Top Loading vs Front Loading Washing Machines?

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I just want to reiterate the pros that others mentioned for the front-loaders.
They are more energy efficient, water efficient, use less detergent, get clothes cleaner with less damage to the fabric, spin faster to remove more water, hold more clothes per load, etc, etc.
Mine is a 4 month old Maytag Neptune, which I bought even after the whole lawsuit issue, and have had no problems whatsoever (I did purchase the extended 5 yr warranty, tho, just in case). It does have a feature where you can pause the cycle to add or remove items as needed, so I've never had that problem.
Yes, you do need to be a little more diligent with the care of the front-loading machine, however. You should take care after each day's last load that you wipe out the rubber flange at the front of the door, as well as the detergent/bleach/softener dispenser. As logic would dictate, any water that's left sitting in the dark with little or no air circulation will get smelly and eventually mildew. Simply wipe out the wet areas and leave the machine open for a few hours (in fact mine is left open a few inches almost all the time). In reality, even top-loaders can get smelly and mildewy if there is water left sitting in the bottom of the drum. I also left the lid open with my old top-loader and have never had problems with that.

I truly have nothing but good things to say about my new front-loaders and would highly recommend them to anyone....Show more

Since the cost of water is so high, we have only purchased the water-savers. They do a good job of cleaning our laundry.

CARE OF FRONT LOADERS: Read & follow instructions. With the Maytag Neptune, that was very important. We now have a Fridgidaire which is much simpler (and cheaper). We never overload our washing machines and periodically we run a load of whites (towels, etc) with bleach and since the doors seal tightly when closed, we leave the door ajar after use and we have never had any problem with mold in our machines.

You can interrupt a wash but must wait until the door unlock button clicks before pulling the door open. When you finish doing whatever adjustment you need, then you push the control to resume your wash. (The little water that comes out & drips on the front of the machine & floor when you retrieve your garment during an interrupted cycle, you can easily solve by wiping it away after you have closed your door.)

AFTER SAD EXPERIENCE: It isn't worth the expense of damaging your own machines by stuffing and overloading it. With scatter rugs and other large or bulky items (true even when we had top loaders) we always take to the laundromat and put it in their large front loaders. Also we feel the larger machines is more appropriate for those things.

Recommend the water savers. Whatever you decide, it's sure nice to have your own laundry equipment....Show more

I've had a front loader for over six years, and I definitely prefer it over the top load models. I can get a much larger load in, and it gets the clothes much cleaner, using far less water, electricity and detergent. I've never had mold or mildew build up on, and the workspace on top is a plus. However, one other advantage is that the load never gets out of balance (top load models stop if the load becomes unbalanced--this happens a lot with blankets). Mine also extracts far more water, so the washer and dryer finish cycles at almost the same time....Show more

I love my front loader because it's an energy saver machine. It uses less water, less power and even less laundry detergent. The spin cycle is also very fast, so my clothes don't take as long to dry in the dryer. The space in our home is small, so we had to find a stackable washer/dryer which ruled out top loaders....Show more

I have a top load washer AND and top load dryer. We were going to buy a front load washer, but Lowes told us that unless you use almost everyday, mold and mildew will build up around the door. I LOVE my top load dryer though!...Show more