lakeland near by, buy a couple or three of their balls and give it a go. I found one Lakeland ball had no effect.

The balls are really good if you have a fosse as the less chemicals you can dump down that the better.

Back to work now

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Good site, Di, thanks.

Do the washing balls thoroughly remove the dreaded fly spots?

Mrs H:

Last year, I saw washing balls in Champion in Vire but haven't looked recently. I may purchase from the site Di recommended and if so, do you want some too? The company only deliver to the UK but I get stuff sent to my parents and pick up from there. We can discuss.

Carole
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[quote]Good site, Di, thanks.Do the washing balls thoroughly remove the dreaded fly spots?Mrs H:Last year, I saw washing balls in Champion in Vire but haven't looked recently. I may purchase from the site Di...[/quote]

They do remove the fly spots. I also use oxygen bleach for whites and coloured that need an extra boost. The current thinking is that you only need to use washing powder about once a quarter to deep clean. In our grandmothers day clothes were warn for at least a week (including underwear which in some cases were hardly ever changed [children being 'sewn into' their winter underwear for the duration...]) and needed a good boil. Today we change mostly daily and in some cases more than once a day so they need a light wash. We also use pure cotton hankies as I am allergic to paper hankies (the dust) and they get a very hot wash with balls and oxygen bleach and come up nice and clean as do serviettes.

Hope that they work for you.

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*** I may purchase from the site Di recommended and if so, do you want some too? The company only deliver to the UK but I get stuff sent to my parents and pick up from there. ***

When I rang to make a query before ordering my 'balls' I was told by ecozone that they will deliver to France, but delivery is fairly expensive. Perhaps worth it if a group of friends/acquaintances get together to place a order?

Sue

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I've got the washing balls and used to use them on all my washing but I wasn't happy with the results. They didn't do an adequate job at stain removing and my whites turned gray. They also broke after a few months and when I queried this with the company they replaced them but told me that the balls are not designed to be used on 'all' your washing, but now and then only.

I now use them for towels but have gone back to washing liquid (concentrate) for the rest.
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[quote]I've got the washing balls and used to use them on all my washing but I wasn't happy with the results. They didn't do an adequate job at stain removing and my whites turned gray. They also broke after...[/quote]

Christiane

This is totally the opposite to what the site says and also the literature that comes with the balls. I would demand your money back under the sale of goods act. The amount of testimonials on the site and the fact that the balls are Ecozone's biggest seller would make me think that they would refund your money with no problems.

I have used them with both oxygen bleach and chlorine bleach and after 18 months they are still going strong and have not needed refilling. I am very sorry you have had problems, do follow it up. I did say that I used washing liquid quarterly and also if I wanted my whites to be really white I would use bleach with both the balls and washing liquid. There are optical whiteners in almost all washing powders and this is why washing without them looks grey.

Again, I have no interest in the balls or the company.

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  • 2 weeks later...

It is worth bearing in mind that companies like Whirlpool now offer a warranty which is valied and transportable within all EU Countries.

We went for Whirlpool as the saving for a Washingmachine and Tumble Drier was over £500 (Cheaper in UK than France).  The cost of a 'Y' piece was £0.75p (Quite a saving).

I do not work for Whirlpool, my wife just loves their gear - never a fault.

Regards,  Mike L

 

 

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