Look for something like this Whirlpool top loader with deep fill option and a real center post agitator.

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/reviews/whirlpool-3-5-cu-ft-12-cycle-top-loading-washer-white/5310701

A friend of mine has one and really likes it. Cleans better than his over 20 year old Maytag.

Those HE impeller washers SUCK! There is virtually no turnover and take a real long time to finish a load and you'll be PO'd at the results.

If you must have a top loader, save your money and do not buy an HE machine. Get one with a manual load size/fill level selector. An HE machine is hit or miss if it uses sufficient water for a load. For larger loads, it probably won't fill enough. There's ways to trick the machine to use more water, but it's more trouble than it's worth. And those flat agitators (if you can call them that) the HE machines have are useless for large loads.

I'm going with a front loader in the new house. But who knows? In a year, I might be back here critical of modern front loaders.

It’s interesting how many people automatically assume that top loaders must clean better because they use more water But cleaning ability is based upon much more than sheer volume of water: it’s how the water moves through the clothes and how vigorously, the chemistry of the water (including the surfactants and other additives to release the soil), and temperature of the water.

Top loaders do great at volume of water, but are not necessarily great at moving the clothes through the water in an optimal pattern and making sure the water is sufficiently hot.

If you want an example of effective stain removal that is extremely low water, consider the Shout stain removal wipe ( the ones you can carry around for emergency stain treatment while out and about). They do a very effective job without the gallons of water that some folks automatically associate as absolutely essential for getting clothes clean.

My personal preference (starting with the old Maytag Neptune) has been a front loader. For the way I do laundry (and the type of laundry I have), I have found them to both get clothes cleaner and be gentler on clothing than the old fashioned top loader. YMMV.

Of course, front loaders are both more expensive to begin with, and in my experience, don’t last anywhere near as long as an old fashioned top loading Maytag Dependable Washer (no longer an option with the demise of Maytag). And there is definitely a learning curve with a front loader that one doesn’t really face with a top loader.

Yes, it’s a risk, but it’s an avoidable outcome if you remain vigilant and take active measures (keeping door ajar, some hot water washes, allowing detergent drawer to dry out by removing it frequently, being aware that liquids use can increase risk, clean machine/sanitize cycle with either bleach or citric acid from time to time).

I have never had an issue with a front loader. If you follow the instructions and wipe the seal out after your done washing for the day along with keeping the door cracked and detergent tray cracked I’ve never had an issue. I also do plenty of hot water washes alone with cleaning my washer every month. It’s really simple and never once had any mold issues with a front loader. I hardly ever use liquid detergent mostly powder so may help keep it mold free as well.

Don't bother with an HE top loader.......if you insist on a top loader, go with a traditional one. If you want the benefits of a High Efficiency system, you need to get a front loader. Personally, I've been using front loaders for over 20 years, and I'd never go back to a top loader; when I moved into this condo unit, replacing the top loader that came with it was the first thing I did.

Mold problems are only a problem if you don't do a few simple maintenance things - I leave my washer door open about 2" after a load, and don't use too much detergent (which slows down the drainage by mucking up the pipes). Those small things are so very much worth the benefits of using a front loader - less water, less electricity use to dry, less wear on my clothes.

I don't know why all the negative comments about top-loading HE washers. I've recently replaced my 24-year-old Whirlpool top-loading conventional washer with an Amana top-loading HE washer, (I would NEVER have a front-loader!) and I LIKE it. I don't know how, but it gets my laundry CLEAN with a miniscule amount of detergent (about two (2) teaspoons), and, unlike my old washer, there's no guesswork as to the water-level setting because the machine senses the size of the load and sets the water level automatically. I don't understand, though, why it's said a top-loading HE washer doesn't have an agitator; mine does.

@Linda Andrews, what is your specific model?

All top-loading HE agitators of course have an agitator of some ilk. The complaints about not having one is related to the low-profile impeller type vs. the taller, old-style center-post type.

