Front Load

here is the scoop...front load washers are bad!! I do not like mine at all...I have a Bosch and I don't think it gets the clothes nearly as clean as the top loader did...the wash time is extensively long...I have to wash much smaller loads in order for it to take the designated time...you have to leave it open over night because it will mold and get stinky...I thought I wanted a front loader, but have since changed my mind...I could sell you mine if you want it! hahaha

I do not like my front loader. I've had it for 8 years, so I think it's one of the earliest of it's type. Maybe they have made inmprovements since then, but my clothes do not get as clean and mildew builds up under the rubber seal. I also have small socks and other small items get stuck between rubber seal and the drum. Once that happens, they are throw-away items because they are caked with black mildew. I really have no way of knowing just exactly how efficient they are. I'm sure they do use less water and energy, so that is a good thing. How much more efficient? Not sure. Also, unless you have a utility sink, there's no good way to soak items. I've tried the soak setting on my front loader and it never pulls in enough water to soak the way I'd like. It's not really a soak, but a "make them damp and let them sit for 5 minutes". Again, my washer/dryer is an older model Whirlpool Duet. I just know when I visit my parents and in-laws (they have top loaders), my clothes always turn out cleaner. I hardly ever have something NOT come out using theirs. Good luck.

ADD ON for anyone that closes the door on their front loader: ANY BRAND front load washer should have the door left open in order for it to air out otherwise it will start to smell over time!!! If you have a top loader do you leave the lid up on it when not in use? Probably yes and hence why it doesn't smell funny other wise it would too if you left the lid closed. A washer/dryer is like a car, you have to take care of it and keep it maintained in order for it to last you a long time. You wouldn't expect your car to run right if you never changed the oil in it would you???

I have a Bosh 500 and love them! They have changed the design since I got mine a few years back so now the door for the washer closes nicer but I don't like the pull out dispenser door. The pedestals are nice if you are tall (I'm 5'9 and have the 15 inch ones) or if you have kids and don't want to worry about them messing around with the controls (always check for a button lock out!). In the one for my dryer I keep my small trash can for lint and my Woolite that I use once in a while. Soap for them is really nothing special except it says HE on the bottle. Tide makes it and it cost no more than non HE soap. You still use liquid bleach and fabric softener the same. But with the soap and color safe bleach, you don't even need to use the amount recommended on the bottle. Most FL machines only require a tablespoon or two of soap!!! Yes they use way less water too, they spin out around 1100 RPMs which makes them so dry coming out of the washer it cuts your drying time down too!! Also check for a quick wash cycle for the washer. Most regular wash times are around an hour and you'll get 2 rinses and 3 spins. My quick wash is 25 min and I get 1 rinse and 2 spins. An hour may seem like a long time but the average top loaded takes 20-25 mins and then longer time in the dryer because it doesn't spin out as well so if you really think about it, the time is just the same from start to finish. It just shifst to the wash time from the dry time.

My friend has an LG front load set that is the same size and design as a top loader and she loves hers as well. My best advice is to read reviews!! Get on sears, lowes and home depot websites and read reviews from other customers. Epinions and amazon are great sites too!! Remember that lowes and sears price match plus 10%!! That's how we got ours set at lowes and bought the extended warranty with the money we saved.

Good luck and happy washing!
S.

I went back and checked and we bought ours in January of 2002 so they are 8 years old. Again, NEVER had a problem. EVER. *I hope I didn't just jinx myself! ;)

Well I LOVE my front loaders and have never had any of the issues listed below. I take that back, I do leave my door open on the washer when I'm done but out of habit so I can't really say that it smells if I don't.

I have 2 teenagers, a husband and 2 big dogs. We have a farm and ride ATV's. Between the mud on clothes, and the "dog towels" I have some pretty dirty loads and they are always clean.
It is true that the wash cycles are longer in minutes but they do use less water. And they are much bigger so I can wash more clothes at once. I do remember with my old top loaders, it would take an hour and 1/2 to dry a load of bath towels, especially in the summer because of the humidity. Towels are dry in 45 minutes because if the amount of water that the washing machine is able to spin out.

I do have the Kenmore HE3 and at the time we bought them they were the highest rated by consumer reports. I did buy the storage under. They really are not deep enough to hold the boxes/bottles of detergent so I keep the "dog towels" under the dryer and just stuff under the washer.
Most detergents now can be used in the high efficiency washers. I use 7th Generation and a little bit of baking soda.

I personally will not go back to a top loader.

Lori

Updated

A front loader uses less water, thus less energy (if you heat the water), gets out more soap and is gentler on your clothes. You will need an HE detergent, but almost everyone makes one. I like Tide HE Free (no dyes or perfumes) and I've heard good things about Publix brand of HE, too. We have had a Frigidaire front loader for almost 15 years and we love it. Plus you can stack it to fit into a space that may not fit a side by side set. (Or put them side by side with a counter over them!) They are more expensive, but there are some models that are not outrageously priced.

