5 Things to Know About High-Efficiency Top-Loaders

There are more than two dozen HE top-loaders in our washer ratings, and only a handful earn an Excellent rating in our washing performance tests. Many earn a Very Good rating, however, meaning they’ll clean most loads just fine. That’s better than agitator top-loaders, most of which earn a middling Good rating in washing performance.

You can boost your washer’s performance by pre-treating stains with a top-rated stain remover or using a dab of a laundry detergent that packs some punch (just like Grandma did it). Consider using the washer’s heavy-soil or heavy-duty cycle, too, but keep in mind they’re tougher on fabrics.

Most of the HE top-loaders in our tests aren’t so gentle on fabrics, earning just a Good or even a Fair score in our gentleness tests. “That’s due to the combination of low water levels, longer wash times, and the laundry rubbing against each other,” Handel says. Many agitator washers aren’t gentle, either, because of the center post agitator churning clothes to get them clean.

Using the normal wash/normal-soil setting for most loads and the light-soil setting when possible can help. The delicate cycle goes even easier on your clothes, which is ideal for undergarments and delicate fabrics.

Combine low water levels, fast rotating impeller action, and 60 to 80 minutes of wash time typical of HE top-loaders and you have the potential for tangled laundry.

To reduce tangling, wash similar items together—say, a load of sheets, then a load of towels. And rather than dumping a whole basket of dirty laundry into the washer, add a few items at a time to separate them more. Lowering the washer’s spin speed also reduces tangling.

A load of laundry can become unbalanced in any type of washer, but each one handles it differently. When the clothes inside an HE top-loader get out of balance, as sometimes happens in our tests, the machine will attempt to rebalance the load by adding more water to improve the circulation and even things out. It’ll try this multiple times, but if it doesn’t work, you’ll get an error message alerting you to manually rebalance the load. The owner’s manual should tell you how to do this.

Manufacturers often warn not to wash waterproof items in an HE top-loader, because this increases the chance of the load becoming unbalanced. Others suggest using a lower spin speed. So if you frequently wash waterproof jackets or other items, check the washer manufacturer’s website before choosing a model.

Many HE top-loaders in our washing machine ratings have claimed capacities of 5 cubic feet or more, making them larger than most agitator machines and front-loaders.

But that means some may be wider or taller than the machine you’re replacing, so double check dimensions in our ratings. Measure your laundry space and entry doors to ensure your new machine can fit.

Larger capacities can also mean deeper tubs. When you’re shopping, reach into the machine to try to touch the bottom to be sure you can get all the laundry out. Some readers tell us they can’t, and wind up using tongs or a step stool to retrieve socks and other small items from the bottom of the drum—gadgets not designed for your laundry routine.