I thought my 6-year-old GE FL was headed for craigslist or the dump as it wasn't cleaning as it used to and was getting progressively louder during the spin. Appliance repair guy said some computer part was shot and would cost too much to fix. But upon researching new washers I came upon a trick mostly used by cloth-diaper moms - use the delicates cycle to get more water in the tub to improve cleaning.

Using the delicates cycle has really improved the cleaning and, strangely, has helped with the spin cycle. I think that since there is so much more water weight it helps to balance the load easier.

I think I've bought some time with this trick so I can wait to buy new machines when I get a new laundry room built that has a beefed up subfloor. Holiday bonus wasn't what we had hoped so it might be a little longer than I want :)

Anyway, I thought I'd pass along this tip for the new year!

Bert