Front Load or Top Load Washer—What’s Best for Your Home?

Clean clothes and linens pave the way for good sanitation and health, and everyone needs to wash their clothes regularly. After all, clean clothes influence your appearance and even your self-confidence. So, getting an efficient washer is a must, but what works best for your home: a front load or top load washer?

Before choosing between either one, make sure you know the differences and similarities in order to understand what’ll work best for your laundry room. These guidelines will help you choose between the two.

 

 

Front Load or Top Load Washer: Key Differences

 

Machine Cost

Front load washers tend to be more expensive than regular top load washers. This is because front load washers provide quality cleaning while consuming less water and energy. Front load washers are also quieter than top load washers, so you get added benefits for the cost.

Size and Space

Generally, top load washers can be taller than front load washers. However, the width will be about the same. Top load washers will occupy more space in your laundry room since you need to get a dryer that requires its own space. On the other hand, a front load washer is usually stackable.

You can put a compatible dryer on top of your front load washer. This is best for people who have limited space in their laundry area. The stackable feature maximizes the vertical space that’s otherwise always taken for granted.

Loading

Top load washers are great for loading since you don’t have to bend over or kneel to put your load in. Most top load washers have a waist-level opening that allows users to comfortably load their soiled garments. Meanwhile, front load washers are mostly ADA-compliant.

This means they can be used comfortably by people in wheelchairs or those who need to load their laundry while sitting or kneeling. However, there might be some restrictions in adding more laundry once the cycle has started to prevent water overflow because of the front door design.

Effects on Clothes

Top load washers wash faster but are more harmful to clothes than front load washers are. This is because of the mechanisms used by top load washers. For example, some top load washers make use of an agitator. While it cleans clothes and heavily-soiled items better, it spins the garments faster, resulting in more wear and tear.

Top load washers with impellers, on the other hand, are gentler on clothes but cannot always remove heavy stains. On the contrary, front load washers have gentle tumbling mechanisms that save your clothes from unnecessary wear and tear.

Water and Energy Consumption

Water and energy consumption are also important factors that consumers look at before purchasing a front load or top load washer. After all, your monthly bills are affected by the appliances that you use. You need to look at how much a machine’s operation will cost you before buying it.

Front load machines use less water than standard top-loading washers. For energy consumption, make sure to get something that’s Energy Star certified. It’s the primary indicator that the machine consumes less energy, saving you more on electric bills.

Repair and Maintenance

In choosing a front load or top load washer, you need to consider repair and maintenance. While brand manufacturers provide warranties, there are damages that you need to shell out from your own pocket. The repair and maintenance of top load washers are easier and more convenient to do. Since top load washers are easy to access, you can mostly do basic repairs yourself if you know how to.

However, front load washers are a whole different level. You can maintain front load washers to some extent by cleaning them. However, repairing damage must be done by trained professionals. This is to ensure that all parts are properly mended. Doing repair work by yourself isn’t recommended (any may lead to your warranty being invalidated).

Longevity

When it comes to longevity, top load washers come out ahead. If maintained properly, they can last for up to 12-14 years. Meanwhile, the average life of a front load washer is around 8-11 years. But take note, you need to take care of your washer to maximize its lifespan to the fullest.

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What Are High-Efficiency (HE) Washers?

HE washers are a new norm. While traditional standards washers require less care and maintenance, HE washers need to regularly run a cleaning cycle. However, there are many advantages that HE washers offer. One of which is the fact that it uses less water than your average washer.

It also has sensors that automatically adjust the machine’s system to accommodate the load. Higher spin speeds also shorten your drying time, saving electricity in return.

 

Best Top Load Washer for Your Home

Now that you’re aware of the pros and cons that a top load washer has to offer, you can choose this particular style if you believe it strongly fits your lifestyle.

Moreover, it should also be convenient since you don’t have to bend over, preventing backaches and knee pain in the process. The following top load washers are our top recommendations:

Samsung WA50R5400AV 5.0 cu.ft. Top Load Washer with SuperSpeed

 

 

Samsung is one of the best brands when it comes to washers. Whether you prefer a front loading washer or top load washer, Samsung has you covered.

