# Washing machine - top load or front load?



## kroppe (May 7, 2000)

Our POS washing machine has caused one too many problems, so I am replacing it. Question - top load or front load? 

I heard that when front load washers first came out, there were problems with moisture being retained in the bottom of the door, causing mildew. Is this real, and is it still a problem? Does anyone have complaints with front loaders? 

We are likely not going to stack the washer/dryer, because it would mean a laundry room remodel, which I am not planning for. So the stackable feature of a front loader isn't part of the equation. 

Thanks for any feedback.


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## jpollman (Jan 14, 2001)

We've had a front loader for about eleven years and I like it. The only down side is that they're pricey to buy and repair. We bought the set new when we moved into this house in '99. Unfortunately about a year and half ago the washer took a major dump and was going to cost more to fix than I wanted to spend so I just bought a new one. Went with another front load though. They do use less water and do a great job. I vote for front load.

John


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## ESOX (Nov 20, 2000)

Front load. Easier on the clothes. Use less detergent and water. I have heard of the mildew problem, but our GE doesn't have one. We did put the washer and dryer on pedestals to ease the loading and unloading operations.


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## jpollman (Jan 14, 2001)

Once in a while my wife complains that the clothes smell mildewy when they come out of the machine. When that happens, there's a "machine clean" function. Just pour some bleach in the machine and run the cycle. Problem solved!

John


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## Elk5012 (Mar 27, 2008)

I vote top loader, I work alot on cars and work cloths really need a lot of water and soap to get them clean.


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## Fishndude (Feb 22, 2003)

Front load - all the way. Go into *any* commercial laundry business, and see if they have any top load washers. They won't. My family had a laundry business when I was growing up. The action of tumbling washes cloth much better than a slight twisting agitator ever could. 

If you need to get shop cloths clean, and they have a LOT of grease and chemicals, you just need to use the proper amount of soap. Sometimes they need more than a single cycle. But the front load washer will still do a far better job than any front load model.


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## swampbuck (Dec 23, 2004)

We have the whirlpool duet set. Cheap plastic handle and control panels cracked. Other than that they work well. YOU WANT A PLATFORM! In my case I wasnt happy with the height of the platform. So I built my own 2x4 frame, sanded oak plywood front and sides and it does have drawers, And I used 2x6's for the top to prevent vibration/noise.

Mine is about 4" taller, that 4" makes a huge difference. In total it was 1/2 the price or less. And I like finished wood better than white tin.


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## Wendy (Oct 6, 2008)

Front load -just don't get the bosch!

I do have the mildew issue with mine, but we run a bleach load through it and it helps. We keep a ball in the door to prop it open for air.

we also have pedistals, but also built a platform to raise them higher.


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## jpollman (Jan 14, 2001)

That's a good tip Wendy. I didn't even think about it but we don't close and latch the door when a load is done. I can swing the door almost closed but just leave it cracked open a small bit and it will stay there. That does help to let it dry out and not get musty. But even though there are only three of us here we do a lot of laundry. The machine rarely sits unused for more than a day or two. 

I'd like to have ours on pedestals but shortly after I installed them I built a counter top that goes across both the washer and dryer. It the washer and dryer are on the right and I have a couple cabinets on the left. I installed a drop in utility tub next to the dryer and there's a storage cabinet next to that. Then I put some cabinets on the wall above the machines and we've got lots of space for storage. It works out really well and I think the benefit of the extra storage space outweighs the benefit of a pedestal. 

John


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## Ole Spike (Nov 22, 2004)

Top load. Cheap and never have to clean it. My Amana is 15 years old with no problems ever except the brake is worn out. Don't need a silly platform or whatever either. Mine gets clothes very clean. Don't have to stoop to load/unload it.


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## Scott K (Aug 26, 2008)

Fishndude said:


> ...  But the front load washer will still do a far better job than any front load model.


