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apologies for yet another boring question; er..washing machines?!


mint
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Reading all your posts, I laughed my head off and I couldn't help but think, "now what have I started"?

Between Id's machine that stank to high heaven and everything else, I am not now sorry that I posted.

Might have to grasp the nettle and pay for a Miele as nobody, so far, has contradicted Wooly's post that Mieles are worth the money.

I have had some unfortunate experiences with 2 English so-called artisans and am in the midst of sorting out all the less than workmanlike things they have done in the kitchen and the dressing room.  It wasn't that I was looking for English workmen, it was just that the French ones either didn't reply or said they would just, for example, put up units but not the floor or the decoration.

The upshot is that we have had to pay double for the shoddy work, getting in French artisans to re-do what les anglais did wrong.

I look back with nostalgia to when life was altogether simpler, machines were made by Hotpoint or Proline or Candy or Indiset; there was no worrying about whether a Bosch was made in Spain or China and all you did was go to Curry's or Comet and they'd deliver and mak[:D]e sure it worked and you were up and running.  There were no "opinions" unless you subscribed to Which and you somehow just got on with life......

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[quote user="gardengirl "]Having never heard of Haier until I read posts on here, my attention was caught by a report about a Haier washing machine, or rather 2 of them. Apparently they are bringing out double washing machines so that 2 loads of washing can be done at once, having separate ones for whites and colours, or woolens etc, stacked one above the other, with only one water inlet. No prices as yet.[/quote]

Apparently there was an article in the Daily Mail yesterday about this; some of the comments were priceless.

I felt quite sympathetic towards the person who said : I deliver and install washing machines.

Have I now got to look forward to carrying one a great deal heavier up flights of stairs?

IMO it might pose a few installation problems too.

[IMG]http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2015/09/04/10/2BF6E1FF00000578-3222034-image-a-22_1441358985534.jpg[/IMG]

Sue

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Our Haier is a single decker machine and quite compact. Bought from our local electrical shop, we use this place a lot and they are good at coming out and sorting electrical problems chez nous.

For the record our w/machine in the gîte is an indesit.

Buying for our permanent home I'd probably go for Bosch again or Miele.

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Hi guys, have come to say thank you to everyone who has commented.  Wonderful forum this for sounding out people's experiences and thoughts; you had me swinging from front loader to top loader and back again to front.

Considered the Miele and actually not that expensive for their most basic front loader.

However, I haven't had 5 minutes to go to the shops and I have this minute made a spur of the moment purchase.

It's a Samsung, from Darty, with an offer of 100 euros off in a vente flash so really it being so cheap I thought it was too good to miss and no big deal if it in its turn conks out after its 2-year guarantee.

Free delivery on Tuesday, they will plug it in and make sure it works, they will take away the old machine and I can get washing by Wed if all goes to plan.  It's not as though we are a family with half a dozen children so it should be "good enough" and that's OK for me.

Thank you to all my kind and helpful virtual friends[:)]

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[quote user="mint"]

It's a Samsung, from Darty, with an offer of 100 euros off in a vente flash ...

[/quote]

The Samsung eco-bubble came top of Which's top of the washers last year when I thought my wm was on its last legs. I would have been quite happy to buy one except, as it turned out, it was a false alarm and, after being upended and cleaned out, our 2008 washer continued/still continues to fight another day.

Sue

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Sue, this isn't the eco bubble, it's a cheaper model than that but it seems to give me more than I could imagine at its ridiculously low price.

After I've used it a few times, I should know if it will do and Darty gives you 15 days if you changed your mind.

Emboldened by the thought that I'd be able to wash by Tues evening, I've put all the clothes I've worn today in the wash basket and the towel I have used for my shower.  Life is just such a nice, comfortable ride sometimes that I must absolutely enjoy it while it lasts[:D][:D]

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Pommier, time will tell as, when I have paid for it, I had a confirmation email to say it will be delivered NEXT Tues 15.

I suppose Tues is the day they deliver to our area and the website will always give you "next Tues" but, once the confirmation comes through, it will tell you WHICH Tues![:-))]

That's OK, I had emptied both wash baskets and it's only another 6 days to wait!

I think of all those poor migrants who can't even wash themselves, nevermind their clothes and I feel truly blessed that I do have enough clean clothes, towels, etc to last much longer than a week.

Will let you know about the machine when I have tried it, Pommier[:D] 

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  • 2 weeks later...
Pommier, the machine came yesterday as expected, it was a bit late in the day but we were the last delivery.