I love my HE top load GE (5 cu ft) washer with full size agitator. Several years ago I tried the impeller. If I didn't know better I would have thought it was a prank LOL The only thing that washer did was tangle up my clothes. I wouldn't love my HE GE top loading washer if I used it on auto for everything and especially auto water level. It takes water to clean and with this washer and a little manipulation, I get plenty of water and clean clothes :)

My Dad replaced his and my Mom's nearly 20 year old Maytag with an HE Maytag about a year ago or so. I figured out the only way to get a decent amount of water in it is to use the Bulky cycle. The tub then fills with a large amount of water, but the impeller can not provide a good turn over for the load, and as anyone who has elderly family knows, thorough turnover and strong action is a must for that laundry. The other problem is the spin speed is reduced. The solution is to spend time setting and resetting and re-spinning-my Dad is never going to do that or even have the idea he needs to do it.

"figured out the only way to get a decent amount of water in it is to use the Bulky cycle."

I'm pretty sure the problem is that you thought you needed more water than you did.....that "decent amount" of water was actually more than was needed. It seems there are a lot of people who don't trust the machine to do its job, and still believe that more water is required when it really isn't. The different technology works, well, differently........your "decent amount of water" is too much, because cleaning well doesn't always require more (water, or detergent).

I LOVED my Maytag top loading HE impeller machine that I bought 6 years ago but had to leave with the house because I sold it. I'm currently in the market to buy a new set because the set that came with the house I just moved into is a 10 year old Samsung front loading washer that is so molded and mildewed I'm afraid the use it. The dryer is a 12 year old HP that takes around 1 hour 45 minutes to dry a small load. I came here to read what others suggest and I think I'm going to go with another top loading impeller, hopefully a Maytag! :) Happy washing!

HP = Hotpoint? Could be a problem with the machine, but poor dryer performance is often caused by obstructed exhaust ducting which a new dryer doesn't fix.

There are videos of various HE toploaders all over YouTube from users and sellers. Appliance Associates in Austin TX and Lorain Furniture in Cleveland OH test models that they sell (and some old haul-away machines). Proper loading techniques has an effect on performance. AA sometimes tosses items in randomly on the premise that the typical users do it that way and the machines don't wash so well compared to loading evenly around the basket.

Oops.... I meant an LG dryer, my laptop is HP. Haha! Been working from home too long. I think it's just an aged 12 year old dryer at the end of it's life. The home inspector checked the duct work, it's all good and it has a second lint trap. I empty the primary trap after each load, the secondary after four loads.

No Toronto, I know what amount of water is needed for clean laundry. I have been interested in how washing machines work for over 50 years. I have owned 2 FLs as well as various TLs and I have many family members other than my folks who have HEs with impellers. I am happy that you are satisfied with how yours works, but letting the machine's sensors dictate the cycle does not work for me.

12 years is far from old for a dryer. They're simple machines. I repaired my neighbor's dryer last month that'll be 20 years in November. Cleaned up the interior lint accumulation, replaced a broken belt, worn drum rollers, the blower fan which had a broken blade (not fatal, mystery how that happened), and a rubber seal for good measure. Less than $100 in parts, it can easily go for another 10+ years.

ArmJim, as you said above regards to the Bulky cycle of your parents' machine, too much water in an HE toploader reduces the wash action. Better results to let the machine operate as intended for a given type of load.

Dadoes, it amazes me what you do for the people in your circle. In my daydreams before I get too old and senile are several cars from the 60's I want, and a vintage Maytag and/or Kenmore set. I would definitely make arrangements to have them (the washers and dryers-not the cars) shipped to you for your reconditioning.

Regarding the water comment, I absolutely get that. It is a question of what to do? Too little water is not going to properly clean a load unless it is a very small one, and we have agreed on the lack of turnover with too much water with an impeller. I am not anti-technology, but sometimes there is too much of it, in our appliances and our automobiles. The amount of computer processors in cars is formidable, many times leading to problems that take multiple failures to diagnose which part actually is failing.

"The amount of computer processors in cars is formidable,"

I resisted computer-inundated cars for a long time, exactly because computerized things are prone to glitches and vulnerable to hacks, and I didn't perceive any real benefits to exposing myself to those risks. Then, when I decided to buy an electric car, I was suddenly all in on it, and my car is basically a computer on wheels. I found the benefits I needed to make those things worthwhile.

