Front Load Washer Worth All the Hype?

Front loaders are totally worth the extra money. They use way less water and energy, so you make up your money that way over and over...plus, you don't have to use that expensive HE laundry soap either...you can use regular soap...and you only use half the amount or less, so you save a bundle on soap also. I'm not too sure what ones hold up better than others, but I'd guess it's pretty much the same as old style washers...quality brands make quality products. Happy washer shopping!

1 mom found this helpful

I have a LG front-loading washer, and I love it! We have 7 people in our household, in addition to my running an in-home daycare, so it gets used FREQUENTLY! It is kind of a hassle making sure the laundry detergent I buy is compatible with my machine, but many companies seem to be increasingly aware of this and are making their detergents compatible. Blessings to you and yours! :)

1 mom found this helpful

Yes! They are!

We purchase our first set of a front loading (and stackable) washer and dryer 7 years ago. My husband is a general contractor and was finishing a house he was working on. The woman had a laundry "closet" in her house and had the Fridgidaire Stackable Washer and Dryer. They are the smaller ones-a year before the big ones started coming out. He LOVED that he didn't hear the washer or dryer working. They are so quiet (except when the buzzer goes off). So 2 months later, when my dryer died, we bought a set of stackable washer and dryer (and he remodeled my laundry room). What I love, but had a hard time embracing the idea of, that the washer uses very little water. I had to figure out how much soap to put into it, because you use so much less soap as well. This was before the days of buying the HE soaps that are out now. It only took me a few loads to get over myself on the using alot less water thing. I also use the extra rinse cycle, to make sure all of the soap is out of our clothes (we also have sensitive skin and some soaps break us out). And then when I got my first water bill after using my washer and dryer for over a month-I saw a drastic difference, my water bill was lower by about $40-$60 dollars. Also, the drying time on the clothes is less, because the washer wrings the living daylights out of our clothes-and my power bill was less as well, because it cut down on drying time. So my clothes are dry before my wash cycle on another load is done. The washer is more gentle on clothes, but gets them cleaner. And, there is a computer in the machine, that figures out how much laundry is in the washer, so no load is too small. When the water is running, and the barrel is spinning, the computer will figure out how many clothes are in there and how much water to use and then it will stop. I have washed 2 pairs of jeans, used a very small amount of soap, and didn't feel guilty about it, because I knew the washer knew how much water it needed. So it takes the guess work out of the small-medium-large-extra large in the loads of laundry. I don't think you will find a front loading washer that has a S-M-L-XL load on it. They all figure out how much water it needs.

All of my friends who have different front loading washers (Whirlpool Duet, LG, Kenmore, etc) have all loved thier washers. I am looking into getting a new set myself (because I want a Red set). When I do a load of laundry at my mom's house (when I visit her), she has a regular, traditional set-I am amazed at how much water is used in her washer.

Yes, they are worth all the hype. What you will pay extra money for in the machines, but you will save on your water, electricity bills, and you will find, you won't be buying as much laundry soap. And if you have a septic system, you have to have it pumped out as much.

1 mom found this helpful

Yes! We are totally off-grid and the energy efficiency of the front-loader is great for us. Also you use less detergent and fabric softener. My only word of caution is that the seals tend to mold, so we keep the door open when we are done with a load. We have a Maytag.

1 mom found this helpful

Hi H.,

I'm really interested in seeing your replies.

I was thinking either in November this year, or January next we'd buy a new set, and have been looking at the front loaders for two years. Wasn't sure if they were wroth the hype either, *or* the extra money.

My set is over 11 years old, and while it does work, it's definately showing its age. It has been an awesome set, though, so when you do buy a new set, whatever type it is, I highly recommend the Whirlpool brand.

Will be peeking at your replies. :o)

K. W

1 mom found this helpful

Here's another perspective: I have purchased two energy star washing machines in the past 6 years. First, I purchased the Kenmore Calypso, the top loading non-agitation style for water conservation, gentler washing, etc. I would not recommend them for two reasons. You must leave it open to air out otherwise your clothes start to smell like mildew - the guy at Sears never mentioned that. And more importantly, after 3 years, it would make black grease marks on our laundry (apparently something these machines have been knows to do - according to the repair man). The repair man also told me that they jokingly call them the "calapso" model because the top loading non-agitation style because of all the problems they have seen. He told me that once I started seeing some repeat issues, to just buy a new one and not throw away any money on repairs. He recommended a couple of front loader brands BOSCH and LG. I also researched Consumer Reports (you can pay just 9.99 for a month subscription and it is WELL WORTH IT because you can read reviews by CR on all the leading machines as well as owner reviews). Based on all that I read, I bought the LG WM0642HW front loader about 1 year ago. It got very high ratings from CR and the only negative customer report was regarding the smell that can happen if you don't leave the door open. So far, so good. The only hassle is leaving the door open - I leave it open every night and after I wash during the day. It seems to be gentler on the clothes, although I have to admit my parent's 15+ year old Whirlpool top loading agitation washer gets the clothes cleaner for sure...it may just shred them eventually (and I am sure it is using well more than a fair share of water too!) I hope that helps.

