High Efficiency Front Load VS Regular Top Load Washer

Keith is here to show you the difference between the new technology of the high efficiency front load washers and the older technology top load washers.

New HE Front Load Washers

With the new front load washers, one of the first things that you will notice is that there is a HE symbol where the soap dispenser. The HE symbol stands for high-efficiency. This tells you that the machine does have the new technology and that you need a certain type of soap with the HE logo. You will use less soap and use soap that is less dense. 

Front load washers use less water, your clothes will come out more dry after a cycle, and will ultimately save you money. Each cycle with a top load washer will use between 3-5 gallons of water. There are usually 2-3 cycles per load making the total amount of water used to about 10-15 gallons. People tend to use the extra rinse cycle as a way to really wash out all the soap in the load. This is good for people who tend to use too much soap. 

One question that we hear a lot is, will this amount of soap really clean my clothes? The answer is YES! Using less water means that it requires less soap and that you should stick to the manufacturer's maximum amount of soap.

 One other great benefit of using the high-efficiency washer is that it uses less electricity. The drum does spin faster, but with the newer technology, the appliance unit will use less electricity.

Old Top Load Washers

These washers have been around for 40- 50 years with really no new technology. These are the same washers that you grandma has used for years.

The big tub can hold from 10 to 30 gallons of water in each cycle filling it to the top. Each load takes about 2-3 cycles similar to the new technology. But when adding up all of those cycles, you are using about 60-90 gallons of water per load. That is a huge difference! With more water requires more soap to evenly distribute it out. This is why you use more soap.

Because of how much water you are using, requires more soap, more electricity, and costs you more money with this option in the long run. The convenient thing about the old top load washers is that the cost to buy them is going to be more affordable.

The Comparison

After comparing the new top load washers with the old front load washers, you can see a big difference between the two.. These differences are more clear when thinking about how much laundry you do, especially with a family. If you are looking at having to use less soap, less water, less electricity and want to save money in the long run, it is worth the upgrade to the new high-efficiency front load washes. 

What are your thoughts? Leave them in the comments section or contact our store.

NEW Striking Cafe Appliance Color Combos 2018

Richard is here today to talk about the new and exciting Cafe appliance line up. The new lineup has new colors and accessory colors to add style to your appliances which will make your custom kitchen one-of-a-kind.



GE Cafe has always been big with an industrial look with powerful ranges and refrigerators with plenty of space and  Keurig K-Cup brewing on the door. With the new Cafe lineup they are changing the game and showing us how your appliances can have personality with style.

There are two main color options, matte black and matte white. The matte black color is great for rich and Earthy toned kitchens.The matte white can give an elegant feel to the kitchen and can match any color in the room.

The really neat thing about this series is that there are 4 hardware finish options:

• Brush Copper- The warmth of copper without too much gleam gives your appliances a rosy glow.

• Brush Bronze- Bronze is back. This muted version mixes well with almost any color palette.

• Brush Black- Sleek and moody, this black has a slight sheen to make your appliances shine.

• Brush Stainless- A gentle shimmer of stainless steel sets a subtle, modern kitchen mood.

You can now change the handles and knobs on your appliances to match the rest of your kitchen hardware. These options can make your appliances speak loud with more contrast and can give your appliances a custom look. The other great thing is that you can change them out when ever you want. There is also a small copper cuff on the handles with their logo on it that just completes the look.

Stop by one of our stores today to check out how awesome the new Cafe appliances are. They will make you want to rethink your whole kitchen design!

Laundry Pedestal Options and More Innovative Technologies

Today, I would like to introduce the latest accessory innovations with the LG Side-Kick Laundry Pedestals and Samsung Flex Wash. But before we go into details, let's first start with the basics and explain what a pedestal is in the first place.

Traditional Pedestals

With front load washers, it can sometimes be daunting for people to bend down to place and remove laundry. Pedestals were made to make things a little bit easier.  A pedestal goes underneath the washer and dryers. It raises the appliances off of the floor of about 12-16 inches. This makes it easier to place and remove clothing inside the washer and dryer.  This will put less strain on your back by not having to bend down as much without a pedestal.

