A Better Way to do LaundryJul 18 '01 (Updated Jul 27 '01) Write an essay on this topic.
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The Bottom Line If you ever try a front-loading washer, you'll never go back to that wasteful and expensive-to-operate top-loader.
LAUNDRY AMERICAN-STYLE Most Americans are familiar with top-loading washing machines, and seem to prefer them. I'm not certain why. Perhaps it's because they're what Mom used, or people don't like the idea of bending to load and unload the washer, or maybe it's just because Americans have always loved big houses, behemoth cars, and oversized appliances. One thing is for sure, though -- it's not because top-loaders are efficient. A BETTER WAY Recently, due to growing awareness of environmental concerns, energy crunches, water shortages, and new rules handed down by government, we're beginning to see a different type of washer in American homes. These are front-loaders, or more accurately, horizontal axis washers. Commercial laundries and Europeans have been using them for decades, mainly because they're far more efficient; requiring less energy, less water, and smaller amounts of chemical cleaning agents (detergents) than top-loading machines. They also clean very thoroughly. Rather than submerging your laundry in a big tank of water and agitating it back and forth, as top-loading machines do, a front-loader showers your clothes with sudsy water and tumbles them through a small pool of detergent-concentrated water. Every ten to fifteen seconds the drum rotation stops, rests for a few seconds, then resumes turning in the opposite direction. This allows the weight of the wet laundry to compress on to itself, squeezing water and detergent through in much the same way that you would gently squeeze hand laundry. Not only does this process utilize gravity to help in the cleaning process - making it more efficient - it's also gentler on your clothes. Washing a load of cotton whites in an American top-loading washer will consume as much as 50 gallons of water, one and a half cups of high-sudsing laundry detergent, eight ounces of chlorine bleach; not to mention softeners and/or other spotting and cleaning agents. All of this is then flushed down the drain and into the waste stream. What a system! The same load could be done in one of today's front-loaders using about 15 gallons of water, no more than a quarter of a cup of low-sudsing detergent, and little or no chlorine bleach. Additionally, because front-loading machines have spin cycles that rotate at much higher speeds than top-loaders (as high as 1600 rpm's), your laundry will come out of the washer containing much less water, considerably shortening the drying process. If you use a tumble dryer, this alone, will dramatically increase energy savings. AMERICAN VS. EUROPEAN Front-loading machines are now available from both American and European manufacturers. Both will provide savings in water consumption, use less energy, and utilize smaller quantities of chemicals than more traditional American top-loaders. Most of the American front-loaders and all of the European models provide a great deal of flexibility in installation. All are quieter in operation than top-loaders, allowing them to be installed in convenient locations, nearer to family activities with less worry about noise. Because control panels are typically on the front of machines, they can be installed as freestanding units, under countertops, or in a space-saving stacked configuration. The European washers also offer the option of being paired with a condenser (e.g.: ventless) dryer, making them suitable for installation in high-rise buildings or other places where venting a dryer isn't possible. The American-made front-loaders tend to be less expensive than their European counterparts, operate on 110 volts, will handle somewhat larger loads, have shorter cycle times, include liquid bleach dispensers, and usually don't include integral water heaters for maintaining wash water temperature. All will have a stainless steel inner tub (the one you see, with all of the holes), but the outer tub will be made of plastic or some other composite. A load of laundry in an American-made front-loader will take roughly the same amount of time to run through a complete cycle as the American top-loaders. Something you'll want to consider if you have a large family and deal with vast amounts of laundry or busy schedules. The European machines, on the other hand, are more expensive up front, typically require a 220 volt hook-up, have slightly smaller capacities (usually 11 to 14 pounds), utilize much longer wash cycles (more on this, below), don't include a bleach dispenser, and usually include an integral water heater to maintain wash temperatures during the longer cycles. Most have stainless steel inner and outer drums, and most are engineered to last for at least 20 years. A load of laundry will take about an hour-and-a-half to