Traditional Agitator Washers Chances are the type of washer you grew up with, and still use today, is a top-loading, "agitator" washer. It's the tried-and-true machine that revolutionized doing the laundry many decades ago. Today, agitator washers are used in more than 98% of U.S. homes. In these washers, clothing is completely submerged in water and an agitator moves the laundry back and forth to loosen soils.

High-Efficiency Washers With most of the new washers, the laundry is loaded from the front, rather than from the top. Most also use a "tumbler" system — there is no agitator. The laundry load sits in a shallow pool of water and the wash tub rotates, very much like the action of a clothes dryer. The laundry load tumbles back and forth through the water, as the tub rotates clockwise and then counter-clockwise, moving water through each garment and removing soil. This repetitive motion does an efficient cleaning job, and is quite gentle on fabrics.

New Washers Offer Environmental Benefits

There is more to the new washers than just getting your clothes clean — they offer big water and energy-saving bonuses, too: Low water volume: Tumble-action systems use only 1/3 to 2/3 the water used by agitator washers. Energy savings: Because there is much less water to heat, energy use can be 1/3 to 1/2 that of agitator washers.

FACT:

The new washers are commonly described as "front loading," "high-efficiency" or "tumble action" washers because of their mechanical and energy-saving features.