Unless you've been hiding under a rock, you've seen more and more front load washers pop up in the last ten years than you could have imagined. Is it just a fad, or some kind of appliance conspiracy? Or could it be that there is more to these machines than meets they eye?
First off, front load washers are much more energy efficient than most top load washers. An average top loader will use between 40 - 45 gallons of water per load, not including an extra rinse cycle. A typical front load washer will use between 12 - 22 gallons of water per load, AND you can usually do twice the laundry in front load washer. Let's be very conservative with the math here. Let's say it takes two loads in a top loader to do one equivalent load in a front loader. That's on a low side 80 gallons of water for the top load washer compared to a high side of 22 gallons for the front load washer - a savings of almost 60 gallons of water! That's not even taking into account how much more efficient front loaders are in extracting water from the laundry before they reach the dryer. By the way, you dryer is the second most energy consuming appliance you own. Saving time in the dryer saves your pocket book, too.
Now for wash quality... Washing machines (front and top load) roll the clothes over to force water and detergent into the fiber of what is being washed, and then to rinse the dirt and detergent back out. We know that a top load washer rolls the clothes over between 4 - 7 times per load. Compare that with a front load with well over a 1000 times per load. Which do you think will wash better? Not to mention that when most top loaders drain water from the wash basket the dirty water filters back through the clothes, whereas front loaders use several rinse cycles and centrifugal force to give you a much more thorough rinse. People with allergies will benefit greatly with the better wash quality a front load washer gives you.
If you use an energy efficient washing machine, make sure you use high efficiency detergent. Because you are using much less water, the detergent needs to be able to break down with less water, too. You can find very good detergents at most appliance dealers. The detergent may cost more than what you'll find at the grocery store, but is well worth the money. It will generally give you a better clean, and you will use much less. Most front load washers filled to capacity won't need more than 2 TABLESPOONS (yes, I said tablespoons!) of HE detergent. Most detergent labels will tell you to use more, but remember they are in the business to sell detergent!
Another great benefit of buying a front load washer - they generally last longer. Brands I like to recommend are in front load laundry are Miele, Bosch, Whirlpool (Maytag - which is a Whirlpool machine), and Frigidaire. If you really want a top loader and want energy efficiency, make sure you check out Fisher & Paykel (makers of the Dishdrawer).
One last thing... Before you go shopping, make sure you know of any dimension limitations you may have. Front load washers are much deeper than the top loader you may have.
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