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"If you&amp;#039;re in the market for a new washing machine, one of your most important decisions is figuring out which configuration will best meet your family&amp;#039;s needs: a front-loader, a traditional top-loader, or a high efficiency top-loader. Here are the pros and cons of each to help you make the right choice. Front-Loading Washer   Pros:   If your laundry room is tight on space, this washer can be stacked. Its large capacity allows you to wash more items at once and accomodates bulky items, without sacrificing cleaning performance. In our recent evaluation of washing machines, front-loaders provided the best cleaning performance of all configurations tested. Many units also let you add steam to the wash cycle to improve stain removal. It&amp;#039;s the most energy efficient since its wash cycle uses less water. Its high spin speed extracts more moisture from wet loads, which means you can cut down on drying time.  Cons:  With its advanced technology and special features, a front-loader can be very expensive to purchase. Wash cycle time can be longer by 30 minutes or more than the cycles on other types of washers if you select one of the customized settings. It may vibrate quite a bit on the spin cycle, especially if it&amp;#039;s not installed on a reinforced floor. Because of its design, water can get trapped inside, causing musty odors to form in the washtub and the detergent dispenser.  Bottom Line: If your laundry is very dirty and you do many loads a week, you can ease the cleaning challenge and lighten the number of loads with a front-loader. Traditional Top-Loading Washer   Pros:  You don&amp;#039;t have to bend as much when you&amp;#039;re putting clothes in and taking them out. Some top-loaders still give you the freedom to add laundry after the cycle has started. Wash cycles are much shorter. Minimal vibration. You&amp;#039;re unlikely to have musty odors to deal with. You&amp;#039;ll find its control panel uncomplicated and intuitive-to-operate.  Cons:  Cleaning performance may not be up to snuff when it comes to heavily soiled clothes or full-to-the-brim loads. The tub may not be able to accomodate your queen-size comforter. It&amp;#039;s not stackable. Wash cycles can&amp;#039;t be adjusted to fit your specific cleaning needs. More water can remain in the wet load after the spin cycle, which can lengthen drying time. (Here are several tricks to shortening drying time.)  Bottom Line: If you&amp;#039;re not that fussy and don&amp;#039;t feel the need to fine tune every wash setting and don&amp;#039;t want to spend a ton of money, a traditional top-loader will suffice. High Efficiency (HE) Top-Loading Washer   Pros:  Since it doesn&amp;#039;t have an agitator, it can accomodate larger loads and bulkier items, like comforters. Its cleaning performance is comparable to front-loaders. Uses less water as it only fills part-way to allow room for the load to tumble, which translates to energy savings. Here too, musty oders are unlikely to be a problem. While you&amp;#039;ll pay more than for a traditional model, if you don&amp;#039;t opt for lots of extras and high-tech design, you&amp;#039;ll still find it quite affordable.  Cons:  The wash cycles can be just as lengthy as on front-loaders. HE washers aren&amp;#039;t stackable.  Bottom Line: Combines the functionality of a front-loader with the styling of a traditional top-loader. There are several washing machines on the market that are certified to remove allergens. Check out Carolyn Forte&amp;#039;s blog on which certification marks you should look for when purchasing a washer. Also be sure to look for a control lock on the washer panel to help prevent laundry accidents. To get a firsthand look at how we evaluate washing machines, tour the Good Housekeeping Research Institute. Watch more:      "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/institute/a24026/types-of-washing-machines/>