Worked a treat and is very quiet.  You could choose your programme, cotton, etc and also the TEMPERATURE which goes up to 95C!  I was on the point of replacing some of our tea towels (me having been totally unsuccessful in training OH to use tea towels for their intended use and to tell the difference between tea towels and hand towels) but I washed some at 60C and they are much cleaner than with the previous machine.

Will try the 95 degrees, nearly boiling, and no need to stir things over the copper cauldron after all.....[:P]

Also, the clothes are a lot dryer as the drum is almost totally dry after the spin cycle.

I feel a bit like a time traveller who has moved centuries into the future, what with all my new machines in the kitchen as well.  All seem so much more efficient with so many clever things they can do.  Only problem is I am not clever enough to have sussed out all their different functions[:-))]

All the old machines were years old and the technology has certainly improved dramatically. No excuse any more for being mal nourie and mal fringuée[:)]

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No, Teapot, nothing to do with that creep, Bublé or whatever his name is, I thought he was American[:-))]

This is a WW70J32383KW1, it was on Vente Flash and, when I saw it and skimmed through the blurb, I thought it would be just fine.

7 kg drum and it seems to swallow a fortnight's washing in a couple of gulps!  Silent, not bad to look at, can be programmed to make full use of the heures creuses.  Does take 30 minutes longer than the old machine so now have to set it up for night use as the daytime heures creuses only last 2 hours 30 minutes and the machine likes to take its time at 3 hours...............well, can't have all one's Christmases come at once, can one?

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No Mint, Canadiene,  But living at least part time in Purley suburb of Croydon

Well our Bosch is making bearing noises on spin, only replaced the motor brushes a couple of months ago so might do the bearing change but we haven't been happy with this machine since we had it so might change it.  I fail to see how you can wash clothes in a couple of cup fulls of water, that must make the water like the washing up water we saw from a street vendor in Thailand, more soup than washing water [:-))][+o(]

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Glad that your machine arrived and is working well Mint. Don't you find that although machines have multiple programmes available, you (well, certainly I) just use 2 or 3 of them? My daughter reckons that it's a good idea to wash all the tea towels at 95 degrees every 3 months or so as it cleans all the insides of the machine.
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Not only washing machines, ovens too, Pommier.

This one only has about 5 or so programmes I think but I like being able to choose the temperature. 

I deliberately chose an oven with only about 4 programmes which is all that I shall ever need.  Mind you, I wish the light could be independent and come on without having to choose a programme as it's often useful to be able to just have the light on.

Now Pommier, any advice on oven cleaning products?[:-))]

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 I wash all my towels and tea towels every couple of weeks at 95°. And I only use four programs on my washing machine.

Far too many as far as I am concerned, and they worried my FIL when my MIL died. His dotty sisters were telling him to use this program for this and the other for that, and I said, just a 40° wash, number (whateveritwas) and he managed just fine with that. Not quite what I would do myself, but he had never set the washer going in his life before.

My friend, who is a cleaning maniac loves Oven Pride to clean her oven. I ALWAYS get self cleaning if I can........ me not being like my friend. I have seen Oven Brite on Amazon France, maybe that is the same?

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Id, I am glad we have come round to ovens!  Nevermind the thread drift............it's my thread anyway[:D]

New oven performing well but I did have to get used to it.  Heats up in next to no time but tends to be a bit fierce so I was burning some things earlier on.

No soggy bottoms and burnt tops, which you and I so worried about now I have made friends with it.

A Scottish friend kindly gave me some Bramleys and I made an apple cake.  In the old oven, such a moist cake with lots of fruit would deffo have had a burnt top and a soggy bottom.  The cake I made was lovely and moist but not gooey, and that was what finally sold the oven to me.

I have made your mascarpone pastry for salmon en croute and homity pie and the results were excellent.

I saw Oven Brite but I am not sure about the strong, caustic chemicals in that product.  I have read about using bicarb of soda and vinegar and I am willing to give it a try.  Any idea where you can buy big quantities of bicarb in France without paying through the nose for little sachets that are alimentaire grade?

I did have a pyrolyse but I am not so keen on using high temperatures to burn stuff off and you still have to clean the shelves which are the fiddley bits. 

Years ago, there was something called Kleen it Off and it was in a little rigid plastic sachet with a sponge that you wipe over all the shelves and insides with, leave overnight, rinse off in the morning and everything was incredibly clean but, search as I might, I can't find it anywhere.

Anyone know of any French products that work well?

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  • 2 months later...
Sorry to be boring, but I bought a Samsung bio a few months ago and was astonished at how efficient it was. Plus, and it will sound bizarre, all the whites look cleaner, brighter - and I know, I sound like a commercial and even surprised myself with these thoughts ... but there you have it. I had a Miele a few years ago - the Samsung was cheaper, better value and more fun.
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