I do not have a front loader, but most of my friends do. Only one really likes hers, the others hate them. My father-in law does alot of research as did I on washers and by far the GE Cabrio is one of the best. I am unsure about dryers......hope this was helpful

R. S.

i used to work in appliance sales at sears and my opinion is, DONT get a front loader. there are a few complaints that i have heard multiple times about them. 1) they cannot handle as large of a load. 2) if the drum breaks and cant spin, then you are stuck with your laundry inside. with a top loader you can at least get everything out and rinse it out in the sink to put in the dryer. with a front loader, if you open it, your floors are gonna get soaked. 3) they have a tendency to smell. gravity is not on their side, so water tends to not drain completely inside and you start to get a mildew smell around the washer. 4) they are hard on the back to have to bend down the whole time moving wet clothes from washer to dryer.

now, this is just my opinion. i know a lot of people, including my MIL who absolutely love their front loaders. these are just the complaints that i heard a lot while working there.

I just bought the Electrolux front loaders and I LOVE LOVE LOVE it.. Yes .. Storage pedestals are wonderful, keeps me from bending and we went with the Electrolux brand because of the touch to open doors and pedestals.. No bending no tugging on doors to open.. I am thrilled with the purchase. I have not changed detergent because I was already using All liquid due to allergies and it works just fine.. I do use a little less detergent than I did before and my clothes are really clean. I should explain that our choices are because of my bad back from 2 seperate car wrecks but I would recommend them to anyone. My Mother in law has fussed for years because she couldn't get a front loader till they started coming out again. I can't imagine ever going back to a top loader ever again.

I have a front load washer and I don't think it works any better than a top loading. I actually think it's worse. I feel my clothes were cleaner when washed in the top loading washer with the agitator. The front loaders need to be cleaned every 30 washes (or so) with bleach (I have used bleach or vinegar). It's a hot water long wash - so I think it negates energy savings. I also use the heavy wash and extra steam, as I feel I need it to get my clothes clean. It starts to smell if you leave it closed for too long, with or without clothes in it. I leave mine open all the time.

Who knows what is better? I previously had a tl and then got a fl - I prefer the fl! I own a diaper service and wash the diapers in our fl and with about 10 more loads a week, we haven't noticed it at all in our electric bill from years past and our water bill only went up $10/month. I have a whirlpool duet and LOVE LOVE LOVE it!

oh, as for storage, not sure - I have a pantry in my laundry room for all the "stuff" like deteregents, stain fighters, etc.

I have had a Whirlpool Duet front loader set for about 2 years now.
Things I love:
1) Washer is much quieter than any top loader I've used
2) Washer is able to spin a lot more water out of clothes which reduces drying time by quite a bit
3) Can handle bigger loads than most top loaders

I don't have the storage drawers underneath so I do have to bend down to move the clothes around. My solution to this is to have my 3 year old do that part for me :) She loves to help.

You do have to use "high efficiency" detergent. It's not hard to find good deals on it since every major brand has an "HE" version.

I have never had to clean the washer. When I purchased it they recommended leaving the door cracked for a little while after doing your laundry so that that it could dry out. It seals up so tight when you close the door there is no way for the moisture to evaporate, resulting in a mildewy smell. So I just leave the door open overnight after I've done laundry, no big deal.

HI B.,

I was perfectly okay with my top loader til the lid feel down and hit me in the head. My husband had wanted me to get a front loader for years and that sealed the deal. He was actually managing an Appliancesmart store in Atlanta at the time and they have incredible deals on new scratch and dent models. Hundreds of dollars off. There's one in Smyrna, one in Norcross and one on Thornton Road in that town west on I-20, past six flags (sorry I blanking on the name.

I have the Maytag Neptune. I like it a lot because I have them stacked and I can utilize more space. They have a larger capacity and they use less water and energy. The wash and dry cycles are about the same time as well so you don't have to wait for clothes to dry to move the wet ones to start a new load.

My husband said the best brands were Bosch and LG, Maytag or Kenmore Elite, basically in that order. I believe Bosch and LG are German made (don't hold me to that) and there insides are metal not plastics like most. Appliancesmart has good extended warranties and are very inexpensive as well.

Happy shopping!

M.

I LOVE my front load washer and dryer from LG. We got the best deal at HH Gregg after doing a lot of research and visiting many stores. LG or Samsung will probably make you the happiest in the long run. Whirlpool, Maytag and Kenmore are all made by the same company now, and we found the reports and reviews to be lacking. HH Gregg is also open sometimes to a little "bargaining" where the other places we went -Sears, Home Depot, Lowe's and Brandsmart were NOT. We were going to buy a model they had on sale in January, and they ran out, so they gave us the step above model PLUS they threw in the drawer bottom storage -they're around $225 a piece! I wasn't going to get them -but was happy to get them free. With those you don't have to bend over to load and unload your washer and dryer.

Not sure about the other response and the load size -the front loaders handle MUCH MUCH more of a load than even the biggest top loaders! We do laundry so much less now -and it's a blessing! The dryer also is top notch and incredibly efficient. As far as the drum not being able to spin and water spilling out and ruining your floors -HUH? Part of the efficiency is the way it washes -there is never a drum full of water to spill out if it breaks. It uses sprays of water intermittently with the detergent and agitates the drum back and forth. My clothes have been cleaner, fresher and more stains come out.

You do have to use detergent with the He symbol on it, but you can get a deal at Costco for a 180 load box of Kirkland brand for $17! All other major brands make an He version too.

If you leave the door to the washer closed all the time, it can get musty. You can leave it open when not in use or use the cleaner tablets once a month. We've had ours since January and I haven't needed to do anything.