Speed Queen has it fans—if user reviews are any indication—despite costing a lot more than most washers. And while other manufacturers tout enormous capacities, innovative features, and outstanding cleaning, Speed Queen promises 25 years of commercial-grade performance. Consumer Reports just tested two Speed Queen washers, including a $1,900 front-loader, and a Speed Queen electric dryer. You’ll see Speed Queen commercial washers and dryers in laundromats. The Wisconsin-based manufacturer claims its laundry appliances for home use are “built with rugged, commercial-grade construction and pushed beyond their limit” in the test lab to deliver 25 years of performance. Speed Queen even provides an online calculator that estimates how long their washers will last. It’s based on the number of loads you do each week. At 8 weekly loads the washer should last 25 years, but at 10, that number drops to 20 years. An asterisk warns this number is based on Speed Queen’s tests and not guaranteed.

These appliances are made in the U.S. and come with unusually long warranties—three years for parts and labor for washers and dryers with mechanical controls, five years for electronic controls. The industry norm is one year. Speed Queen top-loaders are among the more reliable washer brands, according to Consumer Reports Annual Product Reliability Survey of over 115,000 subscribers. There weren’t enough Speed Queen front-loader owners to qualify for our analysis, but our dryer brand data, based on more than 105,000 subscribers, shows that for electric dryers, LG is the most reliable brand with a 5 percent repair rate. Speed Queen’s was 10 percent (Fisher & Paykel was 20, making it the most repair-prone brand analyzed). Speed Queen Test Results Speed Queen AFNE9BSP113TW01 front-loader, $1,900 This front-loader scored 70 out of 100 and was the most expensive and fastest of the 39 we tested. It took 55 minutes using the normal wash and heavy-soil (max) setting. It has electronic controls so the 5-year warranty applies.

Cleaning was impressive and gentle on fabrics. This Speed Queen is water efficient and extracts much of it so dryer time is shortened. Vibration wasn’t a problem, but it's noisy and claimed capacity is just 3.4 cubic feet, enough for about 15 pounds of laundry. The top-scoring Samsung WF56H9110CW front-loader can fit about 28 pounds. Speed Queen AWNE92SP113TW01 agitator top-loader, $1,000 At $1,000 it’s twice the price of some agitator top-loaders. However, it has electronic controls so it comes with a 5-year warranty. Wash time is a brisk 35 minutes using the normal wash on heavy-soil (max) setting and cleaning was impressive and one of the gentlest on fabrics that we tested. But claimed capacity is just 3.3 cubic feet, fitting around 14 pounds of laundry and, like many agitator washers, the Speed Queen uses a lot of water, about 26 gallons to wash our 8-pound load and it's noisy. Overall, this washer scored 39 out of 100. In a past test the $800 Speed Queen AWN542 top-loader scored 29.

Speed Queen ADE3SRGS173TW01 electric dryer, $700 Not the most expensive of the group—the $1,800 LG DLEX9000V holds that title—and the Speed Queen’s capacity is very good; How To Register Dell Laptop For Warrantyclaimed capacity is 7 cubic feet. Where Can I Buy Coin Washer And DryerBut this dryer scored only good in drying, mostly because it lacks a moisture sensor and over dried our laundry when we wanted it somewhat damp (handy when ironing). How Much Does It Cost To Pipe And DrapeThe dryer’s temperature is higher, especially for delicates, than what we’ve seen recently. And this dryer is noisy. Overall score is 35. This dryer has mechanical control and comes with a 3-year warranty. Own a Speed Queen?

Why did you buy it and how long have you had it? Find a washer and dryer Consumer Reports tests models, month after month. Our washer and dryer ratings include dozens to choose from. Use the features & specs tab to help you decide, noting the dimensions of the appliances. Some with jumbo capacities are wider than usual. And take a good look at the brand reliability data. It’s like asking 100,000 friends and neighbors about their experiences with a brand. Go ahead and ask! You can likely share the clothesline in your B&B's back yard or on your hotel's roof. It takes about an hour and $10–15 to wash and dry an average-size load of laundry. Slim down your suitcase by doing laundry in your room every few days. I met a woman in Italy who wore her T-shirt frontward, backward, inside-out frontward, and inside-out backward, all to delay the laundry day. A guy in Germany showed me his take-it-into-the-tub-with-you-and-make-waves method of washing his troublesome jeans.