This particular top load washer from Samsung is fingerprint-resistant and has a black stainless color. It has 12 preset wash cycles that can cater to whatever you need to wash. Moreover, with its 5.0 cu. ft. capacity, you can wash more items in a single load, saving electricity and water consumption in return.

 

Kenmore 21652 5.2 cu.ft. Washer with Triple Action Agitator

This white Kenmore top load washer is the best choice if you decide to go for a stronger washing mechanism. Whether you need a front load or top load washer, the washing and cleaning performance should be considered.

This Kenmore top load washer is a good choice because of its Triple Action Agitator. It has three unique wash actions: spraying action, wash basket action, and agitator action. All of these washing mechanisms contribute to optimal cleaning performance.

 

Frigidaire FFTW4120SW 4.1 cu.ft. Top Load Washer

 

Frigidaire gets an impressive 12 wash cycles, five soil levels, and four temperature options to choose from. This allows you a more customized wash so that you can select which is best for your load.

It also has a child lock safety, delay start, and shows the estimated time remaining until your load is finished.

 

Compact Top Load Washer for Small Apartments

For people living in apartments, the battle between a front load or top load washer is real. Due to the space constraints in small apartments, the laundry area can be limited. Thus, a compact top load washer is advisable.

 

Danby DWM030WDB-6 0.9 cu. ft. Compact Top Load Washer

 

This small and compact top load washer fits well in tight spaces. The small design makes installation and storing quite easy. Moreover, it can hold up to 6.6 lbs of load in one wash despite its small size. It further comes with five washing cycles to choose from.

 

Magic Chef MCSTCW16S4 1.6 cu.ft. Compact Top Load Washer

You may know Magic Chef from its kitchen appliances, but it’s active in the laundry room too.

This top load washer is a good fit for small apartments and laundry spaces. It features electronic controls with LED displays, and has a child lock mechanism to ensure that little kids won’t be able to play with the laundry while it’s running.

 

Comfee CLV09N1AMG 0.9 cu. ft. Portable Compact Washer

An affordable pick for a compact load washer is this unit from Comfee. It makes washing easy as you can customize your own programs by choosing a load size and adding wash time, spin time, and rinse time.

Moreover, it is so compact that it can even fit inside your cabinets and RVs! You won’t have to stress over choosing a front load or top load washer for a small space.

 

Best Front Load Washer for Your Home

As stated earlier, the beauty of a front load washer includes the fact that it’s stackable. So, if you have limited space, you can choose this particular washer type. Moreover, having a front load washer only consumes 1/3 of water and energy. If you want to save monthly, purchase a front load washer.

 

Samsung WF45T6000AW/A5 4.5 cu.ft. Front Load Washer

 

Samsung’s front load washer is an affordable choice for those on a tight budget. You get to wash a full load capacity in as quickly as 30 minutes. That’ll save you electricity consumption and water too. Moreover, this particular model boasts of impressive stain removal technology even without pre-treatment.

 

LG WM1388HW 2.3 cu.ft. Stackable Front Load Washer

 

LG is another reputable brand for front load washers. If you think that 2.3 cubic feet is too small for your needs, then you can get a 2.6 cubic foot version for a higher price. Moreover, this stackable front load washer works well with LG 4.2 cu. ft. DLEC888W compact electric dryer.

 

GE GFW450SSMWW 4.5 cu.ft. Front Load Washer

 

GE’s GFW450SSMWW boasts of a remarkable 37 minutes for a full load wash to finish. This allows you to finish your laundry faster so that you’ll have time to do other things.

Moreover, the internal water heater increases the water temperature to sanitize and eliminate bacteria and improve the cleaning mechanism on tough stains.

 

Final Words

Choosing the correct front load or top load washer depends on your preference and laundry area. Ensure that you choose wisely so that you won’t have to regret buying something that’s not well-suited for your home.