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  • Introduction

  • Front

  • Controls

  • Drawer

  • Interior

  • Sides

  • Back

  • Electricity Use

  • Water Use

  • Cost Per Wash

  • Yearly Running Cost

  • Washing Speed

  • Washing Peformance

  • Normal/Permanent Press Cycle

  • Cotton/Whites Cycle

  • Delicates Cycle

  • Heavy Duty Cycle

  • Quick Wash Cycle

  • Dirt Removal

  • Water Retention

  • Clothes Wear

  • Washing Cycles

  • Customization

  • Additional Wash Options

  • Washing Options

  • Detergent Dispenser

  • Washer Door

  • Ease of Use

  • Controls

  • Efficiency

  • Performance

  • Features

  • Introduction
  • Front
  • Controls
  • Drawer
  • Interior
  • Sides
  • Back
  • Electricity Use
  • Water Use
  • Cost Per Wash
  • Yearly Running Cost
  • Washing Speed
  • Washing Peformance
  • Normal/Permanent Press Cycle
  • Cotton/Whites Cycle
  • Delicates Cycle
  • Heavy Duty Cycle
  • Quick Wash Cycle
  • Dirt Removal
  • Water Retention
  • Clothes Wear
  • Washing Cycles
  • Customization
  • Additional Wash Options
  • Washing Options
  • Detergent Dispenser
  • Washer Door
  • Ease of Use
  • Controls
  • Efficiency
  • Performance
  • Features

Introduction

The result is a high-end washer that can get a load of clothes remarkably clean in 38 minutes. Yes, it's pretty expensive for a clothes washer ($1299 MSRP, around $1150 on sale), but consider that the Kenmore's Accela-Wash will save you about 20 minutes over comparable machines on every normal cycle. If you do three washes a week, that's an hour of free time a week for you to do something other than laundry — and more than ten days of extra time saved over the course of five years.

On all other cycles, the {{product.name}} did a very good job getting stains out of clothes, and it managed to remain energy efficient as well. It's that rare appliance that's both expensive and worth every penny, and its all because Kenmore dropped the bass.

Front

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Controls

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Drawer

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Interior

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The interior of the CDWT980VSS.

Sides

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Olympus SZ-31MR iHS side views

Back

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Electricity Use

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Though the {{product.name}}'s internal water heater was capable of getting a wash up to 152 degrees when asked, on normal cycles this Kenmore was an energy miser. An average year with this washer should put no more than $5 on your electric bill.

Water Use

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Depending on which cycle we were testing, the {{product.name}} used between seven and 20 gallons of water. That's about average for a front-loading washer. High efficiency top loaders tend to use slightly more, and older pole agitator models use a lot of water by comparison.

Cost Per Wash

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Each wash cycle on this machine should cost you between five and twelve cents. No surprises here -- even the specialty cycles aren't too expensive to run. We've tested other washers with 25 and 30 cent sanitizing or delicates cycles, so this is refreshing.

Yearly Running Cost

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When all is said and done, living with the {{product.name}} for a year should run you about $35.19, assuming your water and energy costs are on par with national averages. That's just slightly less efficient than the least costly front loaders we've tested, and about $20 less than most top loading washers we've had in our labs. If water costs are high where you live, the savings will be even greater.

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Washing Speed

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Washing Peformance

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Normal/Permanent Press Cycle

The Kenmore Elite 41472 can get a Normal cycle done in just 38 minutes, which is just exceptional. That kind of speed is possible because Kenmore uses the same TurboWash technology found in the LG WM3470HVA, injecting detergent into a special spray pattern that promises to save about 20 minutes per wash. The only difference is the

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Cotton/Whites Cycle

On the Kenmore Elite 41472, the Whitest Whites cycle was a bit of a disappointment. It only did a marginally better job than the Normal cycle at getting out stains, but took twice as long. We’d stick to the Accela-Wash and ignore this cycle.

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Delicates Cycle

The Delicates cycle’s primary mission is to protect fragile fabrics, with stain fighting a distant second. We weren’t surprised to see that the Kenmore Elite 41472’s Delicates cycle didn’t do as well as the Normal cycle at spot removal, but we were pleased to note it still did a very good job. Oil-based stains still remained, but the Kenmore did as good a job getting out wine and cocoa stains on its Delicates cycle as many washers we’ve tested have on their Normal cycles.

