Whirlpool's giant washer wants to shrink your dirty clothes pile fast
Looking to improve your laundry routine? Whirlpool's new large capacity washer aims to make cleaning clothes much less of a chore.
Gone are the days of too much laundry and not enough space in the washer for everything -- if Whirlpool has anything to say about it, at least.
The appliance manufacturer on Monday at Las Vegas' CES announced a new top load washer with a 6.2 cubic-foot capacity, which it claims is the "largest capacity in the industry". This super-sized washer can supposedly handle up to 26 pounds of laundry in a single wash (the coordinating dryer has a 9.1 cubic-foot capacity), which translates to being able to "clean a full week's worth of clothes at once," says Whirlpool. Okay, I'm listening.
6.2 cubic feet is definitely a large capacity for a washer and a dryer -- most models sit between the 4 and the 5-cubic-foot range.
And given that 8 pounds is the average size of a load of laundry (according to the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers, or AHAM, a company that designs standards for large appliance testing), a 26-pound load more than triples what you can toss in a machine for a single cleaning cycle.
Beyond capacity, Whirlpool's new top load washer features a Load & Go detergent system designed to hold enough soap for as many as 14 loads of laundry and also offers Adaptive Wash tech that's supposed to adjust the amount of water used on a load-by-load basis. The matching dryer offers Advanced Moisture Sensing technology that's designed to turn the machine off the moment your clothes are dry.
Exact pricing and model numbers are forthcoming for this laundry duo, but Whirlpool expects them to hit retail in May and cost roughly $2,500 (£1,700, AU$3,470) to $3,000 (£2,040, AU$4,160) when bought as a pair. The team also announced a Closet Depth Front Load Washer and HybridCare Heat Pump Dryer at CES today, a smaller laundry pair due out in April.
Find out what else is happening at CES 2016.