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  • Introduction

  • Front

  • Controls

  • Drawer

  • Interior

  • Sides

  • Back

  • Electricity Use

  • Water Use

  • Cost Per Wash

  • Yearly Running Cost

  • Washing Speed

  • Washing Performance

  • Normal/Permanent Press Cycle

  • Cotton/Whites Cycle

  • Delicates Cycle

  • Heavy Duty Cycle

  • Quick Wash Cycle

  • Dirt Removal

  • Clothes Wear

  • Water Retention

  • 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 Performance
  • Normal/Permanent Press Cycle
  • Cotton/Whites Cycle
  • Delicates Cycle
  • Heavy Duty Cycle
  • Quick Wash Cycle
  • Dirt Removal
  • Clothes Wear
  • Water Retention
  • Washing Cycles
  • Customization
  • Additional Wash Options
  • Washing Options
  • Detergent Dispenser
  • Washer Door
  • Ease of Use
  • Controls
  • Efficiency
  • Performance
  • Features

Introduction

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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A year's worth of running the {{product.model}} at average electric rates should run under $7. That's not including the cost of hot water, which we figure into our total running cost.

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Water Use

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The {{product.model}} uses between 8 and 15 gallons of water per cycle, depending on which you choose. That's far less than other washers we've tested. It's very good even for an efficient front loader, which uses gravity to tumble clothes around instead of floating them in water.

Cost Per Wash

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All costs considered, most washes run between a nickel and a dime. That's very low, considering that some washers we've tested cost more than a quarter to run.

Yearly Running Cost

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All in all, a year with the {{product.model}} should run you a little over $30 total. Older and less efficient washers can cost nearly twice that, so switching to this Maytag could save you up to $300 if you own it for ten years.

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Washing Speed

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Washing Performance

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Normal/Permanent Press Cycle

The normal cycle on the MHW6000XR is perfectly adequate and quick, though it’s not as effective as many of the other cycles this machine features. It struggles with oil-based stains more than many of the other washers we’ve tested, but it does a good job on wine and cocoa. We’d recommend using the excellent Heavy Duty cycle for extremely stained items.

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Cotton/Whites Cycle

The Whites cycle did extremely well on all kinds of stains, especially with hard to remove oil-based ones. We were very impressed with how close to white the MHW6000XR got our standardized test loads.

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Delicates Cycle

When it comes to stain removal, the MHW6000XR has one of the most effective delicates cycles we’ve ever tested. As for not tearing apart actual delicate fabrics, however, this washer didn’t do a great job. In our mechanical action tests, which look at how many loose threads are pulled off of standardized strips of fabric, the MHW6000XR’s Delicate cycle inflicted just as much damage as other washers’ normal cycles.

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Heavy Duty Cycle

The MHW6000XR’s Heavy Duty cycle was one of the finest we’ve ever tested at getting out tough stains. Even oil and sweat stains were significantly diminished, leaving our standardized stain strips a faded shade of off-white.

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Quick Wash Cycle

On the MHW6000XR, there’s no quick cycle — just a Small Load wash. It took 34 minutes, but performed almost as effectively as marginally longer cycles. Still, there’s no way to really quickly freshen up clothes with this machine.

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Dirt Removal

On average, the MHW6000XR got out about half of the 25 grams of dirt we added to our test cycles. That’s a little less that we’d like to see, especially if clothes are particularly covered in debris, but it stacks up with many of the other washers we’ve tested.

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Clothes Wear

The MHW6000XR wasn’t at all gentle on fabrics. Our standardized clothes wear strips emerged from each wash cycle with plenty of frayed threads. The good news is that clothes wear was evenly across each of the stain strips, meaning that the MHW6000XR did a good job agitating loads. A lousy agitator will inadvertently “protect” some items that get stuck in an area of the drum where the washer’s full force isn’t present.

Water Retention

We weren’t very pleased with the MHW6000XR’s water retention performance. Water-logged laundry can start to smell musty after a short time of sitting, and gives a dryer more work to do. Considering the performance of the Maxima’s matching dryer you’d do best to give clothes an extra spin if you own the pair.

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Washing Cycles

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There is an allergen wash, which uses a lot of rinsing and soaking to get out irritants, and there's also a Power Wash cycle that uses an extended wash cycle for more stain removal.

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Customization

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Preset cycles can be customized for soil level, temperature and spin speed. However, there's no way to create a customized cycle from scratch and save it as a preset, as many washers in this price range allow.

Additional Wash Options

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Users of the Maxima can add an extra rinse cycle, but no extra spin. Spin and soak cycles can be selected individually, but they can't be added to an existing wash. Maytag also offers Fresh Hold, which uses a built-in fan and tumbling action to keep clothes fresh when a cycle is done. We'd also like to see a more effective spin cycle that gets all the water out in the first place, but it's a nice feature nonetheless.

Washing Options

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Detergent Dispenser

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The Maxima's detergent dispenser slides out from the front of the machine. Unlike many modern machines, it's designed to hold both liquid and powdered detergent.

Washer Door

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A massive door is a bit hard to open, but it reveals a wide opening for loading and unloading laundry. The brushed metal door handle is a nice decorative touch, too.

The interior of the CDWT980VSS.

Ease of Use

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This is a very easy to use washer, with a large door opening, a lot of interior space for big loads and a thoughtfully designed control panel.

Controls

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The Maxima's main control is a wash cycle selector knob. Unlike most high-end washers we've tested, this one remembers the last cycle you were on when you restart the machine.

Efficiency

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Not surprisingly for a front loader, the Maxima is an extremely energy efficient washer. It uses very little water, and not that much electricity either. Most wash cycles will cost you between a nickel and a dime to run, adding up to about a $30 annual cost of operation.

Performance

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The Maxima did a superb job removing stains, even tough oil-based ones. However, it had some trouble getting out dirt and debris, and was a bit rough on clothes across the board.

Features

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There's an odd smattering of features on the Maxima. Existing cycles can be customized, but there's no option to preset a specialty cycle from scratch. There's also no preset sanitizing wash option, though it can be selected on a heavy duty cycle. That said, this washer is very easy to load and operate.

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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