Front Load Washer or Top Load?

[Corbin3]

My washer died yesterday and I am desperate to find a new one! Any opinions on wether front load washers are better than the regular top loading style? I've always just had the top loading kind. We were going to get a GE set but then my DH read some things that GE wasn't the best kind to buy. Any advise would be very helpful!!

 

[Cjmuma]

My mother just got lg front loaders. The sales guy said that they use between 1/2 and 1/3 as much water as a traditional washer, and dry faster. My mom won't get them delivered for another week though (home depot here in podunk was wicked busy on black friday.) Good luck!

 

[daleswife]

Ok, so my reasoning will be so funny, but I like a top load washer. And my funny reason is those dang front load washers LOCK....What if you forget to put something in the wash and you REALLY need that item cleaned like NOW??? Well you cant put it in the front load washer cause it LOCKS. But a top load washer, IF you forget something while the water is still loading in the machine you can still open the lid and throw that item in there.....but thats my reason....Yes, I have a absent mind and forget something, or I drop items from the bedrooms to the laundry room and have to run in there and throw it in. I just bothers me to no end to have that last load of laundry in the washer and find a stray shirt or sock or something. but I can always go throw it in!!!

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

Earlier this summer after a lot of research we bought a Samsung front loader. I LOVE it. My water bill went down, clothes coming out dryer which cuts the dryer time in 1/2 evan jeans and bath towels. I did not replace my dryer and jeans take 25-30 to dry and before I got the new washer it took jeans almost an hour to dry.
Soap, I use a lot less laundry soap. It took me 3 months to go through one 100 oz bottle of HE Tide. I only use a half of a cap of soap and clothes come out clean. The consumer information stickers says my machine only uses $9.00 of electricity in a year - Yes $9.00 a year.

Now mind you the wash cycles take longer but you are washing double the amt of clothes in one washing. But there is also a quick wash option which takes 36 minutes. I use this for my smaller loads.

STAY AWAY FROM LG MACHINES. They vibrate terrible. Even on the LG web sit is says that machines should be installed on a floor which has been reinforced. People have reported that their LG have move as much as 6". My machine even on the extra high spin cycle is very quiet and does not move.

 

[wheelcap]

We've had our front-loader almost a year, now. I was skeptical, but . . . It uses less water, less detergent, less electricity, and makes far less noise - yet gets the clothes much cleaner and they smell better. The high-speed spin also makes it possible for the dryer to get them dry faster, which also means you use less electricity!! DO IT . . . you won't regret it!

 

[cjnix29]

I have a maytag Bravo, which is a top loader that washes like a front loader. Super efficient, super low on water. There is no agitator, and it holds a TON of clothes. I have had a front loader, and did not like it. This was the best appliance purchase I have ever made!! good luck with what you decide!

 

[Corbin3]

All good tips so far! We are on a well so using less water certainly sounds like a plus to me. I'd love to have stuff come out dry the first time. Sometimes now I have to run jeans and towels through twice to get them dry. Now my DH is thinking maybe a whirlpool set. Anyone have GE 6800 or whirlpool front loader? I though GE was a good product but a guy at Lowes told my DH he wouldn't buy GE because they have a lot of problems.

 

[a1tinkfans]

When our cesspool backed up we decided to bite the bullet and get rid of the top loader to save water.....
(well it had a clog, still cost me almost 2K, but we're set for the next 5 years (I hope!)
Well, I researched quite a bit...&..talked to friends..& learned here too.....heres what we found:
*I am TOO lazy for the maintenance of the front load....cleaning a filter, being sure you "wash" it out routinely and clean vent area, leaving door open at all times...
* if you DON'T do the maintenance MANY MANY people find they have SMELLY mildewy clothes from the moisture....you MUST keep that door open as water accumulates on the rim...many people "mask" the smell with those sheets when they dry
*in fairness some people said they have NO issue...I do not get it???
***I HATE ANY type of mildew smell....(google this....complaints about the one year mark for those that did NOT maintain
** front uses LESS water
FRONT takes LOTS longer though.
**front is **supposed** to use different detergent, many don't..
*Samsung was rated well if I recall on consumer reports
**newer top loaders have cut down on water, can get HUGE loads in....(what I'll eventually prob choose)

SO, for us, I KEPT my top loader, will wait for IT to croak, then decide....again
Good Luck OP!!

 

[VLee]

We went with the Samsung front-loader and love it. Hugh loads, no longer getting "unbalanced" and much less drying time.

And for the poster that said the front-loading can't be unlocked--well, it must depend on the brand, because you CAN unlock ours and add extra items in just a couple of seconds.

As far as water accumulation on the inside rim, I keep a towel handy and routinely wipe out excess water and sometimes leave the door unlatched, but not wide open. I have not had the musty smells.

 

[MickQuinn]

We got a Frigidaire front load washer in April. It got great reviews from consumer reports and we love it.

Only uses 10 gallons of water per load (large capacity), much less detergent and the clothes dry in half the time. Our electric bill dropped by over $20 the first month we owned the new washer.

