top-loading machines don't wash as well as front loaders

July 28, 2007
Albuquerque Journal (NM)

KEEP IT CLEAN: Water restrictions keep top-loading machines from washing as well as front loaders

Is it an exaggeration to say the right to clean clothes is an inalienable right of man, ranking up there with life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness?

I think not.

So it's no surprise that many Americans in the online community greeted the June issue of Consumer Reports magazine with horror. In an article titled "Washers That Don't Wash," the venerable consumer watchdog said it couldn't recommend any inexpensive, high-performing top loaders for its "Best Buy" category.

"For the first time in years we can't call any washer a Best Buy because models that did a very good job getting laundry clean cost $900 or more," read the article. "Conventional top loaders are the least expensive and have shorter cycle times but are mediocre at washing."

The magazine cited new energy requirements from the Department of Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency that limit the amount of water top loaders can use, which inhibits their performance.

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The article ignited a firestorm among some watchdog groups, which claimed excessive government regulations had "ruined" the utility of top loaders, just like they did years ago with low-flow toilets and shower heads.

That wasn't exactly what Consumer Reports was trying to say, said Celia Kuperszmid Lehrman, the magazine's deputy home editor.

"We support the government's energy standards," she said. "What we found with our tests is that some of the less expensive machines are not going to do a good job anymore."

The Consumer Reports article alerts consumers that the new energy guidelines are forcing a showdown in the marketplace between relatively inexpensive top loaders and pricey, highefficiency frontloaders.

That showdown is right around the corner -- and it's going to cost all of us money.

The difficulty stems from the traditional top-loader washing machine, which does a fair job of cleaning but requires large amounts of water. New energy efficiency regulations effective this year limit the amount of water a washing machine can use, making it tough for top loaders to do as good of a job as they used to.

Most agree the new government regulations soon will make the traditional top loader obsolete.

That change is starting gradually and the switchover could be completed as early as 2010, said Randy Blair, appliance manager at Baillio's in Albuquerque.

"The problem with the standard top loader is that the regulations cut down the amount of water they are able to use," he explained. "So they aren't able to fill the tank as much and saturate the clothes."

Front loaders work by spinning clothes at high speed horizontally, using less water and soap and spinning the clothes out drier than a regular washer.

Also, unlike top loaders, front loaders don't have to use an agitator to move the clothes vertically in and out of the water. Experts concur that washing without an agitator is gentler on clothes and leaves more room for larger, more efficient loads.

Cost of clean

Having more energyefficient washers that clean lots of clothes better and more gently should be a good thing, right?

There's just one snag -- front loaders cost more than top loaders. A lot more.

At Baillio's, top loaders start at $269, Blair said. Front loaders range from $500 to $1,500.

In response to consumer complaints about the high price of front loaders, manufacturers started making a third kind of washing machine, a top loader with no agitator that uses about half the water of the traditional kind, said Blair.

But customers who have bought those models, most notably the Whirlpool Cabrio and Calypso and the Maytag Neptune, complain about excessive repair problems, notes Consumer Reports. And, at $600 to $1,000, they are hardly a thrifty alternative to the front loader.

"From a productperformance standpoint, at least right now, the new regulations are bad news -- especially (for) those that need a new washer right now because it means their choices are limited," wrote Christine Frietchen, managing editor of the online product-review site ConsumerSearch.com, in an emailed reply to the Journal.

So what is a consumer who needs a new washer to do?

Just 'pay more'

According to Blair, people will simply have to "pay more for washing machines, until all there are is front loaders and then prices might go down."

Consumer Reports also believes front-loader prices will drop in the next few years.

"We are telling people if you don't need a machine now to wait because prices might come down," said Lehrman. "If you don't buy and they can't sell them for that much, then perhaps the prices will come down."

However, if you have to buy now, spring for a good front loader, said Lehrman, because it will save water and do the best job on your clothes.

"We didn't say you couldn't find a decent machine anymore. We said that to get a very good washer you are going to need to spend more."

Whether front-loader prices go down is a matter of hot debate.

Brad Woolace, who identifies himself as a former "appliance sales professional" and who runs the consumer-oriented World of Washers blog at worldofwashers.blogspot.com, said he disagrees with Consumer Reports on prices and solutions -- but not about traditional top loaders not being very good.

First of all, for most people, waiting is simply not an option when a washer gives out suddenly, wrote Woolace in an e-mail reply to the Journal. "When your washer dies, you need a new one."

And Woolace also doesn't believe front loaders will get any more affordable.

"There is no way prices will drop below the $500 mark, scratch and dent or used aside, at least not anytime soon," he said. "For those who cannot afford such machines, unfortunately there is not much that can be done. The consumer is at the mercy of the government bureaucracy, and unfortunately the new government regulations have created unforeseen problems."

Frietchen suggests some other options for consumers who can't wait.

"Right now, if you need a new washer and need to keep costs down, one option is to check out less-expensive front loaders like the Frigidaire Galley GLTF2940E, which costs about $650," she writes. "This front loader has the same capacity as most standard top loaders, and it performs better than the newer, more efficient top loaders. If you need to spend less than that, your option is just to bite the bullet and get one of the standard top loaders, but be prepared to pre-treat tougher stains."

Consumer Reports article:
http://www.consumersearch.com/www/house_and_home/washing-machine-reviews/index.html