We have a front loading washer after a top loading one. The advantages? They can use less detergents and use less water too. New ones use ONLY H E type detergents and other related liquids too. Many complain about it but because they did not read the instructions or ask the question of the installer. There could be water down "there". What keeps if from getting an odor? They explained water is usually kept at the base of the washing machine but you need to keep the door open after using it to air it out. Else it seals up well creating humid environment. They also showed how to pretty simply use a cloth small towel or paper one an cleaning drying the huge gasket in the very front which prevents leaking. The only criticism we have is when it imbalances which is considered in general normal for it to shake some as it can end up the clothes to a very dry state also benefiting your dryer working less! It has advanced programming to get the clothes less tangled and drier and nicer in the end result. It does take practice but once it is learned for each type of load it is much much better. The cost to us was high but we like it so so much at the same time. It saves utility costs, water, detergents usage. The one we have even is smart and figures out how big the load is that is in there and uses just the water that load needs not filling up the whole way. Also they can be even a bigger capacity! It seems like no matter how big our load most everything could fit in it! The lesson leave some space for it "breathe" In other words it needs to be able to toss the clothes to dry them so it is so so stuffed it cant do its job as well as it would normally.
But with every thing new there are pluses and minuses just like older things have theirs too.
