# Do front-loading washers clean as well as top-loaders? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 1, 2008, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-front-loading-washers-clean-as-well-as-top-loaders/458549 "2008-08-01T22:52:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![kayT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayt/32/3633_2.png) [@kayT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayT)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2012, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-front-loading-washers-clean-as-well-as-top-loaders/458549/61 "2012-04-29T20:25:48Z")
I am on the third front loader. First one was Kenmore and failed after less than three years; another black mark for Sears. Second one was Samsung and we left it in California for the person who bought our house. This one is also Samsung. I have never had mildew, never had a bad odor, and almost never remember to leave the door open when finished. My clothes are way cleaner than they were in a top loader and they dry in about half the time. I love the Samsung and would never dream of going back to the old tub full of dirty water sloshing around. Furthermore, things last longer as the washer isn’t wearing them out with pointless “agitating”. The front loader lifts your clothes from the water then drops them back in: much like washing by hand; much gentler. Besides, this machine plays a little tune for me when it’s done. How cool is that? ---
**Author:** ![postcards](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8e8cbc/32.png) [@postcards](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/postcards)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2012, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-front-loading-washers-clean-as-well-as-top-loaders/458549/62 "2012-04-29T21:02:25Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > One big advantage of a front loader is that you can stack a dryer on top of it and use less floor space. You can do that with [top-loaders](http://stacked-washerdryer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/General-Electric-Unitized-Spacemaker.jpeg), too. ---
**Author:** ![Pai325](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@Pai325](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pai325)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2012, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-front-loading-washers-clean-as-well-as-top-loaders/458549/63 "2012-04-30T00:08:10Z")
> [@Louize](#): > > NO - Front Loaders DO NOT clean well or work well. DO NOT BUY ONE! Its a fad and will fizzle out! You may or may not like them, but they’re certainly not a fad. My mother had one when I was growing up, and I’m in my sixties. ---
**Author:** ![Candyman74](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ad7895/32.png) [@Candyman74](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Candyman74)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2012, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-front-loading-washers-clean-as-well-as-top-loaders/458549/64 "2012-04-30T00:40:31Z")
> [@Pai325](#): > > You may or may not like them, but they’re certainly not a fad. My mother had one when I was growing up, and I’m in my sixties. I’m not that old (approaching 40) but they’ve been popular all my life. Certainly not a fad. Or, indeed, a “FAD!!!1”. ---
**Author:** ![Cazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cazzle/32/75_2.png) [@Cazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cazzle)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2012, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-front-loading-washers-clean-as-well-as-top-loaders/458549/65 "2012-04-30T01:47:21Z")
I hate my front loader but I’ve been forced to begrudgingly admit it cleans better. I pulled my daughter’s baby clothes out to give away and found many, many stains on them - even on the smallest items from the days when she was exclusively breastfed and therefore not spilling formula or food on herself. All were washed in my old top loader. My son’s baby clothes have no stains whatsoever. Front loader. I hate the increased washing time (a ludicrous 2.5 hours on the “quick cotton” setting), I hate being unable to add that one forgotten sock to the load, I hate when it unbalances or something and I have to wait 2 minutes for the door to unlock so I can rearrange the load (washing blankets or similar is a frustrating experience, especially when it repeatedly unbalances, @#$!%&), I hate that it frequently flicks baby socks into the lint catcher so they come out sodden and linty, I hate that everything comes out so creased that just putting things though the dryer isn’t enough to “iron” them and I have to use the actual iron (like a common washerwoman!). If I wasn’t forced to have a front loader by the layout of the laundry, I’d never have stopped using my faithful old top loader… but bah, crap, it’s true. It does wash better. ---
