The Best Way To Load Your Washing Machines

Posted on March 1st, 2022

Are you loading your washer the right way? Follow these tips to make sure.

How To Load A Standard Top Load Washer
The standard top load washers feature an agitator in the middle of the tub that moves throughout the load to agitate clothes in order to wash them. To load a standard top load washer, be sure to place clothes around the agitator in a balanced manner. If it’s unbalanced, there may be extra vibrations that cause your washer to “walk” and not properly wash your items. If your top load washer doesn't have an automatic detergent dispenser, you will want to put in the detergent before loading it with your items. This is especially important if you use detergent pods that need to stay in the water longer to dissolve. Be sure not to overpack your washer so that water can thoroughly reach and clean each item. If you’re having to push down on the load to add more clothes, it’s too many items.

How To Load A High-Efficiency Top Load Washer
High-efficiency top load washers are similar to standard top load washers but instead of an agitator the drum rotates to move clothes around. This prevents clothes from accidentally wrapping around an agitator and also to use less water than the standard washer. You can follow the same steps for loading detergent as the standard top load washer - if it doesn’t have an automatic detergent dispenser, just pour the detergent into the tub before loading with clothes. Similar to the standard top load washer, you should evenly distribute items around the edges of the tub to keep the load balanced and deliver the best cleaning performance. Don’t overload the washer to ensure enough water gets to each item to thoroughly clean it.

How To Load A Front Load Washer
Front load washers clean clothes differently from top load washers. Instead of spinning the tub in different motions or relying on an agitator to move clothes, front load washers have a tub that spins and uses gravity to toss the load. Unlike top load washers, you should apply liquid detergent into the dispenser whether or not it is an automatic dispenser. If you are using pods or dry additives, apply them directly to the washer drum. Load clothes in one at a time so they don’t get tangled. Similar to tp load washers, it’s important to not overload the washer by packing in too many clothes. However, you may find your washer works better with a larger load than a few items.

Tip: Use The Right Amount Of Detergent
Since detergent is able to effectively clean your clothes, it would only make sense that more detergent would mean even more clean, right? Surprisingly, this is not the case and adding too much detergent can actually decrease your washer’s effectiveness. Follow your washer’s manual or opt for a washer that has an automatic dispenser that can determine the optimal amount of detergent your unique load requires.

Tip: Separate Colors
Sometimes it can be tempting to toss all items together just to get a load of laundry over with. However, no matter the cycle setting you use, it's always important to separate white fabrics from colored fabrics to keep whites looking their best. Even in a cold cycle, colors can slightly bleed from fabric to fabric just enough to permanently dull your whites. You can keep two baskets in your laundry room to separate fabrics as you load your washer to help know when you have enough white items for a full load.

Visit your local Bray & Scarff or visit us online to shop our large selection of top load and front load washers.