It’s time once again to reach into the mailbag to answer a question from my dear readers. It’s kinda my favorite day, which should give you an idea of how much I love to hear from you. While I cannot respond personally to all of your messages and letters, know that I read every one, selecting those to answer here that I believe will have a universal appeal. Dear Mary: The pump in our older washing machine has gone out, so rather than the big repair bill to have it replaced, we’ve decided it’s time for a new washer and dryer. Are high-efficiency models worth it? And which brands do you recommend? —Ben Dear Ben: High-efficiency, or HE, washers do a fine job of washing clothes for normal home laundry use. The benefit over a typical top-loading machine is that they use a lot less water—the reason they’re known as …