**Author:** ![kayT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayt/32/3633_2.png) [@kayT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayT)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2012, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-front-loading-washers-clean-as-well-as-top-loaders/458549/66 "2012-04-30T01:56:01Z")
I don’t know what brand you have, **Eliahna** , but my Samsung does the quick wash in 43 minutes and that’s with an extra rinse. I have not noticed the creasing but if it’s that bad try turning the spin speed from high to medium. My machine doesn’t “lock” the door once you stop the machine. It also lets you add things in for the first few minutes and also during spinning, by just putting the cycle on pause. And Samsung has a self balancing system; it slows the spin and sprays in some water to rebalance itself. Granted, this does make the load take longer than the 43 minutes but I never have to get in there and rebalance a load. ETA sorry if I sound like a Samsung commercial! ---
**Author:** ![Cazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cazzle/32/75_2.png) [@Cazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cazzle)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2012, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-front-loading-washers-clean-as-well-as-top-loaders/458549/67 "2012-04-30T02:16:52Z")
> [@kayT](#): > > I don’t know what brand you have, **Eliahna** , but my Samsung does the quick wash in 43 minutes and that’s with an extra rinse. I have not noticed the creasing but if it’s that bad try turning the spin speed from high to medium. My machine doesn’t “lock” the door once you stop the machine. It also lets you add things in for the first few minutes and also during spinning, by just putting the cycle on pause. And Samsung has a self balancing system; it slows the spin and sprays in some water to rebalance itself. Granted, this does make the load take longer than the 43 minutes but I never have to get in there and rebalance a load. > > ETA sorry if I sound like a Samsung commercial! Mine’s an LG. The quick wash (not quick cotton) for lightly soiled clothing is done in 30 minutes, or 36 if you want to spin enough water out so it won’t take 5 hours to go through the dryer, but that still makes me grumble because the **heavy duty** cycle on the top loader takes about 45 minutes. I could spin at a lower RPM but the increased drying time probably takes longer than ironing, and definitely consumes more power. My SO is from the UK and he claims front loaders (and everything else for that matter, but that’s another story) are of better quality over there. He was shocked by how crappy a reasonably expensive front loader was over here compared to those he’d had in the UK. Most recently we had a fault with our machine - fixed, rapidly and in our own home under warranty by LG’s local service people, no real complaints there - but while we were trying to figure out the source and cause of the noise, we had to wait three or four times for that blessed door to unlock. Frustrating. ---
**Author:** ![Terry\_Kennedy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c57346/32.png) [@Terry\_Kennedy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terry_Kennedy)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2012, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-front-loading-washers-clean-as-well-as-top-loaders/458549/68 "2012-04-30T05:26:19Z")
> [@Louize](#): > > NO - Front Loaders DO NOT clean well or work well. DO NOT BUY ONE! Its a fad and will fizzle out! We have had a pair for 3 years. I switched to a Samsung front loader (and matching dryer) well over 4 years ago. The only issue was that the light bulb in the dryer burned out once, and was easily replaced. I do think that the washer takes longer than my old top loader, but it mostly makes up for that in added capacity. It also does a much better job on things like pillows and comforters - in the top loader, they would just float on top of the water and not get cleaned. > [@](#): > > Somethings simply cannot be improved upon since our ancestors My grandmother refused to use anything except a tub, washboard and stick for all of her days. Me, I like the modern conveniences. There are certainly awful front loaders out there. Just as there are awful top loaders. It is probably easier to make a bad front loader than a bad top loader because they’re more complex. But that’s no reason to dismiss the technology out of hand. ---
**Author:** ![Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/96bed5/32.png) [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patty_O_Furniture)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2012, 6:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-front-loading-washers-clean-as-well-as-top-loaders/458549/69 "2012-04-30T06:31:19Z")
> [@Louize](#): > > \ There is a lot of misinformation in your post and I don’t really feel like picking through all of it. Suffice it to say that professional/industrial machines are almost always front-loaders - especially the high capacity ones. That should tell you right there that the design is sound. > [@](#): > > ]The whole drum is literally hanging from its mounts while it spins in opposition to gravity No it’s not. It rides on wheels or rollers while the motor provides the turning force. > [@](#): > > The clothes often still smell dirty and so we literally must wash a lot of loads twice! You’re probably packing it too full. I’d like to know what specific brand and model you’re complaining about. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2012, 7:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-front-loading-washers-clean-as-well-as-top-loaders/458549/70 "2012-04-30T07:57:02Z")
