What do you look for in a washing machine?
By Gina Spadafori
January 11, 2008
Me? I value the ability to wash pet bedding. Of course.
Time to replace my clothes washer, and I really cannot complain since I’ve had it for pretty close to 30 years. In all that time the only constants have been a couple of really good friends — including Pet Connection director of photography Morgan Ong — and family (and geez, but they don’t have a choice but to stick around, do they?). Oh yeah, and a little ceramic terrier my Nonna gave me in 1961.
In last 30 years I’ve moved eight times, owned five cars and out-lived quite a few pets.
And washed more than 4,500 loads, rough estimate.
Usually I get weirdly and probably inappropriately sentimental about old warriors like my Kenmore, but not this time. Although I appreciate its many years of fine service, washing machine technology has moved on in wondrous ways. I have purchased an amazing front-load machine that uses less energy, less water and — wow, I’m still in disbelief – will accommodate an entire large dog bed because there is no center agitator to get in the way.
Life is good.
Front load all the way!
congrats!! i’m jealous to a degree. but must say, going to the laundry mat isn’t too bad either. a whole row of front loads, lol!~ there is surely something to be said about getting pet bedding and throw rugs out of front loads over top loads. the lack of struggle is just heavenly.
this reminds me of getting all excited when you finally get the vacuum that REALLY works with pet hair. my friend just got one and was glad she could gush about it to me, since i totally understand . . . ;)
enjoy your new machine and i hope you have a nice long friendship together!
Comment by straybaby — January 11, 2008 @ 4:36 pm
Hey Straybaby-do share the vacuum secrets!
Nancy
Comment by nancy freedman-smith — January 11, 2008 @ 5:06 pm
Washing machine? That’s easy! Volume! I will never return to a top loader.
And vacuuming pet hair… I use and love my Dyson but here is the best tip, spray static guard first, it will help cat hair and downey undercoat to come off much more quickly.
BUT if you have birds, move them to a different room or outside prior to using the sprays. I’ve never heard of a problem but it doesn’t hurt to be careful
Comment by JenniferJ — January 11, 2008 @ 5:32 pm
it’s a Dyson! I have the canister style, which i don’t think they make anymore. i have all hardwood/tile and throw/area rugs). friends have the upright though and are as happy as i am. i have 5 cats (1 DLH, 4 DSH) and on Dal who’s hair is the type to weave it’s way into your life and stay there . . .
another tip. damp sponge or yellow dish glove and circular motions for furniture before vacuuming. i also sometimes go over the big area rug with a rubber push broom before to loosen up the stuck Dal/cat hair. aka i missed a reg scheduled vac!
i can’t say enough about the amount of dust/dirt/allergens the Dyson handles along with the pet hair. and i can wash the dirt chambers out. we’ve had a LOT of construction the past year or 2 and with the windows being open many months, a good vac has been real nice :)
Comment by straybaby — January 11, 2008 @ 5:49 pm
Jennifer J —
Thank you for the Static Guard tip. I will try spraying it on my wonderfully comfortable, incredibly well-fitting pair of Eileen Fisher woven wool pants (no, I’m not rich; I cashed in a Xmas gift card) that, alas, attract Golden Retriever hair like nothing I’ve ever seen. Will let y’all know what happens.
Comment by Susan — January 11, 2008 @ 6:25 pm
I have a Dyson, too. It’s amazing.
Comment by Gina Spadafori — January 11, 2008 @ 7:07 pm
Isn’t it amazing how we buy appliances and furniture with the pets in mind? I always procrastinate when it comes to replacing furniture because it entails measuring heights [can the smallest one make it up there easily?] and fabric durability. And let’s not forget that sofas must be “nest-able” for the ones that want to burrough in. Oh yes, then there’s open carpet space which is play area for the pets [and me]. Can’t buy anything bigger than is already there.
A close friend contends the furniture isn’t the problem….the flooring is. She likes to keep a house a few years, then build another one. Every time her husband pleads for wall-to-wall carpeting, but she nixes that in favor of granite on the first floor. “Just in case someone has an accident,” she says.
Ah, the things we do for our pets.
The Static Guard: I’ve always had dry fly-away hair in cold climates. A friend told me to spray my hairbrush with Static Guard, then brush my hair. It really does the trick.
