If you’ve read any of my recent posts on laundry (see list below), you know that it’s a chore I absolutely loathe. I would rather spend an entire weekend cleaning the tile in my bathroom with a toothbrush than do my laundry. Okay, that might be a bit of a stretch, but let’s be honest, laundry sucks–especially when you happen to live in an apartment that doesn’t have in-suite washers and dryers so you have to haul everything down ten floors when you need clean underwear or towels.
Needless to say, because I hate it so much, I tend to let it accumulate to the point where it equates to about 10 loads. Let me clarify here, those 10 loads are what happens when I deal with my apartment building’s tiny washers and dryers. That’s why I invite myself to my parent’s place for dinner whenever I can so I can make use of their brand new, large capacity laundry pair. Doing so cuts my 10 loads down to five at the max, saving me time, sanity, and a whole lot of loonies and toonies!
Why a high capacity laundry pair?
Just like refrigerators range in size from those suitable for an apartment to those ideal for the most gourmet of kitchens, so too do laundry pairs range in size. As you can imagine, the larger the washer and dryer, the more they can fit, and the fewer loads you will need to do.
Considering the fact that a typical full-sized washing machine can handle about three to four cubic feet, or 12 to 16 pounds of laundry, and a standard dryer handles about twice as much so clothes can tumble freely and dry more quickly, it’s not surprising that laundry pairs like this one from Electrolux can cut your laundry time in half.
Its front-load washer can deal with five cubic feet of laundry, which is more than 20 pounds of dirty clothes. 20 pounds! Right there, you’ve cut the number of loads you need to do almost in half. It also has an eight cubic foot steam dryer, which means you can toss more than one load from the washer into the dryer to speed things up ever further.
If a five cubic foot washing machine isn’t quite large enough for your needs–perhaps you have a large family, or like to amass huge amounts of dirty clothes before you wash them like I do–then a top load laundry pair is an even better bet. Most front load washing machines cap out at the five cubic foot capacity mark, whereas top load washing machines, like this top load steam washer from LG can have capacities as large as 6.1 cubic feet. That’s enough space to fit a king-sized comforter and a full set of bedding in a single load.
It’s really not rocket science. The larger capacity washer and dryer you have, the more you can put in them, which will effectively cut your laundry time down by at least a third. Add to that the fact that most new high capacity laundry pairs come with multiple settings and cutting edge technology that helps keep your clothes looking new longer, and you really can’t go wrong.
Check out my other laundry posts:
- Laundry steamers and why you need one
- How to wash clothes properly and keep them looking new
- How to cut your laundry in half each week
- How to iron a dress shirt