I disagree


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## Fishndude (Feb 22, 2003)

Scott K said:


> I disagree


There is room for disagreement, here. :lol: So, do this. Take a load of really dirty stuff to a laundromat. Wash half the load in a top load washer, and the other half in a front load washer. Use the same amount of soap in each. Dry them separately, and see which load came cleaner. You might be surprised. 
Again, the tumbling action of the cloth washes it much more effectively than a center located agitator in a top-load machine. It just does. I could trot out that my Father graduated from the Laundry and Drycleaning Institute, and taught me all this when I was very young, but it really isn't that impressive. But the facts are the facts. 

I will add that, if you do your laundry at a laundromat, use the spinning thing (it is called an extractor) to remove the most water possible before drying your stuff. It will save you money.


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## jpollman (Jan 14, 2001)

Fishndude said:


> I will add that, if you do your laundry at a laundromat, use the spinning thing (it is called an extractor) to remove the most water possible before drying your stuff. It will save you money.


That's another benefit of a front load. They have an incredibly fast spin cycle. Even a good size load comes out of the washer and it's sometimes barely more than damp! That makes it much easier and quicker to dry. 

John


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## daddyduck (Nov 2, 2001)

Front load.


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## nhra78 (Dec 11, 2007)

Wendy said:


> Front load -just don't get the bosch!
> 
> I do have the mildew issue with mine, but we run a bleach load through it and it helps. We keep a ball in the door to prop it open for air.
> 
> we also have pedistals, but also built a platform to raise them higher.


We have a Bosch too and the rubber seal has what I think is a grime build-up. I tried everything to get it off and it won't budge. I was thinking of getting a cheap top loader just to wash my work clothes in. 

I didn't read all the posts but in case you don't know they take a special low suds soap. But I would go with a front loader.

*P.S. Don't forget to take out the shipping bolts.*


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## jpollman (Jan 14, 2001)

nhra78 said:


> *P.S. Don't forget to take out the shipping bolts.*


LOL

Sounds like you're speaking from experience. :lol::lol:

John


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## ih772 (Jan 28, 2003)

Don't buy a whirlpool........:rant:

http://www.consumeraffairs.com/homeowners/whirlpool_washing_machine.html


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## nhra78 (Dec 11, 2007)

jpollman said:


> LOL
> 
> Sounds like you're speaking from experience. :lol::lol:
> 
> John


You got it. You would think they would be a different color or labled or something. Who looks at the instructions on setting up a washing machine? Good thing there was an obvious problem.


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## sfw1960 (Apr 7, 2002)

ih772 said:


> Don't buy a whirlpool........:rant:
> 
> http://www.consumeraffairs.com/homeowners/whirlpool_washing_machine.html


Just ONE is a series of POS'es....

*No way in HELL there will be a front loader in this house!*
You got 19 year old college d00fus kids with a $10,000 CAD package designing something that have NO CLUE about in the real world.
:lol:
If it has a "hole" in front , water can (and WILL) come out.
:rant: :SHOCKED: :rant:

If it can be "engineered" , it can be reverse "engineered"....
Never mind the mold , how about that 42" X 42" sagging HOLE in the OSB floor sheathing where the whole machine nearly plummeted down to the basement after it all softened up while you were away?
:yikes:


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## jpollman (Jan 14, 2001)

I've had a front loader for eleven years. Yes there is a hole in the front, and NO I've never had water come out of it! The water level never gets high enough to run out the hole unless the fill valve were to malfunction. But guess what, a top loader has a fill valve too that can malfunction. Ya know what? A top loader drum has a big hole in it too, it's in the TOP. And if the fill valve malfunctions on one of those machines it's going to overflow too. 

John


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## sfw1960 (Apr 7, 2002)

While I agree they do both have a fill valve tha can malfunction the top load doesn't have something a front load does. 
The front loader ALSO has a door gasket that gets slopped with soapy water all the time and it CAN leak.
I would be the one putting in new flooring,drywall,trim & linoleum at this house...
So John , like they say at the ice cream shop "lick it & like it!"

:lol: :lol: 
ONE thing I am convinced of:
They are _*ALL*_ POS'es!

