When it comes to buying a washing machine, choosing the right type sometimes becomes quite confusing. Front loading washing machines are quite popular in the Middle East and Europe, although people are now preferring this type, all over the world, because of its many advantages.

As the name would suggest, this machine has a circular door in the front, from where the clothes can be loaded. It has an H-axis design for its tub, which is mounted horizontally, and has the usual perforated basket inside the tub. The tub rotates back and forth giving the clothes the necessary agitation coupled with gravity. There are small paddles, which lift the clothes and drop them as the drum rotates. This motion gives a flexing to the fabric, and the flow of water and detergent in the drum will force its way through the fabric, giving it a thorough cleaning. As this action is achieved, without the clothes being totally soaked in water, the water consumption is limited. As the agitation lifts and drops the clothes, a nice amount of foam is formed and therefore this machine does not require much detergent.

A High Efficiency (HE) detergent is required for the front loading washing machines, as it is necessary that the detergent does not produce too much of foam or suds. An ordinary detergent will do just that, and that will cause the mechanism of the front loading washing machine to malfunction. Whenever we see a lot of detergent foam, we feel that the clothes are being washed well. But this is not the case in a front loading washing machine. The foam will usually float on the top of water, and in this machine, it will prevent the clothes from reaching the water, which will result in an incomplete wash.

Due to the popularity and many advantages of these machines, many companies are coming with various models of this design. The major plus point of the front load design is that it is very efficient in saving energy and will reduce your electricity bill. It is ideal for a large family as most of these models have a huge capacity. The agitation provides a thorough cleaning, yet it is gentle on the delicate fabrics.

The front loading washing machines have a small drawer with different compartments, which you can pull out to add the detergent, fabric softner and bleach. The control panels on these machines are sophisticated and present a choice of programmable wash cycles. You can choose between various cycles depending on the fabric and the level of dirt in your clothes. There are also controls to choose the temperature of water, so that you can have a hot wash for stubborn dirt and stains. You can also preset a soaking time, so that the detergent has time to soak and act on the dirt. The latest models of front loading washing machines come with sophisticated motors which are quite silent in their operation.