two hours from start to finish, although most machines also have a "quick wash" option that will finish a load in about 30 minutes. DIFFERING PHILOSOPHIES Europeans subscribe to a completely different wash philosophy from Americans. This is due in part to the extremely hard water found in most of Europe, but also to the European distaste for the use of harsh chemicals (e.g.: chlorine bleach), and greater awareness of ecological considerations. Using the least amount of chemical is always preferable. Europeans have always scoffed at American laundry appliances. They simply can't understand why anyone would put up with machines that don't get out stains without the use of pre-treatment chemicals or added chlorine. Particularly, when the answer is so simple -- time and temperature. But then, Europeans don't always seem to be rushing around at the same break-neck pace as Americans, so that may account for some of the differing point of view. While a top-loading washer will handle vast quantities of laundry, Europeans have always considered these machines as inferior. Cleaning in them relies on violently agitating your clothes for a very few minutes in gallons of warm-ish water, heavy doses of detergent and other harsh chemicals, then a single rinse cycle to produce what passes for clean laundry. In fact, what's delivered is laundry that appears clean on the surface, and is otherwise perfumed to smell clean. Short American wash cycles simply cannot remove deeply embedded soil. ELEMENTS OF CLEANING There are four elements in every cleaning process, regardless of whether you're cleaning your hands or washing laundry: Mechanical action, Time, Temperature, and Chemical agent (soap or detergent). To some extent, these elements are interchangeable. For example: while washing your hands, if you rub them more briskly and longer, you can use less soap or colder water. Conversely, if you use more soap or warmer water, you don't have to rub for as long or as hard. The same is true when washing laundry. If you use appropriately hot water and longer wash action, you can use less detergent and gentler agitation. There also isn't any need for chlorine bleach or pre-wash spotting treatments. European wash systems have always taken advantage of this common sense approach to laundry. Eschewing heavy use of chemicals, relying instead on extended wash cycles at optimal temperatures; really tough stains are readily removed, embedded soil is released from the very core of fibers, then flushed away in multiple rinse cycles. Whites remain brilliantly white, clothes get really clean, and laundry doesn't come out of the washer smelling of heavily perfumed detergent and chlorine. PERSONAL EXPERIENCE As you've probably gathered by now, I'm rather biased toward the European wash system. I find it works well for me, fits with my lifestyle, and the extra cost wasn't a major consideration for me. I also like the notion of laundry cleaned down to the core of its fiber, and of course, I'm pleased that I don't have to employ quantities of chemicals, particularly chlorine bleach. Mine is a household of two people. We don't generate mountains of laundry as a family with children might. We don't have to get kids to soccer practice, music lessons, or to medical appointments -- all in addition to a job -- so the long cycle times weren't an issue for us. We've found that if we sort laundry in the laundry room by load type, we can do the whites one evening, the mediums the next night, and darks the next. A rather leisurely approach, but it works for us. The investment of a little time each evening has proven a good trade-off for cleaner clothes. I never use chlorine bleach, I use detergent sparingly, and when I remove laundry from the washer it looks clean, feels clean, and it smells clean (as opposed to smelling of detergent or chlorine). Gone are the days of gray armpits on tee shirts, and gone too, that funny sort of transparent look that older tee shirts used to take on. White gym socks are brilliantly white - no permanently gray heels or toes - ever. In short, clothes are just plain clean. On the other hand, if time is an important consideration for you, then I'd still suggest that you consider an American-built front loader. You'll get cleaning results that will equal or surpass what you'd get with a top-loader, cycle times and capacities are comparable, and you'll be consuming far less energy, water and chemicals. In addition, you'll enjoy the extra benefits of quieter operation and the flexibility of stacked or under-counter installation. CONCLUSIONS Summing up, I'd have to say that I've found front-loading washers to be superior to top-loaders in almost every way. Over the years I've owned both types of washers, including an American-built front-loader and my current European-built model. I'd never go back to the inefficiencies of an old-fashioned American top-loader.  |
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