The other convenient thing about pedestals is that  it is a great storage area to make your laundry room not seem cluttered with it being in a drawer and almost blended into the look of your washer and dryer. You can keep your detergent, fabric softener, bleach, dryer sheets, and other supplies in here. 

Just remember that not all pedestals are the same and that you will need to make sure that you get ones that is the right size, shape, and color as your appliances.

You can find traditional pedestals in every brand of appliance. Find one for your laundry set here. or you can call one of our stores to make sure that you get the exact one that works with your washer and dryer. 

LG Side-Kick Pedestals

   This innovative washer mounts neatly beneath your LG front-load washer is a great alternative to the traditional pedestals. This pedestal option enables you to wash two separate loads of laundry at the same time.  This unique washer is specifically meant to handle your smaller, more delicate items in a smaller load.  You can now do a giant load of towels, and a smaller load of hand-wash items at the same time.

    This new idea can be a real time, water, and energy saver for you and your family when it comes to laundry day or when you need to do an emergency small load.

Take a look at theis LG SideKick Pedestal: WD200CW

Samsung Flex Wash

Samsung makes Flex Wash which is similar but is actually a 2-in-1 machine instead of a separate machine in a pedestal form. The Flex Wash has the small washer on the top of a front-load washer at a 1.0 Cu. Ft Capacity and can do faster cycles than a traditional washer and has the option of steam wash and dryer options.

Check out this Samsung model: WV60M9900AV.

See these options yourself at Appliance Factory & Mattress Kingdom. We can help you find the perfect pedestal option for you. We can take it  one step further by showing you the LG Side-Kick and Samsung Flex Wash options to optimize your washing and drying experience. Ask our team questions that you may have bout laundry and we can show you the best laundry innovations that are available and find one that fits your needs.

Give your laundry day a kick, with the new LG Sid- Kick laundry pedestal or become a little more flexible with Samsung Flex Wash. The choice is yours, but we can help you through the decision.

Your Guide to Smart Home Devices (Part 2)

If you are in the process of converting your house to a smart home, this is the article for you! Go back and read Part 1 of our Smart Home series to find out all about Alexa (Amazon Echo’s virtual assistant) and a few other terrific smart home devices available today. Here are a few more we recommend for your Home of the Future. Enjoy!

August Smart Lock, starts at $199 (August.com)

One of the best things about a smart home is the security that goes along with it. Do you tend to forget to lock your front door at night, or do you often forget your house key? Good news- with August Smart Lock, now all you need is your smartphone. August Smart Lock automatically locks your door and does not unlock it until someone either presses the Unlock button on their smartphone or watch, asks Siri (Apple’s virtual assistant and, I like to think, Alexa’s arch-nemesis), or keys a special code into the August Smart Keypad (sold separately). This means that you can grant access to anyone you authorize to unlock your front door, and you can also lock and unlock it remotely if necessary. Oh, and in case you are wondering if your key will still work in case you’ve forgotten your smartphone, the answer is yes.

Pros: Securely locks door without you having to think about it. Allows you to monitor who is unlocking and locking your door throughout the day.

Cons: Frankly, the lock itself is sort of huge and ugly, but it goes on the inside of the door, so don’t worry too much. Also, it works with Alexa but requires the sold-separately August Connect bridge, which is sort of a bummer. Alexa changes almost every day in terms of ability, so this may change down the road.

Ring Video Doorbell, starts at $199 (Ring.com)

Keeping with the home security side of things, wouldn’t it be nice if you could see who was at your door even when you’re not home? Never miss an important delivery again, tell the pesky salesman you don’t want any without even opening the door, and keep an eye on the comings and goings on your front porch all from your smartphone, thanks to Ring Video Doorbell. A nice extra feature of Ring is that it can double as a home security system, detecting motion in whatever range you choose and alerting you every time motion is detected. Also, for an extra charge, you can purchase stick-up cameras that work with Ring to secure the entire perimeter of your house so you can keep a 360-degree eye on it.

Pros: Great HD video quality, beautiful, futuristic design (the doorbell button glows blue, y’all!) and the always-entertaining ability to freak out the UPS guy by talking to him through it.

