Which washers

It even works with Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa so you can manage your laundry with simple voice commands. Powerful jet spray, plus the tub and motor, rotate independently in opposite directions to create a powerful water flow for enhanced washing performance. This washer model delivers a thorough clean with a Dual Action Agitator, which rolls clothes through the bottom of the wash basket. Its durable Porcelain Tub helps protect favorites from snags, while the Deep Water Wash Option adds the maximum amount of water for your laundry load so you can clean with confidence.

The Late Lid Lock gives you extra time to throw in any missed items before the Spin Cycle starts so no socks are left behind.

The Delicates Cycle uses a slower spin speed and a gentle wash motion to clean delicate items, and eight wash cycles including the Extra Rinse Option adds improved rinse action to most wash cycles to help remove extra detergent. This LG washer model includes many of the same features as the best overall model, but with a smooth and elegant black stainless-steel finish. Once again, TurboWash 3D creates a powerful water flow for a deep, thorough clean without the excessive churning you would get from a typical agitator.

ColdWash technology uses cold water and enhanced wash motions to penetrate deep into fabrics, giving you cold water savings with warm water performance. The Super-Speed setting uses advanced cleaning technologies to wash a full load of laundry in just 30 minutes, and the steam option acts as a powerful yet gentle stain removal treatment.

With a 4. Simply add detergent once and skip refills for 20 loads. Your small lightly soiled loads will be clean in as little as 15 minutes with the Quick Wash cycle, and the Cold Wash cycle adjusts wash actions and time to provide optimal fabric care for your bright, vibrant colors.

The Presoak option lets you skip soaking outside of the washer. Extra time is added in the washer before the wash cycle, which starts automatically when the option is complete, and for a seamless look, the space-saving design with a closet-depth fit allows for more flexible installation options in your laundry space.

With an ultra-roomy 5. With its satin-smooth finish, black stainless steel has the classic appeal of traditional stainless, but with a contemporary character that's all its own. They save a bunch of water: Front-loaders also use less water than top-loaders, especially compared with models with the old-school agitator design, but even compared with high-efficiency top-loading models, too.

Compared with a typical HE top-loader, front-loaders use about 5 fewer gallons of water per cycle, or around 2, gallons per year based on estimates for average use. Your mileage may vary. Front-loaders can use less wash water because the rotation of the drum drags the clothes through the shallow pool of water-detergent solution, whereas top-loaders need to use a deeper pool to ensure that clothes get wet during the cycle. Your personal energy savings will vary, depending on how often you wash clothes and your habits using warm- or hot-water cycles.

But based on national averages, we estimate using a front-loader instead of an HE top-loader saves enough energy to power a inch LED TV five hours a day for 81 days. But the real difference a front-loader can make is in the cost of hot water and the cost of running your dryer. You can stack them: Front-loaders also give you the option to stack your dryer on top of your washer to save floor space. Bending over to load and unload them can be uncomfortable. Every manufacturer makes pedestals for front-load washers and dryers, though they cost hundreds extra.

The door locks to prevent leaks, so forget about tossing in a stray sock like you could with most top-loaders. Most people just get used to this limitation. But you actually can add items mid-wash if your front-loader has a pause button many models, including our top pick, do , which aborts and restarts the wash cycle.

Top-loaders, on the other hand, rarely end up reeking like mildew, because moisture can easily evaporate out of the unsealed top door. Wipe out the door and gasket between every use. Once a month, run an empty self-cleaning cycle with chlorine bleach or a specialty drum-cleaner like Affresh. That fixed a persistent problem for a Wirecutter editor who owns an older version of our pick. Overloading a front-loader can be risky. And washers keep getting bigger, which could be putting the bearings under yet even more weight.

Our testing labs also reveal the laundry products that waste loads of money —save time and money by avoiding them. The lighter the stain after laundering, the higher the machine scores in cleaning.

This test is meant to challenge the washer so that we can see real differences among the machines. We evaluate how gentle a washer is on fabrics, and record the amount of water and energy the machine uses. We also record the energy needed to dry laundry. Washers that extract more water shorten dryer time and score higher in our energy-efficiency tests. Every type has its advantages and drawbacks.

Do you prefer loading laundry from the top of a washing machine rather than bending to load a front-loader? And if the warranty matters, most tested full-sized machines come with a one-year warranty on parts and labor. Speed Queen, however, offers warranties ranging from three to seven years. The pros and cons below refer to the washer types as a group, based on our testing. They have a tougher time with heavy stains or soil, though, so you may have to pretreat your laundry.

You can save time by using the normal soil setting. Front-loaders use less water and extract more of it, thereby saving energy. That can be a concern with wood floors but not concrete ones. Gas models are not available at this time. Measure the space you have to work with and allow at least 6 inches behind the washer for water hookups, and about an inch between the washer and dryer. Measure the doors to your home to make sure a new washer can fit through them. Check dimensions in the washing machine ratings , and note which front-loaders can be stacked with a matching dryer.

If space is tight, also consider the compact washers we tested. If a quiet machine matters, consider buying a washer that earns a Very Good or better score in our noise tests. And while most manufacturers have reduced the vibrations that full-sized front-loaders transmit to the floor, take a close look at vibration scores in our washing machine ratings.

Not everybody needs a washer that holds 17 thick, full-sized bath towels, which is what a model with a 6. Compact washers , on the other hand, typically have a claimed capacity of around 2. The more features, the higher the price.

So narrow your options to high-performing washers that fit your budget, then consider features that add convenience or save time. Here are five to look for. This feature is designed to dispense detergent, bleach, and fabric softener at the right time. Rather than simply mixing hot and cold water in preset proportions, auto temperature control adjusts the water to the optimal temperature for the selected setting.

All types of washing machines use a lot less water than they once did.