1 mom found this helpful

I've had my front load washer and dryer for almost a year and I can't imagine life without it! It uses less energy and way less water (which saves money), it does an excellent job washing clothes (I've yet to have a stain not come out) and the spin cycle gets the clothes so dry you can get a load washed and dried in under an hour. Not a little load either, but a full-sized load, jeans and all. I think it's worth the extra money. We didn't get a top of the line model, just a basic front loader by Frigidaire, but I'm in love :) It actually makes laundry fun!

1 mom found this helpful

yes yes. i love my washer we had an old set 12 years old. we have the LG front loader steam washer and dryer. they cut my laundry time in half b/c i can do such large loads. and our engery bill is lower and they use way less water. it even has a wrinkle cycle that after your dryer is done if you don't take it out right away it tumbles every so often up to three hours so your clothes do not wrinkle. and i am amazed how clean our clothes are. we bought these at home depot and have had them for almost 2 years we bought the extend warrenty but no problems. the steam cycle we save money less dry cleaqning for my husbands work clothes. also our clothes do not smell at all i read some of the other answers. the washer seals really tight so the sales person said after each use of the washer just leave the door open and i have even forgot the wash for 5 hours or so and it did not smell. if you think about this is something that you will use on a daily bases and saves time :) best of luck
mom of 2 girls ages 2.5 and 5

1 mom found this helpful

When my husband and I decided to move two years ago, I wanted a new washer and dryer. We did tons of research and decided to go with the Kenmore brand. We love our front load machine. Our water/electric bill is so much lower than what it was. I notice that my clothes, including underwear, last a lot longer than before. With our old top load machine, the undergarments would get caught on the agitator and the elastic would stretch out. We also decided to go with the HE soap because it will not make a ton suds. You can get this at Costco for a reasonable price. One of the things that I really like about having a front load is I can squat down to transfer the loads and not have to bend up and down every time. My two year old enjoys helping me transfer the loads :) A feature on the Kenmore brand we really like is add a garment. During the first few minutes of a cycle, you can add something you might have dropped. When the light goes off, you will have to wait for the next load. I hope this helps and good luck!

1 mom found this helpful

The front loaders are alot more efficient as far as getting water out and drying faster. I bought a brand new top load washer 18 months ago but it took 2 cycles for my dryer to dry anyting. I lucked out and was given a little bit older front loader about 6 months ago. The front loader gts so much more water out that the same dryer drys in less than half of the time.

1 mom found this helpful

Hi H.,

We got ours before we adopted our two! I LOVE THEM! You can wash big items like king size comforters with ease. You can wash so much more in one load. My water bill went down. At first we did notice a gas like smell, but we have a gas dryer. When it broke in a bit, the gas smell went away! They are also a lot quieter! We also got the pedestals with them. In my book, that was a great back saver, and they have extra storage space. If we were to make the decision again, I would definately get them.

1 mom found this helpful

We love our front loader! It reduced our water/electric about $45 the 1st month! You also use less detergent and can put in more clothes! I can fit a queen size comforter and sheets in it! Some of them are a little loud so look for a less noisy one. Mine is 7 yrs old so it is older model(Kenmore).But we think it is great! Good luck!

1 mom found this helpful

I was in your shoes just last year. I just knew I HAD to have the front loader. We got to talking to a really knowledgeable guy at Best Buy about washers (he's sold and worked with them for over 20 years) and he said they really are great, however if you have something you forgot to throw in you have to wait till next load. You can't open the door at all while the cycle is on. I ended up getting the top load WITHOUT an agitator in the middle. Let me tell you it's HUGE I mean HUGE. I love it, I honestly dont' mind doing laundry because I still love my washer a year later. I'm no tree hugger "green" person, but do what I can when I can, and it only uses 4 gallons of water the entire cycle the front loaders use more and the older style top loaders use up to 25 gallons per load. Being on a septic system that was fabulous! Also it dries quicker because it spins your clothes out so fast that they are only slightly damp when they come out of the washer, so you save on electricity when drying your clothes as well. I've never had a single problem with it and recommend it to every single person I can when I can. I'm a SAHM so laundry is kind of my job. I hope you find a washer that you like as much as I like mine. Hope this helps, W.

1 mom found this helpful