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Heavy Duty Cycle

Overall, the Kenmore Elite 41472’s Heavy Duty cycle did about as well as its Normal cycle. That’s good news — since the Normal cycle did such a good job. But it left us mystified as to why anyone would ever use the Heavy Duty cycle, since it took more than twice as long to finish.

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Quick Wash Cycle

Considering it only took 19 minutes, the Kenmore Elite 41472’s Express Wash cycle did an impressive job lifting stains on a half-size load. It also got as warm as 92.8 degrees, which is impressive for such a short cycle. We’d recommend this cycle for freshening up clothes that haven’t gotten dirty but still need a quick wash.

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Dirt Removal

The Kenmore Elite 41472 didn’t do so well when it came to getting out dirt and debris, only removing between a third and a quarter of the 25g of sand we added to our test loads. The Normal cycle once again did the best job here, getting out 33.93 percent of dirt on average.

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Water Retention

How much water a washer leaves in a load of laundry determines how hard a dryer has to work to get that excess moisture out. The Kenmore Elite 41472 did a good job in this respect, with above average water removal all around. A spin cycle can do a number on fragile clothing, though, which may explain this washer’s poor performance on clothes wear and tear.

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Clothes Wear

Our fabric wear test strips got a good workout in the Kenmore Elite 41472, emerging from wash cycles with frayed ends and loose threads. The Delicate cycle was slightly gentler than others on offer, but overall this was still one of the rougher washers we’ve tested.

Washing Cycles

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Including the Rinse and Spin option, the {{product.name}} has twelve cycles on offer. There's no Allergen cycle, which is a strange omission in a washer this expensive. But the Sanitize cycle does a great job -- holding onto a 152 degree temperature for a few minutes. Many other washers we've tested have so-called Sanitize cycles that barely break 120 degrees.

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Customization

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Washes can be customized with any of five settings each for spin speed, wash temperature and soil level. In addition, if you want to create your own custom cycle it's possible with the My Cycle preset button.

Additional Wash Options

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There are a number of interesting features available on the {{product.name}}. First and foremost is Accela-Wash, Kenmore's take on LG's TurboWash system that injects detergent into a special spray pattern of water in order to speed up a cycle. There are also steam cycles, plus a cool little display that weighs a load of laundry and shows how much detergent you should be adding.

Washing Options

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Detergent Dispenser

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Detergent, bleach, fabric softener and prewash cleaner are dispensed through funnels located in the drawer that pulls out of the {{product.name}}'s top left corner.

Washer Door

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A large, dark, reflective door reveals a stainless steel drum. We had no problem opening or closing this door, even with a knee or light push.

The interior of the CDWT980VSS.

Ease of Use

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With large fonts, quick washes and a door opening that's easy to load and unload laundry through, this Kenmore is extremely easy to use.

Controls

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Though the {{product.name}} has a myriad of features and cycles, they're all displayed with a refreshing clarity that the LG WM3470HVA lacks. On the cycle selector, each cycle name is well-spaced and has its own indicator light, unlike the crowded dial on the LG.

Efficiency

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An average year with this Kenmore should run you around $35. That's about average for a front loading machine, and about $20 less a year than a similar top-loader. If you're replacing an older washing machine, you'll definitely notice a drop in your water and electric bills.

Performance

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We don't see any benefit to using any cycle other than the 38 minute Normal cycle with Accela-Wash. It did a tremendous job getting out stains and didn't do that badly when it came to debris removal, either. Other washes performed quite well, too -- but they didn't do that much better than the Normal wash to justify run times that are twice as long.

Features

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The Kenmore's best feature is Accela-Wash, which mixes detergent in with a unique water spray pattern to cut down wash times by up to 20 minutes compared to the competition. This alone makes the 41472 an excellent choice. In addition, there's an effective Sanitary cycle and a steam wash option on offer.

Meet the tester

Keith Barry

Keith Barry

Former Editor in Chief, Reviewed Home

@itskeithbarry

Keith was the Editor in Chief of Reviewed's appliance and automotive sites. His work has appeared in publications such as Wired, Car & Driver, and CityLab.

See all of Keith Barry's reviews

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