I ran some bedding yesterday in my HE toploader.

It has a specific Sheets cycle but I don't like it so much for 1) agitation being at Delicate speed (to minimize tangling) and 2) fill being a fixed high level regardless of the load size.

I instead use Bulky - Blanket (it has several Bulky cycles), which runs a deep fill but senses it to a varying level based on the load, a stronger agitation profile than Sheets, and includes a 30-min soak period during the wash. Wash temperature is fixed (can't be changed) at Warm which is 122°F input.

Usually for a twin bed on which I use a cotton/synthetic blend quilted bedspread as a comforter I run the sheets and bedspread together. This time I ran the sheets separately to check what it did for the fill level ... which was IMO higher than necessary in order to get some "float" but the wash action was very good.

Running the bedspread on the Bulky - Blanket cycle without the sheets (although I did add a lightweight throw-blanket) resulted in it getting rolled into a ball (although it did rollover several times) which does not happen when the sheets are done with it.

I’d recommend a Speed Queen TC5000WN if you want water level selection, or their LWN432 commercial model if you can live with full fill all the time. Quiet for top loaders, reliable, and proven designs.

The SQ TC5 doesn't have a proper water level selector with multiple settings, only two fill levels which likely are approx 1/2 to 2/3 full for Small depending on the cycle, and 3 to 4 gallons more for Large. Some brands/models with manual selections (instead of only auto-sense) have eliminated controls with multiple load size choices (ex small, small, medium, large, ex large) for only two choices.

@dadoes great point on the TC5, the video I saw showed a Deep Fill button which enabled full tub water level. The hotness seems to be buying a LWN432 commercial model, and retrofitting the control panel and water level switch/sensor from the AWN432 to get variable fill levels. Price on the LWN is lower enough to make this cost effective if the user is savvy enough to do the wiring, but the warranty is parts-only which may be a problem for people who don’t do their own repairs.

bonus: no controller board on the LWN, basic electromechanical timer.

The fill levels on the original TC5 (there has been at least one revision, don't know if fill levels have changed):
(Cycle -- Standard Fill -- Deep Wash)
Normal Eco -- 9" (13 gal) -- 11" (16 gal)
Heavy Duty -- 10" (14.5 gal) -- 13" (19 gal)
Perm Press -- 10" (14.5 gal) -- 13" (19 gal)
Delicate -- 10" (14.5 gal) -- 13" (19 gal)
Bulky/Sheets -- 11" (16 gal) -- 13" (19 gal)

So if one has, for example, one sweater to wash, the minimum possible fill on Delicate is 14.5 gallons, 10" depth.

I just returned last night from the East Coast from a visit with my family. Yesterday morning I stripped my elderly parents beds and washed the sheets, a mattress pad and pillow cases. Used the Sheets/bulky cycle. Hate hate hate their machine. Virtually no turnover because of the impeller action. I ended up lifting the lid before it locked and submerged the items and attempted to make sure they were good and saturated. Earlier in the week I took mine and my partner's laundry over. I used the Normal cycle. I would never be happy with an HE impeller washer.

@armjim I feel your aggravation with impeller HE top loaders.

With the exception of maybe LG, to me they just don't do much of anything.

Hardly any turn over and not enough water.

That's why I'm sold on front loaders or good old fashioned (Speed Queen Classic TC - series).

You couldn't pay me to use today's HE impeller washers.

It's a tragedy that the two HE toploaders that were excellent performers are NLA. Consumers weren't ready for the first one, largely couldn't or wouldn't adapt to it. The other was a wonky brand-name that either no one heard of it or they didn't trust it.

I too hate the HE toploader. Putting it on Bulky gets more water. I'm sorry, not covering the clothes with water and hoping just them rubbing together with minimal water doesn't work for me. I get the clothes out and they are still stained. To get the clothes to rub together means you have to put fewer in. Just the ones on the bottom are rotated. It's a mess and I hate it.