Family of 7 Highly Recommends Maytag Neptune

We have owned our Maytag Neptune Washer for a little over a year now. With a hefty price tag of $1499 it wasn't an easy decision to go through with the actual purchase. Who in their right mind would spend $1499 on a washing machine? Weellll, I did. And I don't regret it a single bit.

Our family has 7 people in it, 5 of those being young children under the age of 8. We have lots of laundry. LOTS! On any given day I will put through anywhere from 2 to 4 loads of laundry. That's where the Maytag Neptune came into consideration. Being a front load machine it uses less water. There's no agitator in the middle so your clothes aren't being rubbed thin.

The front plate of this machine is a touch screen, soft touch bubble type pad. You first select your fabric: Hand Wash, Delicates, Wrinkle Free or Cotton/Sturdy. Choosing one of these types determines the tumble/pause pattern and spin speed for the wash cycle. HOLD THE PHONE! What the heck is a tumble/pause pattern?

Tumble/pause is the way the machine washes clothes. Remember that I said there wasn't an agitator? When you load the washer and push the start button the clothes will literally tumble in one direction and then the machine stops for a few seconds. It then switches directions and tumbles them the other way. Is that cool or what? With the simple push of a button you can also choose your wash/rinse temperatures, signal sound, start/pause, off and other options.

One of the features I like the most on my Maytag Neptune is the soil level/wash option choices. The choices are:
*Heavy Soil - for heavily soiled loads
*Normal Soil - for moderately soiled loads, most appropriate for everyday washing.
*Light Soil - for lightly soiled loads.
*Quick - quicker cycle time...can be used for newly purchased clothing that needs the store smell washed off or clothes that have been packed for long periods of time.
*Rinse - this is for rinse only and then spin.
*Spin - spin only...pretty self explanatory.

Once you've chosen all your options you hit the Start/Pause button and...nothing happens. Really! A few seconds later you'll hear the water starting in the automatic dispenser for detergent. This dispenser is separated into 3 compartments: detergent (liquid or grain), liquid chlorine bleach and liquid fabric softener. You guessed it...this hoopie will automatically release the fabric softener when it's time. No more Downy Ball or waiting around for the rinse cycle!

As with most washing machines the door on the front can be switched from side to another. We did this to make loading from the washer to the dryer easier. Changing the door requires a screwdriver and a few seconds of time.

So how do I know that my Maytag Neptune is so energy efficient? I don't. I don't have anything in writing anyway. What I do know is that doing laundry is a lot easier when the machine does everything for me. It's a very quiet machine too. My husband actually thinks it sounds like an airplane getting ready to take off. It's got a very quiet, low whistling type sound instead of the side to side swishing and grumbling that you hear from older machines.

We also have the matching dryer but that's another review. If you're looking for a washing machine that can handle very frequent washing I'd highly recommend the Maytag Neptune. We purchased at Best Buy in December 2001 and have had no problems at all.