JenniferJ, you meant spray the animal, right? You don’t spray Static Guard directly on the pet do you? [Should you?]
Comment by Lynn — January 11, 2008 @ 7:11 pm
Not on the pet!
Spray the Static Guard on the furniture, drapes, rugs etc a few minutes prior to vacuuming. It won’t always help, alas, with the “woven in” hair but alot of hair that “clings” comes up much more easily.
Comment by JenniferJ — January 11, 2008 @ 7:46 pm
re Comment by Lynn — January 11, 2008 @ 7:11 pm
It’s nice to know I’m not the only one. “No, we can’t buy that upholstery/buy that carpet/ put furniture there because…well, where will the dogs lay/play?” :)
But seriously, a vacuum question… we need a new one, BAD, and with a lab, a terrier, and three cats, it has to be tough.
We’re not opposed to spending the money for a Dyson *if* they’re actually *that* much better. Some of our friends swear they are. But others say they’ve gotten other vacuums for $200-300 less that are just as good. (Consumer Reports, also, does not love Dyson. Just sayin’.)
So, that said, who swears by what vacuum? I’d appreciate any feedback. And thanks in advance!
Comment by LauraL — January 11, 2008 @ 8:05 pm
Well, a poster on a dog board I frequent says she’s got a Miele that’s much better than a Dyson (but not much cheaper, from what I hear).
Comment by The OTHER Pat — January 11, 2008 @ 9:43 pm
I’ve heard very good things about the Dyson. Mine is a Miele “Cat and Dog” that friends always want to borrow. But the best thing was replacing all the wall-to-wall carpet with laminate flooring.
The washer/dryer combo is a 22 year old Maytag set from back in the days when Maytag was good.
Comment by shibadiva — January 11, 2008 @ 9:50 pm
We bought a Dyson about 6 months ago, and NOTHING beats it for pet hair. Consumer Reports only tested it for its ability to *pick up* pet hair. They said nothing about how most vacuums clog horrendously if you have a ton of pet hair.
I have 2 long haired dogs (Border Collies) and 4 cats (2 of which have long hair) and my Dyson has *never* clogged, even when I’ve missed vacuuming for days. And, it does a pretty darn good job of picking up the hair, too.
I will never own anything else.
Comment by Andrea — January 11, 2008 @ 11:26 pm
I like my Dyson, but it got moved upstairs as a second vac.I got the Bissell healthy home vac & it beats the Dyson on hair & allergens hands down ! The day I got it I had just run the Dyson & when I redid the lr with the HH I had to empty it before I could finish the living room.Its also bagless & cyclonic & can be washed out. I usually wash it every other time I use it.The best feature is the hose will reach all the way up the steps.And it picks up the sand the dogs track in off the hard floors.
Comment by Leslie k — January 12, 2008 @ 12:16 am
Andrea, I’m glad you mentioned that about CR. I also thought their testing might be for an “average” household — one dog, one cat, maybe — and thus wouldn’t look at the real fur fest that is the homes of some of us with many pets.
I always think the retrievers “don’t shed much” (I know the shepherd does, and the Sheltie, for all is beautiful long coat, keeps most of it attached). But I had Heather at the vet two days ago (she had surgery for a mass removal yesterday, and is fine) and at the end of the appointment I looked at the tile floor of the exam room as we left… ohhh, quite hairy!
Clara, for her luscious long-haired catly self, seems to add little to the fur-licious environment, probably because she and I are both pretty keen on keeping her well-groomed.
So what about us “super-pet” people? The Dysons (they’ve sent three of them here for testing, over the years) really do seem to suck up everything, never lose power and they’re easy to empty.
Home-vac systems seem tempting (maybe if I ever move, or build) but I wonder what happens if you get a hair clog in the walls? Actually, I don’t wonder — I know!
Comment by Gina Spadafori — January 12, 2008 @ 7:43 am
Before we got the Roomba, we had a very nice Eureka upright. It did ok on the bamboo floors, but seemed optimized for carpet. Then we indulged in a Eureka Mighty Mite just to use for the car interior. It did such a fantastic job that we sold the upright and use the Mighty Mite in the house when we need a quick vacuuming (the Roomba does a good job, but takes over an hour to do each half of the house). The MM doesn’t have a HEPA filter or any other bells and whistles, but, boy does it have great suction and cost a fraction of the Dyson, which I understand really is quite a machine. The business end rotates so it is easy to get under tables and sofas, where fur tends to congregate.