Cons: The motion detector can be a bit of a pain, since it seems to be ultra-sensitive to ANY kind of motion, including people passing by in cars.

Belkin WeMo Switch, starts at $45.00 (Amazon.com)

Tired of accidentally leaving the lights on when you go to work in the morning? Would you like to have a few lights automatically come on as you’re on your way home in the evening? Check out the smart switches from WeMo by Belkin. WeMo is compatible with your existing lighting system- just install a WeMo switch in place of your traditional light switch, connect over wifi, and get ready to control your lights from your phone or through Alexa. Best of all, you can program the lights to come on/go off at certain times of the day so you can be sure you’re never wasting electricity because you forgot to shut off your closet light. WeMo switches are also available as wall outlets, so you can plug virtually any appliance, lamp or other device in and control it in the same way. Perfect for Christmas lights!

Pros: Works with Alexa, works with existing lights and electrical wiring.

Cons: Design of smartphone app could be a bit more user-friendly. Also, WeMo seems to require more firmware updates than other smart home devices.

Logitech Harmony Remote Control, starts at $89.99 (hub only) (Logitech.com)

If you are enjoying using Alexa to turn on your lights, adjust your thermostat, and play music, why not take it to the next level of smart home living and let her control your entertainment center? Logitech Harmony allows you to program your TV, audio receiver, DVD/Blu-Ray player, Apple TV and more so that everything can be controlled by a single universal remote. Harmony will turn on your TV, switch to the proper input for the activity you wish to do (“play game,” “watch movie,” etc.) and power on the necessary device automatically. Though it currently does not directly work with Alexa, it is simple to create IFTTT recipes (IFTTT.com) to facilitate voice control with your Amazon Echo.

Pros: Works with an astonishing variety of makes, models and types of devices. Works with Alexa (using IFTTT).

Cons: Will not work with old tech, even if it recognizes the make and model during setup. If you have a device that is more than 6 years old, such as our old Sony receiver, Harmony will not be able to power it on/off, adjust volume, or work controls such as Fast-Forward or Pause.

If you’re super-excited about your smart home but thinking to yourself, “Now, if only I could control my oven with the sound of my voice!” we have got a great article for check out part 3 in our smart home series, all about smart appliances!

Your Guide to Smart Home Devices (Part 1)

We’ve all seen Hollywood’s visions of “The Home of the Future.” From Rosie the robot housekeeper on The Jetsons and the automated appliances in Lost in Space, to SARAH, the smart house on the TV series Eureka or J.A.R.V.I.S., Tony Stark’s A.I. virtual butler on Iron Man, we have been obsessed with the idea of a house that can do things for us automatically for quite some time. Thanks to the latest smart home devices, the future is now! While you still can’t ask your virtual assistant to help you build a robotic flight suit (I tried), you can install devices that allow you to turn your lights on and off, adjust your thermostat, open and shut your front door, and much more, all with your smartphone or just the sound of your voice! Here is a comprehensive guide to the best smart home devices and how well they work with each other, to help get you started on building your own version of the Home of the Future.

Amazon Echo, $179.99 (Amazon.com)

Meet Alexa. The nerve center of your entire smart home, the Alexa Voice Service featured on Amazon Echo will help you control smart home devices with hands-free efficiency, all by simply speaking a trigger word or phrase. For example: want to raise your home temperature by two degrees? Simply say, “Alexa raise Hallway temperature to 74. Boom! Done! Alexa is also quite efficient as a music player and can play songs from the Amazon Prime Music library as well as Pandora, IHeartRadio, Spotify and more. Not only that but she is incredibly personable, for an A.I. entity. She’ll tell you a corny joke, share an amazing fact, and even sing Happy Birthday- all you have to do is ask! The Amazon Echo, and by extension, Alexa, works with a multitude of smart home devices and is adding compatibility with new ones every week, so she is your best bet for realizing your dream of talking to your house and making your appliances work.

Pros: Sleek, futuristic cylinder design with attractive blue light upon saying wake word. Good speaker for playing music. Works with most major smart home devices and appliances. (Bonus: You feel like a rockstar genius every time you tell Alexa to perform a task and she does.)

