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TECHNOLOGY AND YOU

A better way to wash your clothes

Front-loaders wash/rinse better with less water

Q: I need a new clothes washer. I heard about quiet, efficient new front-loading models, but since they use less water, I worry about allergies from ineffective rinsing. Do they really wash and rinse well?
-Peg J.

A: Front-loading clothes washers (horizontal axis) are superior in most ways to the typical top-loading ones that are more popular in the U.S. In Europe and most of the rest of the world, efficient front-loaders are predominant. With a more international market, front-loaders are designed with very high-quality materials for a longer life.

By design, front-loaders wash and rinse much more effectively than top-loaders. Using less water, less detergent and less energy to heat the water, the annual savings of operating a front-loader compared to a top-loader can be as much as $100. Also, the gentle tumbling washing action, as opposed to the beating action of an oscillating agitator, minimizes damage and premature fading of your clothes.

Instead of filling a tub with water and using a plastic agitator to move the water as in a top-loader, a front-loader uses gravity. As the tub spins on a horizontal axis, the clothes gently tumble through the sudsy water. An automatic sensor determines the proper water level for the size of the load.

Since the tub is only partially filled with water, the clothes actually fall through the air from the top of the tub as it spins. This allows them to fan out before they reach the water and swish through it again. There is very little clumping of clothes so they are thoroughly cleaned.

Many of the models have built-in adjustable water heater elements that can raise the wash water to as high as 200 degrees. This improves cleaning and is ideal for washing children's clothes and during cold and flu seasons.

With a horizontal axis and no agitator, a front-loader can spin several times faster (up to 1,600 rpm) than typical top-loaders to rinse out more detergent residue. Most of the models include special shock absorbers and suspensions to minimize noise and vibration. An electronic brain senses if the load is unbalanced. If so, the tub automatically stops, rotates back and forth to even out the load and then spins again.

For effective rinsing, some models use an electronic suds sensor. If too much is still present, the washer automatically runs through several extra rinse cycles until the suds are adequately cleared. You may also select models with manual settings of up to seven rinse cycles per load. Depending on the fabrics and load size, you preset the number of rinses.

Other than the improved washing and drying effectiveness, a front-loading design allows the washer

James Dulley is a mechanical engineer who writes on a wide variety of energy and utility topics. His column appears in a large number of daily newspapers.
Copyright 1999 James Dulley

18 ILLINOIS COUNTRY LIVING • OCTOBER 2000

and dryer to be stacked on top of one another to save floor space. This is important in today's more efficient, compact houses. Also, the ease of access to the clothes in a front-loader for the physically-impaired is a consideration for the elderly.

If you really prefer a top-loader, select one of the new designs that use the lifting washing motion. Instead of using an agitator, these use a wash plate to create a unique wave-like motion to gently lift and bounce the clothes through a waterfall of sudsy water. It fluffs up the clothes for very effective cleaning and rinsing. By eliminating the agitator, there is also more room for a larger load of clothes.

Like a front-loader, this design uses less than half as much water and detergent as a standard top-loader. For less than full loads, sensors automatically determine the optimum amount of water to use. Using an efficient variable-speed motor and a unique six-point suspension, effective high spinning speeds are possible to reduce drying time.

There are also combination space-saving front-loading washer/dryers that do both the washing and drying in the same unit from start to finish. You put in the dirty clothes and take out clean dry clothes. Most of these use a condensing-type of dryer so that they do not have to be vented outdoors. They just need an electrical outlet and a cold water faucet. Portable models on casters are available that have small built-in heaters to warm the wash water.

For more information, write for (or instantly download at -www.dulley.com) Update Bulletin No. 866 - buyer's guide of 12 front-loader, lifting top-loader and combination washer/dryers showing load capacities, water usage, spin speeds, preset cycles, convenience features, prices and cost-to-use chart. Please include $3.00 and a business-size SASE and send to: James Dulley, Illinois Country Living, P.O. Box 54987, Cincinnati, OH 45254.

OCTOBER 2000  ILLINOIS COUNTRY LIVING 19