Sounds to me like **Louize** just bought a dud, or is otherwise a statistical outlier, in terms of user experience. All\* washing machines in the UK are automatic front-loaders, and as with any other category of electrical goods, there are really good ones, and not-so-good ones. **Louize** ’s criticisms don’t make sense in this context (or in some cases, in general - I mean, just because something is a horizontal drum doesn’t make it impossible to drain efficiently) \*nearly all. The only new machines I’ve ever seen that aren’t front-loaders, in the last 20 years, are weird compact/student-type things that aren’t really ordinary top-loaders either. ---
**Author:** ![jabiru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/bbce88/32.png) [@jabiru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jabiru)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2012, 8:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-front-loading-washers-clean-as-well-as-top-loaders/458549/71 "2012-04-30T08:36:09Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > They’re _automatic_ washing machines - you can leave them unattended and do something else while they wash the laundry - does the cycle time matter all that much? It matters if you have several loads to wash. I had a front loader when my boys (now nearing 30) were small and I couldn’t wait to get rid of it. Apart from the very long cycle, I found that the machine didn’t hold nearly enough, so I ended up doing even more loads. And then there’s the not-being-able-to-add-another-item problem - perennial when you have small children. ---
**Author:** ![jabiru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/bbce88/32.png) [@jabiru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jabiru)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2012, 8:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-front-loading-washers-clean-as-well-as-top-loaders/458549/72 "2012-04-30T08:39:53Z")
> [@Eliahna](#): > > I hate that everything comes out so creased that just putting things though the dryer isn’t enough to “iron” them and I have to use the actual iron (like a common washerwoman!). If I wasn’t forced to have a front loader by the layout of the laundry, I’d never have stopped using my faithful old top loader… but bah, crap, it’s true. It does wash better. I _was_ considering going back to a front loader, despite my previous experience because I’d heard there’d been improvements since I last had one (in the '80s). Your post has convinced me otherwise. ---
**Author:** ![Louize](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@Louize](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Louize)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2012, 8:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-front-loading-washers-clean-as-well-as-top-loaders/458549/73 "2012-04-30T08:40:53Z")
That’s a good point to make about which brands are going to work the best. The 3 yr old GE front loader Duet I have simply does not work well. It seems that newer front loader users find a happy medium and learn HOW to use their machines to get the results they want, as I had to. It has to do with how heavy or soiled a load is in accordance with which setting to choose. And as several already pointed out, you cannot soak or immerse clothing etc in the front loaders which I miss very much for reasons I already mentioned in my previous post. Incidentally, the instructions that came with my front loader DID say to leave the door open to dry out collecting water which may become sour or stagnate and also to do a regular ‘washer cleaning’ to kill what builds up from this leftover standing water after a wash. Water just does not drain out well enough in a front loader. For the quibblers, I think there is a misunderstanding about what a FAD can be. Of course front loaders have been around for ages but the newest new HE front loaders, HE detergent and all etc has been hyped the last 4-5-6 years. This Going Green hype or passing fancy (fad) will pass. I guess some haven’t noticed or actually shopped for a new washer or dryer for a while. As for the Candyman’s comments, well, they speak for themselves. I bet he kicks little puppies for fun, just by the way he is kicking around others legitimate comments on this message board. Anyway, since others have asked, I simply want to inform others of my experience with my newer GE Duet front loader washer as I too have heard complaints and thought I should look it up my self online and so here I am and thought it would be nice to also help others if possible to answer their questions and sort out their reasons for considering new front loaders. My machine is not a ‘dud’ it just doesn’t do as good a job as a good top loader. I can only speak for the brand I purchased, however I would never again buy a front loader of any brand knowing what I know now firsthand and after also hearing from others who have started using front loaders in general. Only a strong large capacity top loader has ALL the water levels and cycle settings one could need from delicates to heavy work clothes. \*\*Live and learn! To each his own - choice! \*\* ---
