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<< Previous   of   Next >> Sarah Jackson / The Herald  (click to enlarge) Controls on the Duet Steam washer from Whirlpool offer many options. Suzanne Schmid / The Herald  (click to enlarge) Front-load washers and dryers, such as these models by Whirlpool and Maytag at Judd and Black in Everett, come in a variety of cool colors.   ADVERTISEMENT   Related Stories • Speciality Nursery Guide 4/17/08 • Lake Stevens firm offers Swedish-style 'sleep good' beds 4/17/08 • Nursery owner nurtures each separate plant 4/17/08 • Master gardener to show how to set up drip irrigation system 4/17/08 • Coast Cabins and Sheds keeps structures simple 4/17/08 • Speciality Nursery Guide 4/17/08 • Milkman's delivery offers customers taste of the past 4/17/08 • Lake Stevens couple finds fast success with homemade sauces 4/17/08 • The 2008 Everett Home and Garden Show 4/17/08 • TV chef urges simplicity with food, kitchen 4/17/08 • Everett Home and Garden Show speaker schedule 4/17/08 • There's logic behind rise in choice of radiant heat 4/17/08 • Theater Xtreme brings full movie experience home 4/17/08   CONTACT THE HERALD Melanie Munk, Features Editor munk@heraldnet.com   Published: Thursday, April 17, 2008 Washers, dryers move full steam ahead By Sarah Jackson Herald Writer Steam, though it's nothing more than vaporized water, is the hottest thing going when it comes to home appliances. Manufacturers in the past two years have put a focus on steam to bring consumers juicier roasts, cleaner clothes and more sparkling stemware. This weekend at Everett Home and Garden Show, showgoers can browse a wide variety of appliances, including ovens, dishwashers and laundry machines using steam technology, at a 2,000-square-foot display by local appliance retailer Judd and Black. Rick Kvangnes, Judd and Black's general manager in Everett, is particularly impressed with the steam technology used in washers and dryers, including the Duet Steam front-loader line by Whirlpool. Not only do the machines come in cool colors -- including aspen green, Tuscan chestnut and white with brushed-chrome accents -- they are, quite possibly, the smartest laundry appliances you've ever met. The Duet Steam washer uses 73 percent less water and 77 percent less energy over traditional top-load washers made before 2004. It offers special settings for wool and silk. It includes an Oxi dispenser for distributing stain-removing products such as OxiClean into the load at the perfect time. But let's get back to the steam factor: In the Duet Steam washer, when the deep-clean option is selected, steam enters the wash drum, raising the temperature to 148 degrees to remove greasy or grassy stains. There's also a separate sanitize setting that can be used during cycles for heavy duty, whitest whites and bulky items to eliminate 99.9 percent of certain household bacteria with water temperatures up to 153 degrees, said Everett Judd and Black salesman Taj Furnari. In the dryer, steam smooths out wrinkles with the push of a button, including quick-refresh and enhanced touch-up cycles for small and larger loads respectively. Though most front-loading washers and dryers range in price from $600 to $1,600, the high-tech Duet Steam line is definitely in the upper end of that range, especially when you add optional pedestals and other features. Still, more than 70 percent of washer sales at Judd and Black are Energy Star models, typically front-loaders, Kvangnes said. Front-load washers spin more clothes faster and more thoroughly than conventional machines, which means the clothes spend less time in the dryer later. "Wash time equals dry time," Kvangnes said, adding that front-load washers don't have agitators, which makes them gentler on clothes, too. Consumers who want Energy Star efficiency but who don't want to let go of their top-­loading tendencies might check out the Cabrio Fabric Care System by Whirlpool, which doesn't have an agitator but can wash three laundry baskets of clothes at once. It isn't as efficient as a front-loader, but it does use 44 percent less water and 55 percent less energy than traditional top loaders and its dryer system offers steaming options, too. Fisher and Paykel's energy-efficient top-loading washers and dryers include a washer without an agitator and a top-loading dryer with a handy lint bucket system that can capture 22 drying cycles of lint without inhibiting efficiency. Kvangnes, who has been with Judd and Black for more than 30 years, said the show is the retailer's opportunity to introduce consumers to a wide variety of home appliances, plus flat-­panel TVs, mattresses and barbecue grills. "We try to bring to the show the latest and greatest," Kvang­nes said. Reporter Sarah Jackson: 425-339-3037 or sjackson@heraldnet.com. Resources Judd and Black locations include 3001 Hewitt Ave., Everett, 425-258-2591; 1315 State St., Marysville, 360-659-0822; 16521 Highway 99, Lynnwood, 425-742-2233. See www.juddblack.com for details.

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