A damper includes a housing with at least one axially offset longitudinally extending guide channel for receiving a plunger of a piston assembly. The plunger is axially offset from a control rod extending through the housing and the piston assembly. A coil spring surrounds the housing and extends between a hemispherical cap of the housing and the piston. The plunger includes a friction pad which engages the guide channel of the housing to provide frictional inter-engagement for the damper. In one embodiment, the housing includes a pair of axially offset guide channels and the piston assembly includes a pair of axially offset plungers which extend within a pair of guides of the housing. One of the plungers includes a linear sensor which provides signal information for use by a washer control circuit.