But you don't need to go to these extremes to have something presentable to wear. Do laundry in your hotel room, find a launderette, or splurge on full-service laundry. Washing Clothes in Your Room One of my domestic chores while on the road is washing my laundry in the hotel-room sink. I keep it very simple, using hotel laundry bags to store my dirty stuff, washing my clothes with hotel shampoo, and just improvising places to hang things. But you can pack a self-service laundry kit: a plastic or mesh bag with a drawstring for dirty clothes; concentrated liquid detergent in a small, sturdy, plastic squeeze bottle wrapped in a sealable baggie to contain leakage; and a stretchable "travel clothesline" (a double-stranded cord that's twisted, so clothespins are unnecessary). To make things easier, I bring a quick-dry travel wardrobe that either looks OK wrinkled or doesn't wrinkle. (I test-wash my shirts in the sink at home before I let them come to Europe with me. Some shirts dry fine;

Most European hotels prefer that you not do laundry in your room. Some bathrooms are even equipped with a multilingual "no washing clothes in the room" sign (which, after "eat your peas," may be the most ignored rule on earth). Interpret hoteliers' reticence as "I have lots of good furniture and fine floors in this room, and I don't want your drippy laundry ruining things." But as long as you wash carefully and are respectful of the room, go right ahead. Sometimes a hotel will remove the sink and tub stoppers in an attempt to discourage washing. Bring a universal drain-stopper from home, try using a wadded-up sock or a pill-bottle lid, or line the sink with a plastic bag and wash in it. Some travelers create their own washing machine with a large, two-gallon sealable baggie: soak in suds for an hour, agitate, drain, rinse. Wring wet laundry as dry as possible to minimize dripping. Other than a clogged toilet, there's little a hotelier likes seeing less than a pool of water on their hardwood floors.

Rolling laundry in a towel and twisting or stomping on it can be helpful (but many accommodations don't provide new towels every day). Hang clothes in a low-profile, nondestructive way. Suspend them over the bathtub or in a closet. The maid hardly notices my laundry. It's hanging quietly in the bathroom or shuffled among my dry clothes in the closet. Separate the back and front of hanging clothes to speed drying. Some travelers pack inflatable hangers. Don't hang your clothes out the window — hoteliers find it unsightly, and you might find it has blown away when you return from dinner. Laid-back hotels will let your laundry join theirs on the lines out back or on the rooftop. Smooth out your wet clothes, button shirts, set collars, and "hand iron" to encourage wrinkle-free drying. If your shirt or dress dries wrinkled, hang it in a steamy bathroom or borrow an iron and ironing board from the hotel (nearly all have loaners). A piece of tape is a good ad hoc lint-brush. In very hot climates, I wash my shirt several times a day, wring it, and put it on damp.

It's clean and refreshing, and (sadly) in 15 minutes it's dry. For a thorough washing, ask your hotel to direct you to the nearest launderette. In Western Europe, nearly every neighborhood has one; in Eastern Europe, launderettes are much less common. It takes about an hour and $10–15 to wash and dry an average-size load. (Many hostels have coin-op washers and dryers or heated drying rooms.) Better launderettes have coin-op soap dispensers, change machines, English instructions, and helpful attendants. Others are completely automated — but many of these have pictogram instructions that usually aren't too hard to parse. Look around for a sign listing the "last wash" time, and stick to it. When it's closing time, an attendant might come by to evict you, or the machines may simply stop operating. While the exact procedure varies, it usually includes the same steps as you'd encounter at a launderette at home. If you're planning on visiting a launderette, you could pack one or two small detergent boxes, although you can typically buy some at the launderette from an automated dispenser.

The soap compartments on most washers have three reservoirs: for pre-wash, the main wash cycle (normally at the top of the washer), and fabric softener. (Don't put your main soap into the pre-wash compartment, or it'll be washed away before its time.) While you might be able to pay at the washer itself, it's more likely that you'll have to insert your money at a central unit. Note the number of your machine, then type that number into the central unit and put in your coins (use exact change if possible — some machines don't give change). Sometimes a central unit dispenses tokens, which you then insert in the machine. Select your cycle, either at the machine itself or at the central unit. Below I've listed some of the cycles you're likely to see. The first number is the temperature in Celsius for the first cycle (pre-wash), the second is the temperature for the second cycle (main wash), and the third is how long the whole thing lasts: 45° / 90° / 55 m   whites (very hot)

45° / 60° / 50 m   colors (hot) 45° / 45° / 40 m   permanent press (warm) —  / 30° / 30 m   nylon (lukewarm) —  / 20° / 25 m   delicates (cold) Some washing machines have a built-in spin cycle; however, others leave clothes totally soaked. In this case, you'll need to put your wet clothes in a special spin-dry machine (usually called a "centrifuge" or something similar) to wring out excess water before moving them to the dryer. Drying time is generally available in smaller units (5- or 10-minute increments) rather than as a full cycle. Most machines let you choose the drying temperature: low (cool and slow); medium (warmer but still slow); and high (speedy but shrinky). Because both washers and dryers at launderettes can be unpredictable, hand wash anything that you value dearly. While waiting for your clothes, use the time to picnic, catch up on postcards and your journal, or chat with other customers. Launderettes throughout the world seem to give people the gift of gab.