Kenmore Washer - Front Load HE2 Plus Review

This review is for a front loader washing machine that has made a tremendous difference in our lives. We have three children, two of which are toddlers and a third that is older and he claims the dirt and mud all find him. We purchased the machine a year ago to replace a 10 year old non energy efficient top loader washing machine which was also a Kenmore.

There are many reasons to purchase a front loader, two top reasons should be:

One that it only uses a small percentage of the water that is actually used with a older top loader. The best way to describe the difference is this: Older machines the utility tub fills up. This machine the water trickles out and only really fills to the very bottom of the tub maybe a inch of water. If you have kids, this is great because A. they all use too much water anyway so it greatly saves on the bill and B. When a sock or lint or a wash cloth gets left in the utility tub it will not overflow onto the floor and flood because it never gets that high even if something is stuck in the drain. That reason alone is a great one to purchase a energy efficient washer.

Two is that it gets the clothes so clean (almost to clean). We had kids clothes that we used the stain stuff on washed them countless times and they were either paint/play clothes or going into the recycling bin. Once we got this washer, 99% of them came clean. We put them in with no extra stain stuff and they came out looking like new.

There are also some other things to consider when considering buying this machine:

One you can only use the "He" soap and it is about twice the price of the regular soap and we can only afford to but the tide powder the liquid might break the bank. If you use a different soap I am told it will ruin the machine and I believe if it breaks because of it then you are on the hook because the warranty does not extend for this.

Two the machine is also as much as twice and in some cases three times the price of a regular washing machine.

Three since it is a front loader keep in mind the door opens to the side usually the side of the dryer so you have to lift the clothes up and over or around the door and in the meantime all small things are falling out of the pile that you just grabbed and falling onto the floor like socks. With a top loader they do sometimes fall between the washer and dryer but they will usually fall back into the barrel of a top loader. In this situation it is probably best to place a towel on the floor to catch all loose things so they don't hit the floor directly. Also, the washers can be purchased with stands that the washer sits on top of which also doubles as a drawer. These drawers will set you back another $200-$300 each. The benefit of the drawer is so that you don't have to bend all the way down to grab the clothes out. Without the drawers or stands the height from the floor to the door is only about a foot and a half, it's a lot of bending especially with wet heavy clothes. We do not have the drawer/stand.

Four When I said that it gets them almost to clean, your clothes tend to come out more faded. For example, if you put something of color in there it will leave the color as well as the stain behind. Maybe a little woolite will help this out but again another expense to having a front loader.

Fifth I worry about the little ones. Since it is so close to the floor, the door is like a vacuum packed seal but easy enough for kids to open from the outside no handle release from the inside. For example the older machines the door is tin or metal, pretty flimsy and opens up both in or out pretty well. These machines the kids think its okay to play hide and seek and end up on there. With anything it is another danger because of this and it all goes back to absolutely watching your kids at all times or locking the area up that it is kept in. A refrigerator would pose the same danger.

These are the pros and cons of the machine. If I had to make the decision over again I would definitely make the investment and get the front loader energy efficient washer for the same two reasons, cleanliness and water efficiency.

Also, on a side note most times the matching dryer is also purchased at the same time, we did not make both purchases together but I am told that when you have both it really does make your day because the dryer compliments the efficiency of the washer. I know of a couple of different people that also purchased the Kenmore brand of the front loaders and they love theirs as well. My mom complains that dirt or some say it is mold that gets trapped in the seal and that the washer begins to really smell but after a year of ownership we have not experienced that, thankfully.