An expert's spin on buying a washing machine
The dry cleaner has a dirty little secret: He just might dunk your stained cashmere in the washing machine.
And it should come out perfectly. Ron Sarni, president of Sarni's Cleaners, calls wet cleaning his ''secret weapon" to remove difficult stains. Nearly 40 percent of his volume is now put in a washing machine.
''You're finding that dry cleaners are buying these like crazy," said Sarni, who owns five stores in Newton, Wellesley, Weston, and Dover. (A cousin owns another dozen Sarni's stores in downtown Boston.) ''Wet cleaning is a big part of our business. It's more work because the clothes get much more wrinkled but it is a stronger way to remove stains."
Sarni favors Miele, a top-of-the-line German machine that can cost up to $2,000 for a washer alone. His stores rely on both the industrial Miele and smaller, residential models that are more efficient for smaller loads. After extensive research on washer and dryer sets, he bought a Kenmore Elite set for both his factory and at home. The models, sold at Sears, cost around $1,400 for a washer and nearly $1,000 for a dryer.
The Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers forecasts that Americans will buy 8.9 million washing machines and 8 million dryers this year. Before being wowed by expensive models that come in an array of colors and feature enough controls to launch a space shuttle, a buyer should be realistic about his needs.
''In selecting your washing machine for your home use, you have to determine what you're going to use it for," said Sarni. ''If you're just going to do towels, then it really doesn't matter. But if you're going to clean your very expensive silk Armani blouse in there, you can. And you can save on dry-cleaning costs."
For either camp, Sarni recommends a front-loader washing machine, though they are more expensive, with some costing twice as much as top-loader counterparts. Because front loaders use far less water, they make it possible to wash dry-clean-only items, and their mechanical action actually gets clothes cleaner.
''The quality of the cleaning is affected by that -- the agitation that's in there," Sarni said. ''They measure how much weight is in the wheel and only put in so much water."
The front-loaders also save homeowners on water bills. If you have a convenient gas line, a gas dryer can also cut energy costs, but it costs about $50 more than an electric model to buy.
New energy-efficient dryers also save energy and laundry mishaps by using moisture sensors to cut the heat when clothes are dry.
''Everything goes wrong when you overdry," Sarni said. ''Shrinking. You can set stains that didn't come out in the first cycle. If you don't classify the clothing properly, you can transfer dye from one piece of clothing to another."
When buying machines, look for durable parts like stainless steel and a sturdy extract motor, which spins and extracts water from the machine, covered under warranty. Because they spin so rapidly, make sure the machines are secure and will not ''dance around" the floor.
How long should the machines last? ''Forever," said Sarni, who only traded in his two-decade-old Kenmore because he wanted a front-loader model. ''It was still working fine."
Stephanie Ebbert can be reached at ebbert@globe.com. 