Cons: Alexa doesn’t always hear you. If you have the volume turned up and are playing music, it may take a few tries to get her to respond when you call her name. Also, while it is enjoyable to speak to Alexa in a conversational tone, it is far less efficient to have to say a lengthy phrase such as, “Alexa, tell LIFX to change brightness of kitchen lights to 60%,” rather than just, “Alexa, dim kitchen lights.”

LIFX bulbs, starts at $29.99 (LIFX.com)

If you want light bulbs you can control with Alexa, or via a well-designed app on your smartphone, look no further than LIFX. At just under $30 per bulb, they are an incredible value for the functionality they provide. Choose from white or colored bulbs and use the app to create scenes (“Morning,” “Rainy Day,” etc.) or moods with your home lighting. Best of all, each LIFX bulb is fully dimmable and can change colors and be programmed to work in a variety of ways, either individually or as a group.

Pros: Easy to install (just screw in the lightbulb, connect to wifi and you’re ready to go!), clever and easy-to-use app makes changing colors and brightness a breeze, compatible with Alexa.

Cons: Bulbs will go offline if someone makes the grievous error of flipping them off with a light switch like some sort of time traveler from the past. Putting them back online is as simple as flipping the switch back on, but if you are away from home you will be unable to control the bulbs until you return and manually flip the switch.

Nest Learning Thermostat, starts at $299 (Nest.com)

Being able to control the temperature of your home at different times of the day not only increases your comfort but also can help reduce your energy bills in the long run. The Nest Learning Thermostat, as its name implies, actually “learns” your temperature-control habits and house schedule over the initial two weeks or so after being installed, then uses that info to automatically adjust itself throughout the day. Best of all, the Heat-Cool mode will actually allow you to switch between using your furnace and your A/C unit, which can be perfect for those crazy days in the fall and spring when it’s freezing in the morning and scorching by noon.

Pros: Works with Alexa, gorgeous design actually makes you want to put it somewhere prominent on your wall, easy to control via well-designed smartphone app, allows you to save energy and money on electric bill.

Cons:We’ll let you know when we find one.

There are so many delightful, user-friendly innovations in the smart home arena these days, it is going to take more than one article to share all of them with you. Check out Part 2 of our series!

What is Next in Home Appliances: Samsung Side-by-Side RSG309AARS/XAA LCD Refrigerator

For those of us who value having cutting-edge tech right at our fingertips, the kitchen is no exception. Thanks to the innovators at Samsung, the future is now.

Meet the Side-by-Side RSG309AARS/XAA LCD Refrigerator, Samsung’s newest triumph in marrying design and technology. The sleek stainless-steel façade and integrated touchscreen user interface on the exterior are outmatched only by the stunning interior, which combines functionality with elegance using LED lights, removable wine and soda racks, and five adjustable glass shelves.

Samsung understands that a refrigerator goes beyond its primary function of chilling perishable foods and beverages. The refrigerator serves as the hub of the entire kitchen, if not the household as a whole. Here is where we stick important announcements, shopping lists, calendar events or schedules for our busy family to see and follow. Let sticky notes, white boards and refrigerator magnets become a thing of the past, while still maintaining your busy schedule. This exciting new advancement in appliance design integrates the ease and user-friendliness of a smartphone or tablet right into the refrigerator. Apps like a calendar and a notepad help keep the family up-to-date on upcoming events, allowing the familiarity of having important notes posted on the fridge while eliminating the resulting clutter. Additional apps serve to further enhance the sense of having a futuristic kitchen:  Pandora lets you stream music from built-in speakers above the water dispenser, while Epicurious recipes aim to inspire the cooks in the kitchen and keep dinner ideas fresh.

With manufacturer’s suggested price of $2,499, the Samsung side-by-side RSG309AARS/XAA LCD Refrigerator accommodates your high-tech lifestyle and provides you with the futuristic elegance you desire without too much damage to your wallet. Your friends at Appliance Factory can help- call us today for more information about this or any of our other top-of-the-line appliances for your kitchen of the future!