Best Large-Capacity Washing Machines of 2023

We’ve all jammed as large a pile as potential into our washing machines in an effort to get by way of mountains of laundry.

And that’s not fully a nasty thing. A crammed machine can result in tangled clothes, detergent-dusted fabrics, or damaged mechanisms that unleash an off-balance rumbler in your laundry room. And in fact, manufacturers have been rising tub capacities for years as federal requirements for water and vitality efficiency turn out to be more stringent. Washing full hundreds is advisable to save water, power, and cash. But like a vacation meal, there’s a big difference between full and stuffed.

“Overloading definitely puts more load on the washer’s components, which may lead to an earlier demise,” says Wealthy Handel, the CR check engineer who runs our washer lab. “The other disadvantage is that your laundry does not get cleaned, as a result of there is no room for the water and clothes to circulate.”

The trick is to go away sufficient room for the clothes to move about throughout the drum. Tub capacities of models in our washing machine rankings range from 3.2 cubic ft to 5.8 cubic feet. A big-capability washer can minimize your chore.

Small tub (about 3.2 cubic toes): can wash up to 14 pounds of laundry, or roughly nine thick, full-sized bath towels. Medium tub (about 4.5 cubic toes): can wash as much as 16 pounds of laundry, or eleven towels. Giant tub (5 cubic feet and extra): can wash up to 18 to 25 pounds of laundry, or roughly 17 towels. It is available in handy with that winter ski put on or these oversized summer time beach towels.

What to Know about Washer Capacities

Agitator top-loaders usually have the smallest tub capacities, as little as 3.2 cubic toes for a Speed Queen in our scores. This will even allow you to higher agitate your clothes with minimal detergent, enhance rinsing, and save vitality by doing full loads. Here’s what else to contemplate. Capacities for HE (high-effectivity) prime-loaders (the kind powered by an impeller, not a vertical spindle) and front-loaders vary between 3.5 and 5.8 cubic toes. Verify your manual for steering on load sizes so that you could keep away from overstuffing your machine or utilizing too much detergent. But some manufacturers now offer agitator prime-loaders which have capacities of 5 cubic toes or more.

Comforters: As a substitute of lugging your king-dimension comforter to a laundromat, you’ll be able to wash it in any washer with a claimed capacity of at the least 4.5 cubic feet, in response to our tests. An extra rinse cycle might also be useful for these bulky gadgets. It’s best washed by itself, for better agitation and rinsing.

Small hundreds: All of the front-loaders and HE prime-loaders in our washing machine rankings have a sensor that adjusts the amount of water primarily based on the burden of the load. A lot of the agitator washers do, too. So, sure, you’ll be able to wash any measurement load in a large washer.

Washer vs. dryer capability: Matching washer and dryer sets stay common, and when procuring you’ll discover that the claimed capability of the 2 machines is totally different-the dryer’s is bigger. Clothes develop as they dry and want the added area to tumble round.

Ease of use: Giant-capability washers have practical implications: The depth of the tub won’t work for everyone. “There are only some ways manufacturers can improve capacity,” Handel says. “You make the tub either deeper or wider-or each.” So when you’re purchasing, he says, “reach all the way in to ensure you possibly can decide laundry off the underside.”

Area: Excessive-capability washers might be wider than the standard 27 inches, so factor that in as you measure dimensions before selecting a mannequin. Also measure your home’s doors and hallways en route to the laundry room-to ensure that a brand new machine will match through them. Allow at the least 6 inches behind the washer for plumbing hookups, and about an inch between the washer and dryer. You’ll see model dimensions famous in our washing machine rankings.

To learn more about the varied forms of washing machines, see our washing machine shopping for guide. CR members with digital entry can read on for ratings and critiques of nine full-sized washers, three picks for each sort, with capacities of no less than 5 cubic toes. For more beneficial massive-capability washing machines, see our comprehensive washing machine rankings, where you possibly can filter by type, size, value, vitality effectivity, noise level, and more.