Washing machine, which should we buy?

[Davidglen77]

I have a CANDY lavasecarropas combination that has served me well for about 2 years now. The only time I had to repair it was when my cat Billy chewed into the water drain hose and I had to buy a replacement for 20 pesos. It´s a front loader and doesn't have the capacity of a top loader however if I put in 5KG of clothes it washes and dries them very nicely. It cost me 3,000 pesos 2 years ago I saw it recently in Garbarino it was 4,899 pesos last month. It has a lot of nice features like it adjusts the amount of water per the type and amount of clothes you put in, heats the water in the machine for hot water washing, uses very little detergent and clothes come out very clean. I recommend CANDY.

 

[katti]

I have a general electric/front load/6kg, don't remember what I paid 4 years ago. The last 2 years it is used intensively (10 to 15 loads a week) and never any problem.

My ariston dryer is not used very often and broke down once.

 

[steveinbsas]

We are shopping for a washing machine because it is getting so expensive to pay someone to wash our clothes.

How much are you paying? In response to potential expats who wanted to know how much it costs to live here, several expats have recently posted how "cheap" it is to send out their laundry. Please help by being more specific.

 

[citygirl]

I actually was wondering the same thing. I believe going rate for wash/dry for a load is 20-22 pesos. You're probably going to spend several thousand on buying a washer and dryer. That's a lot of wash/dry at a lavadero

 

[mhenna11]

Thanks everyone. This was so helpful. I remember when I had to buy a blender, what a headache, I was use to my Vitamix back at home and when I couldn't find anything like it, I was trying to fine one at least close to it. No luck, of course, but it was a long time before I found this out. So, Gracias!

 

[mhenna11]

How much are you paying? In response to potential expats who wanted to know how much it costs to live here, several expats have recently posted how "cheap" it is to send out their laundry. Please help by being more specific.

We pay 60-80 pesos a week, a big suitcase full of clothes. I found things get so dirty here, it's necessary to get the washing done this frequently. I live off of a main Avenue, maybe that is why. Do you guys find BA dirty? I lived in cities before, but I stopped opening the windows here because I found myself having to clean the floor a few times a day. We have such huge windows, but we don't open them anymore, jajaja. Oh well. Thanks for the washing machine advise, we really really appreciate it.

 

[katti]

We pay 60-80 pesos a week, a big suitcase full of clothes. I found things get so dirty here, it's necessary to get the washing done this frequently. I live off of a main Avenue, maybe that is why. Do you guys find BA dirty? I lived in cities before, but I stopped opening the windows here because I found myself having to clean the floor a few times a day. We have such huge windows, but we don't open them anymore, jajaja. Oh well. Thanks for the washing machine advise, we really really appreciate it.

it is a dirty city, I have my window open all day (exept maybe in mid winter) and and my furniture are constantly full of dust. i don't clean several times a day though, I accepted to live with 'the dirt'.

 

[Philsword]

Best way to do this is to ask how long you plan on staying. You will have to do a lot of laundry before there's any pay back on buying a machine as someone mentioned. You would probably have to be here multiple years before any payback. If you don't see your self staying long term then buying a machine probably doesn't make sense. Of course the other alternative would be simply to do your clothes by hand, probably done this way by a big majority of people in South America who can't afford clothes washers.

P.S. All the appliances I have had in Argentina are of poor quality and are not reliable. You need to fix and repair constantly to keep them running.

 

[mhenna11]

it is a dirty city, I have my window open all day (exept maybe in mid winter) and and my furniture are constantly full of dust. i don't clean several times a day though, I accepted to live with 'the dirt'.

I should try and do the same, live with the dirt.. .jajaja

 

[mhenna11]

Best way to do this is to ask how long you plan on staying. You will have to do a lot of laundry before there's any pay back on buying a machine as someone mentioned. You would probably have to be here multiple years before any payback. If you don't see your self staying long term then buying a machine probably doesn't make sense. Of course the other alternative would be simply to do your clothes by hand, probably done this way by a big majority of people in South America who can't afford clothes washers.

P.S. All the appliances I have had in Argentina are of poor quality and are not reliable. You need to fix and repair constantly to keep them running.

True, I am being spoiled, but we use to wash our clothes by hand until we moved here. In Central America, the clothes we wore were light, and the sheets we had were bad quality, I guess, but were so easy to wash by hand. And it was fairly clean there, we lived in a small town, although people used wood fire to cook their food, and cleaning was a daily task, our clothes never had to be washed as much. But we are being spoiled, and comfort is something we were craving once we left El Salvador. I am embarrassed how much clothes we need to get washed every other week. Do you wash by hand?
P.S Yes!! Appliances are awful here! El Salvador had better blenders than here, Salvadorian's, I want to add, were the most self sufficient people I have ever met, and they fixed everything. If it didn't work, they would find a way to make it work.