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2012, 9:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-front-loading-washers-clean-as-well-as-top-loaders/458549/74 "2012-04-30T09:37:30Z")
> [@Louize](#): > > I can only speak for the brand I purchased Then you should stop making unqualified statements that front-loading washers are inferior to top-loading washers. ---
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2012, 9:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-front-loading-washers-clean-as-well-as-top-loaders/458549/75 "2012-04-30T09:41:21Z")
> [@Green\_Cymbeline](#): > > Although I am still a bit skeptical… I want my clothes to be fully submerged and immersed in water! :dubious: Get over it. There is now [a washing machine which uses only one cup of water](http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/greenerliving/5597786/Washing-machine-that-uses-one-cup-of-water.html) for the entire cycle. ---
**Author:** ![Dereknocue67](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/6de8d8/32.png) [@Dereknocue67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dereknocue67)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2012, 10:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-front-loading-washers-clean-as-well-as-top-loaders/458549/76 "2012-04-30T10:03:33Z")
I’ve been using a front loader for about 12 years and have found that the front end purchase price of the machine is offset by the savings recovered by reduction in detergent and water use along with dryer run time. You’re saving $ by using less water and less detergent. Since the drum spins about about 1,000 rpm, the clothes contain less water at the end cycle meaning less drying time and electric/gas usage. Run your own calculations based on your detergent and utility costs but you should realize a savings. On cleaning ability, the machine performs equally to a top loader. ---
**Author:** ![Hermitian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hermitian/32/470_2.png) [@Hermitian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hermitian)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2012, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-front-loading-washers-clean-as-well-as-top-loaders/458549/77 "2012-04-30T13:16:23Z")
What happens if you just need a bunch of water to really dilute the stuff you are trying to get rid of? Suppose I just ended up with a ton of mud all over my clothes. Or what If I am washing cloth diapers and there is a lot of urine and some fecal matter? Just getting the clothes “damp” isn’t going to cut it. Does anyone know how front loaders deal with this? Is there an immerse and dilute option? ---
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2012, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-front-loading-washers-clean-as-well-as-top-loaders/458549/78 "2012-04-30T13:31:03Z")
> [@Hermitian](#): > > What happens if you just need a bunch of water to really dilute the stuff you are trying to get rid of? > > Suppose I just ended up with a ton of mud all over my clothes. Or what If I am washing cloth diapers and there is a lot of urine and some fecal matter? Just getting the clothes “damp” isn’t going to cut it. As has already been explained repeatedly in this thread, it is _not_ the case that front-loading washers merely get the clothes “damp”. > [@](#): > > Does anyone know how front loaders deal with this? They deal with them just fine. I have washed plenty of dirt- and fæces-encrusted fabrics in various front-loading washing machines, and they clean them just fine. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2012, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-front-loading-washers-clean-as-well-as-top-loaders/458549/79 "2012-04-30T13:35:24Z")
I think there’s an assumption in wet climates that water is the only way to clean things. It’s not. Ask someone who lives in the desert how to wash clothes (or pans, or hands) and you’re going to get lots of advice, little of which involves water, or very much water. Water is nice because it’s, as our high school chemistry teachers taught us, “the universal solvent”. It works to get out most common gunk, most of the time. Where most of us live, it’s fairly cheap and plentiful and we haven’t needed to find other ways to clean. But agitation works, brushing mud off words, scouring with sand works, leaving things out in the sun to lighten stains and odors works. It’s just not what we’re used to, because we’re spoiled with plentiful water for washing. ---
**Author:** ![Pixel\_Dent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/bc8723/32.png) [@Pixel\_Dent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pixel_Dent)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2012, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-front-loading-washers-clean-as-well-as-top-loaders/458549/80 "2012-04-30T13:39:54Z")
Even top loaders these days are moving toward high efficiency models that don’t have an agitator and use much less water. The days of clothes floating around in a pool of dirty water are likely numbered. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-front-loading-washers-clean-as-well-as-top-loaders/458549.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-front-loading-washers-clean-as-well-as-top-loaders/458549.md?page=5)