Shane's Appliance Repair

Common Misguided Belief

Front Loading Washers and Agitator-Less Washer

Every mom out there knows the feeling of having a mountain of laundry to do. With a family of 5 the laundry around here is non-stop. Even doing a load, sometimes two everyday I still end up with several loads to do on the weekend. The dirty laundry simply seems to reproduce faster than I can keep up with it. Naturally, one would jump on the opportunity, as they see it, to get a washing machine that 'washes more laundry at once.'

Today I want to touch on this and let you know about one of the biggest misguided beliefs about front loading washing machines and agitator-less washing machines. This is something I hear about, in one way or another, on a regular basis from our customers.

One of the most common misconceptions when it comes to front loading washing machines and top loading agitator-less washing machines is that you can wash more laundry at once. Don't fall into this misguided belief. This is simply not the case. Do not let this misguided belief be the sole reason you purchase a front loading washing machine or an agitator-less top loading machine. You will be very disappointed. Not only will you be disappointed in the quality of clean but you will be disappointed in the life of the machine.

I, being the Appliance Master's Wife, have had the opportunity to use many different washers. It is my opinion that your cloths get a better clean with front load and agitator-less washers. This is not to say that there are not good top loading washers with agitators out there. However, they just don't offer the same quality of clean that you can get from a front load or an agitator-less washing machine. Furthermore, the agitator-less and front load washers generally are more energy efficient. They use less water and the cloths get spun out better, allowing your dryer to save energy as well.

That being said, I have had so many people proclaim that, again in my opinion, some of the best washing machines on the market are pieces of junk. They say they don't clean well and they have so many issues with them. Upon further conversation with them I discover that they have the misconception that they can wash twice as much laundry in the unit based on the fact that there appears to be more room in the tub. Yes, there is more room in the tub, there is no agitator in there. However, these machines were not designed or engineered to do twice as much laundry in one load than the normal top loading washer with the agitator. A load of laundry is a load of laundry no matter what machine you are using, unless you are using a true commercial (I'm talking Laundry Mat Commercial not "commercial quality" stamped on a regular washer) Washing Machine.

When over loading a washing machine not only will your cloths not get clean but you are significantly reducing the life of your machine. You are putting more weight in the unit than it is designed to hold. Have you ever tried to carry a load of sopping wet jeans or towels? It is HEAVY! When you believe you can wash 8 pair of jeans per load instead of 4 or 5 you are creating way to much weight in your machine. Your machine was not engineered to withstand that kind of use over and over again. The result is laundry that is not cleaned properly and a washing machine that breaks down sooner and more frequently than it would under "normal" use.

Aside from the unclean laundry and undo damage to your washer, you will also be reducing the life of your dryer. Due to the excessively large load you shoved in your washer your dryer has to work harder to dry that larger load of laundry. Also, chances are your washer is not getting all of the water spun out of the load and therefore it takes longer than it should to dry the laundry. Let alone the fact that the same weight issue I described with the washer you will also experience with your dryer. The working parts of the dryer are not made to withstand the over sized load's weight either and therefore you will experience undo wear on the rollers, idler, belt and motor in the dryer as well. This will cause your dryer to have components wear out much sooner than they should or would under "normal" use.

When looking for a new or a used washer do not fall into this misguided belief that you can wash more laundry in a front loading machine or a top loader without and agitator. This is simply not the case. You will be disappointed in the quality of clean you get and you will be disappointed that the machine has a lot of issues with breaking down.

All of the above being said, I do highly recommend using a front loading washer or a top loading agitator-less washer. When used properly by the owner they are absolutely great machines. I will continue to stand firm in my belief that when used properly you get a much better quality of clean when using a front loading washer or an agitator-less washing machine. I will continue to use the top loading agitator-less washer myself as well as continue to recommend them out as they are great machines.

Always remember to read your user manual. If Purchasing a used machine you can normally find a PDF copy of the user manual online.