Doing laundry is about to enter an eco-friendly frontier.

 

 

Holy Spacely Sprockets – where do I start?! In mid-March, Elaine and I strolled into the Sears Home department at the Orchard Park Mall. It was Saturday afternoon and we were on the hunt (big gulp!) for a new washer and dryer. Appliance Consultant Don showed us around. Having not been even slightly hip to the latest in laundry luxuries – I was blown away at what turned out to be a Jetsons episode.

 

 

 

 

 

By George, it was a freak show of front loaders and futuristic features. Never imagined that washing undies would require PowerFoam™, VRT®, Smart Care™, and Self-Clean+®. Never imagined that we would have the options of buying this dynamic duo in the eclectic tones of white, refined wine (Merlot) or several (not 50) shades of gray.

 

 

We chose the Samsung set in Merlot. Lordy, Lordy – ain’t we fancy folk?! Laundry duties just went the route of jetpacks, flying cars, robot maids, and moving sidewalks. Beam me up – Elroy. At the sudsy prices we paid, we should have the cleanest clothes in Kelowna with nary a wrinkle or crinkle. Ring-around-the-collar, not gonna happen in our twin towers with Energy Star® power.

 

 

 

 

Heck, these gaudy gadgets with chrome door trim should also do our taxes, paint Elaine’s nails, and make spinach lasagna for dinner. Here’s my point. God created four seasons – Samsung created 11 washer cycles and 13 dryer cycles. God gives way-better warranties.

 

 

Okay, Sammy. You’ve earned and deposited our Canadian loonies. Now it’s time to showcase the innovative cleaning technology under your shiny hood. WOW us with a few examples why our chosen model of washer was ranked “highest in customer satisfaction with clothes washers – five years in a row” by J.D. Power and Associates in a 2009-2013 Laundry Appliance Study:

 

PowerFoam – this technology gets large loads of laundry thoroughly clean – while going easy on delicate items. By mixing your detergent with air and water, it fills every inch of the Diamond Drum® with a thick foam that penetrates fabrics more quickly and deeply than the usual water-and-soap mix.

 

VRT – this Vibration Reduction Technology provides a smooth and quiet operation at spin speeds up to 1,300 revolutions per minute (RPM). VRT significantly reduces vibration and noise, and improves handling of unbalanced loads, including small loads, for a quiet, pleasant laundry experience.

 

Smart Care – this technology is an automatic error-monitoring system. It detects and diagnoses problems at an early stage and provides quick and easy troubleshooting solutions through the LCD screen or with a smartphone app (depending on your network connection).

 

Self-Clean+ – for the ultimate in convenience, this technology keeps the drum, and also the gasket, hygienically clean. It removes the odor-causing bacteria that can form inside the machine, including the door gasket, without using harsh chemicals, so it saves money. And it can even notify you automatically when it needs cleaning after every 40 cycles.

 

The dryer, another masterful marvel with a stainless steel drum, Eco Dry (select this function and the machine will automatically adjust the drying time and temperature to reduce energy consumption), and a drying rack, doesn’t garner flashy headlines like the washer. It’s almost literally the red-headed step-appliance. We’ll find out soon enough about lint traps.

There’s no rinsing the truth. We’re counting on these LED speedy spinners carrying us for a long time. One load at a time – performing at peak performance. Don’t wanna get into a foamy lather with repairmen and online searches for parts.

 

One air-dry addendum – all Samsung Direct Drive Motors (our washer has one) come with a 10-year warranty. That’s a blanket statement – what does it really mean and what does it cover? Gimme at least six months before I write my version of a consumer report.