 

[shelly3girls]

We have owned two front loaders and I cannot wait to get a top loader. We first had a Maytag and now a Kenmore. Read what the previous poster mentioned about mold/mildew and maintenance. We have done everything recommended including leaving the door open. All of our laundry smells like mold. It is terrible. We have been told that we need to have the washer serviced so that they can take out the tub and scrub the outside of it to get the mold off. The first couple of years were fine but by the 3rd year is when it really started.

 

[distherapy]

We have owned two front loaders and I cannot wait to get a top loader. We first had a Maytag and now a Kenmore. Read what the previous poster mentioned about mold/mildew and maintenance. We have done everything recommended including leaving the door open. All of our laundry smells like mold. It is terrible. We have been told that we need to have the washer serviced so that they can take out the tub and scrub the outside of it to get the mold off. The first couple of years were fine but by the 3rd year is when it really started.

Ditto. I hate my Whirlpool Duet front loader so bad it makes me want to cry/scream every time I do laundry. Which is just about every day. Our clothes stink and we do everything it tells us to do - plus more. I have spent so much money on washing machine cleaners. Even Whirlpool sends us mailings trying to make us buy other washine machine cleaners.

Hate.

My sister has the Samsung and I'd get that next. We have installed counters and everything around our W/D, so we are sort of stuck.

Oh - and did I mention it takes over 2 full hours to dry a load? We've cleaned out the vents and everything.

Hate.

 

[allyphoe]

What if you forget to put something in the wash and you REALLY need that item cleaned like NOW??? Well you cant put it in the front load washer cause it LOCKS.

Mine (GE brand, maybe?) doesn't have that problem. If it's at a point in the cycle where the lock light is on, turn the washer off. Most of the time the lock light goes off, and the door can be opened. At some points in the cycle, that doesn't work, and you have to move the dial to a different cycle point before you can open the door. Toss your extra item in, pull the dial back out to turn it on, and go about your day.

ETA: Mine also requires no special maintenance, and doesn't get stinky. Our laundry room isn't damp in general, and we do leave the door open, but it doesn't need to be open much.

 

[LeslieG]

I'm looking for a new w/d also. I'm leaning towards a top load, probably the Whirlpool Cabrio. Anyone have it, the one with the see-through top lid? And what about the steam dryer?

 

[Vivianne]

I have a front loading Maytag Neptune washer. It does lock, however, it has a pause button. I just wait for it to click and add something I need washed. It did have a problem..can't remember ..but DH fixed it. Besides, he told me they corrected the feature in the newer models. I just nodded... It's been months and it's working fine.

 

[mommytomy3]

I'm looking for a new w/d also. I'm leaning towards a top load, probably the Whirlpool Cabrio. Anyone have it, the one with the see-through top lid? And what about the steam dryer?

I have the Cabrio and I LOVE it!!! I also have the cabrio dryer, but not the steam version, but it works great! We chose thse after much thought of top/vs/front loader.. (we couldnt leave the doors open on a front loader, as our w/d is in the hallway with doors that close in front of them) and are very happy.

 

[DisneyAndRedSox]

I love my front loader (5 year old Bosch), I can pause it and add things also.

I need to run a Affresh tablet once a month and clean out of the rubber ring, but it does such an amazing job at getting clothes clean so I don't mind having to do this monthly. The delicate cycle is also more gentle than a top loader, my Mom gives me all of her Vera Bradley bags to wash.

When we were in WDW I got a whole container of chocolate milk spilled on my favorite white skort. The top loader in my condo did nothing to take it out (and I pretreated). My washer at home would have taken it out first time washing.

 

[dex08]

I absolutely LOVE doing laundry in my Whirlpool HT front loader washer/dryer combo. I have never ever had a smelly, moldy issue like some people complain about. I always leave the door cracked open. Also, I can pause it and open the door to toss in that lost sock (or whatever items I forgot).

My water bills were significantly lower due to the high efficiency. I have an extra fast/high speed spin cycle which really wrings the water out of the clothes, so my drying type is also reduced.

LOVE LOVE LOVE my front loaders!

 

[PrincessBelle39]

I've just recently gone back to a toploader from a front loader. We had so many issues with the front loader. I hated that I couldn't put something in it after it had started. It was supposed to have a fast spin cycle but I always had to respin and the clothes were always quite wet. When it died (we had it repaired 4 times in a 7 week period), each time we had to wait for the repairman to open it to get the wet closes out. I now have an LG toploader which is amazing. It weighs the clothes and only uses as much water as it needs to. With a full load, it uses 11litres more than my front loader did but holds 2kg more clothes.

 

[rie'smom]

I just got rid of my front loader.

The first one we bought a few years ago: I used it twice and then the drum pulled away from the housing. The repairman said return it, we did.

The second one never drained properly. This is very common with front loaders.
Use the correct laundry detergent or your washer will smell like a locker room.

Last week, we returned from WDW and I put on a load of wash. After the cycle, there was 3 inches of sitting water in the bottom of the machine and the water would not stop running. I've hated the machine for a coupe of years so I thank Tinkerbell for the pixie dust giving me the excuse to buy a top loader.