Front loaders are the most efficient washers on the market - why doesn't everyone have one?

Smells like a tradeoff

annoying!!!4 min read

Up until recently I'd only ever had top loading washing machines. Three months ago I moved into a new place with a front loader and I thought, wow, I've made it! In-unit laundry that's better for the environment and a machine that sings to me when it’s done? Pure luxury! Then when I went to get the keys the landlord was finishing a load and wiping down the door and I must have looked at her oddly because she said, "So it doesn't get musty". I was confused.

Flash forward several months later and I’m like why does the machine always smell a little strange? I’d catch a little must wafting here and there. I’m so glad she had said something though because otherwise it would have taken me much much longer to realize that yes, you have to maintain a front loading machine. If you're not familiar, the horizontal drum of a front-loading washing machine enables it to consume less water and energy when running a load of laundry. In order to prevent water from pouring out the door, front-loaders are engineered to be watertight from the side instead of just relying on gravity like top loaders. The gasket that seals the door has folds that create pockets where water sits after a cycle and instead of draining or evaporating in a timely fashion, they just sit there with lint, hair, detergent residue, and fabric bits and create a welcoming environment for unwelcome mold.

The difference in water and energy efficiency is significant though — a 1998 DOE field study found front loaders cut water use 37.8% and energy 57.6% (largely because less hot water is used — hot water heating dominates washer energy, not the motor). Adoption of the front loader has been spotty in the US ever since: only about 2% of washers sold were front-loaders in the late 90s, then, per Reviewed's testing, they peaked around 45% of sales in 2009 before falling back to about 30% recently. Reasons cited for the pullback include mold, vibration, and ergonomics — not any inherent flaw in the technology. (Separately: if you keep using non-HE detergent in an HE machine, you'll get oversudsing that can trip the suds sensor and add extra rinse cycles. Annoying, not permanent, but still a good way to feel dumb doing laundry.) People are increasingly switching back to top loaders even though they’re still less efficient than front loaders, and, if it's an agitator-style model, tougher on your clothes.

So every time I do laundry I wipe down the door and into the gasket, and leave it propped open so it can dry out between uses. Maybe I was being cranky about another maintenance task to do, but so many appliances come with assumed operation knowledge that the average person just isn’t going to have or seek out, or if I had a mold allergy there’s no way the tradeoff would be worth it to me. Even if the current front loader is the “best” machine, there’s valid reasons for wanting something better for you.

Sources

  • "Bern Clothes Washer Study, Final Report." Oak Ridge National Laboratory, ORNL/M-6382, March 1998, prepared for the U.S. Department of Energy. https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc691712/
  • "Product Retrospective: Clothes Washers." ENERGY STAR (U.S. EPA/DOE). https://www.energystar.gov/ia/products/downloads/ClothesWashers_Highlights.pdf
  • "Efficiency Standards for Washing Machines." Appliance Standards Awareness Project, July 2024. https://appliance-standards.org/sites/default/files/Efficiency_standards_for_washing_machines_July_2024.pdf
  • "Mold in Your Washing Machine: The Mystery and the Menace." Consumer Reports. https://www.consumerreports.org/washing-machines/mold-in-your-washing-machine-the-mystery-and-the-menace/
  • "Front-loader odor 'stinky washer' class action lawsuit finally settled." NBC News. https://www.nbcnews.com/business/consumer/front-loader-odor-stinky-washer-class-action-lawsuit-finally-settled-n609316
  • https://www.epa.gov/mold/brief-guide-mold-moisture-and-your-home
  • "Are Top-Load Washers All Washed Up?" Reviewed, updated February 20, 2025. https://www.reviewed.com/laundry/features/science-says-top-loaders-are-all-washed-up
  • "5 Things to Know About Front-Load Washers." Consumer Reports. https://www.consumerreports.org/appliances/washing-machines/5-things-to-know-about-front-load-washers-a6585182686/