Read This Before You Redo Your Laundry Room

They cost about $150 to $300 more, but front-loading washers tend to clean better and more efficiently than most top loaders—a faster spin cycle, up to 1,200 rpm, wrings out more water to cut drying time and energy consumption. A front loader also offers design flexibility and comfort; you can stack it with a dryer to save floor space, top it with a counter for folding, or raise it on a pedestal to a back-friendly height. To do the latter with a top-loading washer, you'd have to be part giraffe to reach inside the machine.