Hello
We are thinking about upgrading some of our facilities and one of the things that we would like to include is a washer/dryer. I was told that getting a top load washing machine/dryer is a very bad idea for washing blankets. Does anyone have any experience with this?
Is it all top loaders or just the ones with the center piece?
thanks!
Front load washers, at least my Whirlpool Duet, are great for washing heavy weight Rambos and everything else that’s takes up less room. 
I used to use the top load with an agitator and, yes, I could get them clean but it took about 3 or more washings for the heavy weight Rambos.
[QUOTE=msj;8056644]
Front load washers, at least my Whirlpool Duet, are great for washing heavy weight Rambos and everything else that’s takes up less room. I used to use the top load with an agitator and, yes, I could get them clean but it took about 3 or more washings for the heavy weight Rambos.[/QUOTE]
Did you ever have problems with the blanket straps getting caught around the agitator? that is why it was suggested not to get a top loader, but it would be so much easierto find a top loader in my price range.
I have a top loader in my barn together with a dryer and I love the set up. It was there when I moved in and so far it works well.
I buckled all the surcingle straps etc so that wouldn’t happen. Might be why it took 3+ washings, but I seriously doubt it.
In my own opinion, spend the extra money and get the largest capacity of a front load that you can. You’ll save your self in the long run.
Can you recommend a brand/model of front loader that has worked well for you? The one we have gets very grungy and hard to clean when I wash anything heavily soiled. My old top loader seems to handle dirt and hair much better. But maybe we just have the wrong model of front loader? It’s not the musty seal issue that lots of people have, but more like the machine seems to collect all the dirt rather than washing it away to the filter. Anyone else noticed this with a front loader?
I use a toploader to wash turnouts.
It is a heavy duty Sears model at least 12yo & does a great job getting them clean in one wash.
No problem yet with straps tangling around the agitator.
I do turn the blankets inside out (as I want to make sure the horsy body grunge gets off), so maybe that makes a difference?
I can fit horse size 82 & pony’s 57 in the same load.
Sometimes the spin cycle doesn’ t get them as damp-dried as regular laundry but the dryer handles that.
[QUOTE=MissMilly;8057221]
Can you recommend a brand/model of front loader that has worked well for you? The one we have gets very grungy and hard to clean when I wash anything heavily soiled. My old top loader seems to handle dirt and hair much better. But maybe we just have the wrong model of front loader? It’s not the musty seal issue that lots of people have, but more like the machine seems to collect all the dirt rather than washing it away to the filter. Anyone else noticed this with a front loader?[/QUOTE]
To be fair it isn’t a particularly large size load, just standard afaik, but my housemates have an LG that they got a few years ago now (on sale because it is VERY VERY VERY red) and it is really a very nice machine. Gets stuff very clean (admittedly I have only tried rugs and a dog bed, not a horse blanket because I don’t own a horse ) and seems to handle itself well with regards to things being off balance or thumping around - it has some kind of fancy sensors so it stops and displays an error code if it starts having problems, rather than thrashing itself to death or hopping across the floor.
My parents did have a front loader with some problem where it seemed like stuff wasn’t getting clean, and I think it turned out to be an issue with the pump somehow. My dad replaced the pump himself because it wasn’t hard to get at, and it worked fine again after that. So perhaps have someone come in to look at your front loader you have now and make sure it’s actually functioning properly? When I lived in England we only had front loaders and I don’t ever remember having a problem where it seemed like the dirt wasn’t being washed away - I wouldn’t consider that expected behavior at all. I mean, some of the ones in the houses I rented in England were not top of the line front loaders at ALL, so if anything was going to wash poorly, I would’ve expected one of them to do so.
Most of the new top loaders do NOT have an agitator and are the same as the front loads in that they have a big drum. So it depends on your model. I got a new top load, no agitator, huge drum, this winter. I love it so much I am afraid to use it for my horse blankets!
[QUOTE=Flash44;8057432]
Most of the new top loaders do NOT have an agitator and are the same as the front loads in that they have a big drum. [/QUOTE]
I was going to say this also. We got a new washer and dryer a year or two ago and I wanted an “old fashioned” model that wouldn’t try to tell me how to do my wash (FYI those don’t seem to exist anymore) and it was hard to find a model with an agitator. They’ve gone the way of the dodo.
I have a top load with an agitator in my basement specifically for horse things. Does it work? Yes, but sometimes it takes more than 1 wash if something is particularly dirty. It also doesn’t spin them as well to get the water out, but I hang them to dry so that doesn’t bother me so much.
On the other hand, I’ll admit that I do use my normal front load washer sometimes for things like shipping boots (top load doesn’t do well with these) and saddle pads (because it keep the shape a bit better).
I got my top loader barely used and FREE from a family member. It’s certainly good to have, but if I were to actually buy something I’d go for a front load. On a budget I bet you can find a decent top load for pretty cheap.
Look on CL for a used commercial washer. I have had both a Speed Queen and a Wascomet. Both awesome commercial washers that I got used for around 600 or 700 each.
Both were coin operated. The first one we just kept a jar of quarters and when they ran out, we opened it up and retrieved them. For the second, one of my students tinkered with it and made it work with no coins required.
Both were great machines that could hold 2-3 blankets at a time and got them super clean!
I am only washer free right now as my barn is much smaller with no room for one.
I guess someone forgot to sell my garage sale top load washer…
I just have the one in my house, it works just fine, clothes, saddle pads, boots, blankets, what else can you think of?
I do use Soak for a few hours if it’s really grimy/ground in, then rise, run a regular wash cycle, works great.
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