Purchasing a brand new appliance is never easy. After hours of research and shopping you finally find the right model and just when you finish paying more than you were hoping to spend, the proprietor suddenly asks you if you would like to purchase an extended warranty. Minutes before he told you that this was the most reliable product on the market and now he is suggesting that it may break sometime in the next few years! The last thing you want to do is lay out more money and the farthest thing from your mind is that your brand new baby should break so fast!

Nonetheless, according to many experts in the retail field, it isn’t uncommon for an appliance to require some type of repairs during the first five years of its lifespan, especially since most appliances nowadays only have a life-expectancy of 8-10 years. Some say that the percentage of appliances that end up needing a service call during the first five years is as high 70%, making an extended warranty a worthwhile investment indeed!

When deciding whether or not to purchase an extended warranty, there are a couple of factors that must be examined in order to make the best, most educated decision.

Stay protected with an extended warranty.

Is it Worth it?

Most appliances come with a limited manufacturers warranty for the first year. Manufacturers used to offer an additional warranty for as much as five years that covered major components, however this was recently discontinued by all the main brands.

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There’s nothing like the smell of fresh laundry—clean, warm, and fuzzy. Although everyone loves having clean clothes, not everyone enjoys doing laundry. Getting clean can be fun and rewarding, but depending on the size of your family, it could be time consuming and exhausting as well. Each load requires bending down several times to insert and remove the laundry from the washer and drier, detergent and fabric softener has to be measured, and clean laundry has to be folded, not to mention putting it away! All that work is tedious and strenuous. Considering that the average family does almost 400 loads per year in their clothes washer, that’s hours of bending down, folding, and measuring! Anyone looking to purchase a new washer and drier or planning on renovating the laundry room might want to consider a few laundry accessories to help make their laundry experience more relaxing, efficient and enjoyable. We’ve done the research for you to help you to purchase the laundry accessories that are right for you and your family.

Whirlpool Duet Sport washer/dryer laundry pair on 10 inch pedestals, with work surface and laundry towers.

Laundry Pedestals
One of the most popular laundry accessories is a set of laundry pedestals. Laundry pedestals help to raise washer and driers so that you don’t need to bend down to insert or remove a load. Especially when it comes to front loader washing machines, where the door opens close to the ground, a pedestal can be a very valuable investment. Pedestals can also be used with driers, almost all of which open in the front. Laundry pedestals elevate washer and drier units from 8 to 15 inches off the ground, making it easy to use without straining your back with substantial bending. Trust us,your back will thank you! Pedestals are available in a variety of different heights and finishes and are built of sturdy metal to support heavy clothes washers. Generally, pedestals are not interchangeable and must be purchased from the same manufacturer as the washing machine. Although a washing machine can be elevated on a custom made wooden or cinder block platform for considerably cheaper, it is not usually recommended unless built by an expert craftsman. Since front loading machines direct their energy into the ground and result in a lot of shaking, it may weaken a homemade support overtime leading to a hazardous situation. Furthermore, pedestals are esthetically pleasing, built by the major brand names to match the washing machine finish.

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Smoke, pet hair, dust mites, heaven-knows-whatever-your-kid-came-into-contact-with-at-school-yuckiness; these are the enemies of clean clothes. Throw in recent reports of the H1NI virus and seasonal allergy alerts and you’ve got good reason to de-germ your garb, stat. Enter the steam washer. Following closely in the footsteps of its sibling, the steam dryer, the steam washer uses steam to turn up the heat on clean. And when it comes to washing, that means reducing allergens, boosting stain removal and sanitizing fabrics.

How Steam Washers Work:
Essentially, steam washers are everything normal washers are, but with the extra benefit of steam as a cleaning setting. This technology is built right into the washer, without the need for additional hook-ups or parts. Some machines directly heat the water in the tub while others use a steam generator that heats the water in a separate compartment before release. The steam complements the water throughout the cleaning process by increasing the temperature of the wash tub, offering an advantage to each stage of the cleaning process:

• Pre-wash cycle: While water fills the tub, the steam works with it to soak fabrics more thoroughly.
• Wash cycle: Steam increases the water temperature, causing detergents to dissolve more effectively and spread throughout fabrics, improving cleaning power and removing dirt and stains.
• Rinse and spin cycles: Steam increases the temperature of the tub to sterilize garments (no more adding bleach to towels and sheets,) remove hard wrinkles that may have formed while clothes were being tossed in the tub, and keep fabrics soft.

LG Steam Washer WM2801HLA

Cost and Features:
Unfortunately, the quest for a dirtless and disinfected wardrobe comes with a price tag.  Steam washers cost approximately two to five hundred dollars more than conventional washers. Top brands include LG Electronics (the company that introduced the first home steam washer,) Maytag, Whirlpool and Kenmore. Most, if not all, are front-loading for high efficiency –they spin out more water, so clothing dries more quickly but with longer cycles. And, thanks to the Department of Energy, steam washers use less water and power, giving you a break on utility bills.

When shopping for a steam washer, consider the features of the various makes and models. Some have cycles to help those with allergies, working specifically to eliminate dust mites and pet dander. Others incorporate steam with stain removers for an extra cleaning boost. Some steam washers have a self-cleaning option that uses steam to clean the tub, which most owner’s manuals recommend doing once a month.

To Steam Dry or Not to Steam Dry?
Your biggest decision in buying a steam washer may be in considering whether you climb the next rung on the laundry ladder and purchase a steam dryer as well. Like their cleaning counterpart, steam dryers use the high temperature of steam to deodorize and sanitize clothing but with the extra benefit of reducing wrinkles in both wet and dried clothes. Concerned about a mismatched washer and dryer set? Not to worry. Some brands offer matching sets even if either the washer or dryer does not include the steam option.

What price is peace of mind? If it’s paying more to ensure your coverings are leaving the wash as sanitized and as sterilized as the living quarters of Howard Hughes, then a steam washer may be the force driving your decision.

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