A majority of young people in India, especially the teenagers have not heard the word ‘DHOBI’ in their lives, let alone understand the meaning of this word.
For the benefit of such persons, I shall say that ‘Dhobi’ stands for the humble washerman. Yes, there was a class of people known as ‘washer men’. They used to wash clothes and deliver it to houses in the past. In fact, there is a locality in Mumbai known as ‘Dhobi Talao’. This iconic location has featured in several Hindi films as well.
Coming to the point, we wish to state that the ubiquitous Dhobi has virtually disappeared from the scene.
Why has it happened? Who is to blame for this? One can state that the advent of the washing machine has caused this to happen.
Today, you have virtually every home in India having a Washing Machine. Right from the basic semi-automatic machines to the state of the art front loading machines, you have a wide array to choose.

If you do a quick research on the usage of washing machines in India, you will find that people prefer to use the top load washing machines over the front loading machines. The preference in the US is just the opposite. You can attribute this to the washing habits of Indians.
Top Loading Machines – The Advantages

You have decided to purchase a washing machine for your house. Should you not have an idea about the advantages of using top loading machines? Here are five simple advantages for you.
- The top-loading machines are at a comfortable height thereby obviating the need for bending down to load and unload clothes. Hence, you develop a better posture.
- The height factor eliminates the need to invest money in purchasing expensive bases for placing these machines.
- You do not experience any kind of bad or undesirable odours like mould and mildew in these top loading machines.
- Cost wise, they are considerably cheaper than the front loading machines.
- One of the main attributes of the top loading machines is that they consume less water and energy as compared to the standard semi-automatic top loading machines.
Related: Agitator vs Impeller Washing Machine
Top Loading Machines – Disadvantages
A prudent homemaker should look at both the sides of the coin before investing her hard-earned money in a top loading automatic washing machine. Hence, it is better to weigh the disadvantages as well.
- The High-Efficiency top loading washing machines have longer washing cycles as compared to the traditional top-loading machines.
- You need to arrange the clothes properly into the tub lest you experience tangling of clothes leading to damage.
- These machines can take up more space than the front loading machines.
- In comparison to the front-loading machines, these top loading ones use more water.
- Hence, you find the top loading machines take a longer time to dry clothes. This increases the timing required for the spin function.

Related: Front Load vs Top Load Washing Machines?
Frequently asked Questions
1. Why is inside-out washing of clothes recommended by many dealers?
2. What is the cause of these fuzzy balls on some clothing?
3. How much detergent do you need?
Related: Inverter vs Non Inverter Washing Machine
We have just seen the basic advantages and disadvantages and FAQ’s If you have any queries regarding washing machine selection, you can post them in the below comments section and I’ll answer them.