:evilsmile


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## Kayak Dave (Aug 1, 2009)

I vote front loader. Both washer/dryer are mounted on a common base that raises them up about 10-12 inches. Doors open like a cabinet, out of one and into the other. Using the front loading combo is much easier on my back. Uses less water and clothes come out of the washer more dry than when using a top loader.

But Mostly: With a front loader, you dont have to worry about it "walking" across the floor from an unbalanced load.


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## Downstate Doug (May 8, 2001)

Ill never forget my first assignment to Germany in 77 and living on the economy. My landlord let me use her washing machine and it was the first time I ever seen a front load but evidently they have used them in Europe since forever. Was not a huge unit like we have here either. More like one of those small dormitory type refrigerators. I asked her were the dryer was when I had finished and she took me outside and showed me the clothesline. 

Have the front loader today and although I dont use it the European wife wouldnt have any other. They are supposed to be easier of cloths wear also I believe.

DD


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## kroppe (May 7, 2000)

Thanks everyone for the input. I ended up getting Whirlpool Cabrio top loader. 

Why Whirlpool? American (Michigan) company, and it was in stock at Lowe's so I could walk out the door with it. 

Why top loader? Concern about mildew issues and cramped laundry room would make it awkward for the front loader. 

I am a satisfied customer so far after 3-4 laundry loads. New appliances these days are far superior to those made 25 years ago, which is what I replaced. A year ago I replaced our dishwasher, and it is head and shoulders better than its 25 yr old predecessor.


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## agross (Jan 18, 2009)

front load, less detergent, less water, spins faster therefore less time in the dryer, and as for the mildew thing, when we bought our LG they told us to just leave the door open when we are not using it, we haven't had any issues at all and we noticed that clothes actually were cleaner


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## Backwoods-Savage (Aug 28, 2005)

Fishndude, you need to go back to post # 11 and re-read that one sentence in the quote to fully understand why the poster disagreed with your sentence. You might have to re-read it more than once as it seems nobody else caught it.


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## Hilljack (Mar 18, 2002)

I have heard the front loaders take a lot longer to wash a load. I don't have one but I'm considering it.


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## shotgun12 (Jul 19, 2005)

go for the front loader.


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## jpollman (Jan 14, 2001)

Hilljack said:


> I have heard the front loaders take a lot longer to wash a load. I don't have one but I'm considering it.


Not true. We've had a front loader for eleven years. The normal cycle takes 54 minutes. Ours has an "express wash" that's only like 24 minutes. It has several different cycles though that can wash up to 74 minutes I think but it's all selectable. 

As others have said, FL's are easier on clothes and don't beat them up as much as a TL. The spin speed is very high so the clothes come out with a lot less water in them so they dry easier. Don't be afraid of the mildew issue. We just leave the door of our machine open a slight bit when not in use and mildew hasn't been an issue. I do run a "machine clean" cycle once in a while with some bleach and it's good to go. 

John


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## ih772 (Jan 28, 2003)

kroppe said:


> Thanks everyone for the input. I ended up getting Whirlpool Cabrio top loader.
> 
> Why Whirlpool? American (Michigan) company, and it was in stock at Lowe's so I could walk out the door with it.
> 
> ...


You're going to regret getting a Whirlpool cabrio! Take it back to Lowe's while there's still time to get your money back!!!!!

Do a google search on Whirlpool Cabrio problems, F1 errors, ruined clothes, leaking and rusting out after a year, bad main bearing etc......hundred of people are having problems with them and the company tries their best not honor their warranty.

http://www.my3cents.com/productReview.cgi?compid=226&product=Cabrio+Washer

http://www.my3cents.com/productReview.cgi?compid=226&product=WHIRLPOOL+CABRIO

http://www.consumeraffairs.com/homeowners/whirlpool_washing_machine.html

http://www.fixya.com/support/t423788-whirlpool_cabrio_washer_error_message


*Retrun it to Lowes ASAP!!!!!!!*


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