So I would recommend it for anyone with a multiple animal household ( we have four cats and a rough collie with a BIG coat) and who is on a tight budget. We bought the MM and the Roomba from Amazon.
Speaking of which, Gina, did you ever get a Roomba to test drive?
Comment by Susan Fox — January 12, 2008 @ 8:38 am
I got the Roomba for my husband for Christmas and we love it! Our carpets are noticably lighter and it pulls everything off the floor — cat hair, dog hair, Christmas tree needles — without any problems.
Lindsey and Pepper have decided that the Roomba is not alive (there appears to have been some discussion between them as to whether or not it was a new pet), but prefer that I block its way with a chair (which they understand), rather than the lighthouses (which they don’t) so that they can stay out of the room that it’s cleaning.
Comment by Dorene — January 12, 2008 @ 9:51 am
I want to know if a Roomba has enough power to accidentally suck up a tail from a sleeping pet? And can the pet get out of the fur-hold without being scalped? I can just see MeeToo chasing it around the room. And what about dust bunnies in the corner? Does the Roomba manage that?
Gina - time for a controlled experiment.
Comment by Lynn — January 12, 2008 @ 8:33 pm
I am writing a blog about vacuums and pet hair over on my blog and I was wondering if static spray is that much differnt from using a dryer sheet. Need to know in Maine-Nancy
Comment by nancy freedman-smith — January 13, 2008 @ 5:15 am
The 500 series Roomba has special brushes that clean out the dust bunnies in the corner. It also seems to be able to sense something before it, so it slows down and, if the object is still there, just touches it gently.
It makes some noise, so unless your pet is deaf, I don’t think it will stay sleeping in the same room with it — mine get up and either follow it around or leave the room.
The 500 series also has something that lets go of rug tassels and electric cords — which actually appears to work, as the IT husband has cords all over the place — so while I don’t think it would suck up a cat’s tail, even if it did, it would probably release it quickly.
Comment by Dorene — January 13, 2008 @ 7:10 pm
Nancy,
I don’t know about the spray or dryer sheets, but for pet hair and static issues, i use vinegar and water solution in a spray bottle. you can add a couple drops of Essential Oil (peppermint/lemon/etc).
in the laundry, i add vinegar to the rinse cycle. i have also heard baking soda works and i’ll be trying that this week. we should be having a high static week here, lol!~
i’ve found straight water works great for pet hair removal on clothes and furniture. i usually use the vinegar mixture on the furniture just to keep any doggy odor at bay.
part of the reason for using these combos is less toxic to animals and most commercial things like sheets and sprays just make me sneeze :)
Comment by straybaby — January 13, 2008 @ 11:07 pm
Does anyone know what is the best washing machine that removes dog hair.
Comment by K Davis — February 3, 2008 @ 11:25 pm
Hello! Any verdict on the washing machine topic?
My machine has died due to excess dog/cat hair, AGAIN, and it’s time to buy another….. must accomodate large dog beds, cat blankets, and hairy stuff of all kinds.
I can’t fathom dropping a grand on another machine that can’t handle my life! Any feedback on this subject is appreciated - whether you’ve got a new one (07 models and later) that you love OR hate. THANKX!
Comment by Michelle — March 29, 2008 @ 11:38 am
I think she answered it here?
http://www.petconnection.com/b.....g-machine/
Comment by The OTHER Pat — March 29, 2008 @ 12:21 pm
Other Pat,
Thank you for the link to the follow up, but I can’t find where Gina may have named the washer? *so curious*
thanks : )
Comment by Michelle — March 29, 2008 @ 12:39 pm
I have had my new washer-dryer for almost three months, and I have washed EVERYTHING in it, from dog beds to comforters to “delicates.”
It totally rocks.
I bought an LG pair, not the most expensive with the steam finishing (too much $$$) but the next level down. Haven’t regretted the purchase for a minute.
Here’s the washer:
http://www.lge.com/products/mo.....70bd.jhtml
Comment by Gina Spadafori — March 29, 2008 @ 12:43 pm
THANK YOU!!
Comment by Michelle — March 29, 2008 @ 12:45 pm