What the heck is a twin tub washing machine?

Twin tub washers require more manual work than regular washing machines, but they can be a good choice in certain areas and circumstances.

If you’re in the market for a new washer in your laundry, you may be tempted by a Twin Tub washing machine.

After all, they usually have decent wash capacities, and they’re often much more affordable than some of the top loaders and front loaders on the market.

But there are a few quirks to the Twin Tub washing machine design that makes them uniquely suited to certain homes and much less useful to other homes.

Let’s take a look at how Twin Tubs work, and whether one will be right for your household.

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How does a Twin Tub washing machine work?

As the name implies, a Twin Tub washing machine has two tubs for washing your clothes.

One, typically on the left, is where your clothes can wash, rinse or soak. The second, typically on the right, is used to spin the moisture out of your clothes, so they can spend less time drying on the line.

So to give your clothes a full wash and spin, you’ll need to manually move the wet clothes by hand from one tub to the other, and set the machine to run a spin cycle separately to the wash cycle.

Also, many twin tubs are manual fill only. Unlike an automatic top loader or front loader that connects to your water supply and draws in the water it needs to wash by itself, you’ll need to manually attach a hose to your Twin Tub and switch on the tap to top it up for each wash load. You’ll usually also have to manually drain the machine too, rather than letting the machine handle that too.

When is a Twin Tub washing machine the right choice?

Because you can choose exactly how much water to use in each wash, Twin Tub washers can be quite handy in drought-affected areas and other water-restricted homes.

Because they don’t drain their water until you tell them to, it’s pretty easy to recycle your wash water, either to clean some more clothes or to collect to use on the garden (make sure you use a natural detergent).

Also, the Twin Tub is a classic washer design that was (reportedly) very popular in the 60s. If you, or one of your loved ones, prefers the hands-on action of washing with a twin tub, one of these machines can be handy.

When is a Twin Tub washing machine a not-so-right choice?

If you want to avoid a lot of extra effort when getting your washing done, then a Twin Tub washer may not be for you.

To start a wash, you’ll need to turn on the tap, stand over the machine while it fills up, and turn the tap off again. And once your wash is done, you’ll need to move your heavy, sopping wet clothes by hand from one tub to the next if you want to give them a spin cycle.

If you’d prefer to save time and avoid the extra exercise when doing your laundry, an automatic front loader or top loader will probably be a better choice – just load your clothes into the machine, set your wash cycle, start the machine and walk away.

Make the right decision

Remember – there is no perfect washing machine; there are only perfect washing machines. Every home is different, so no one model or style of washing machine will be able to handle the laundry needs of any given household.

If you want a hand finding the best washing machine to look after your home and family, contact the legendary Appliances Online team on 1300 000 500.

Mark Bristow

After joining Appliances Online, Mark learned more than he ever expected to know about washers, dryers and fridges, and discovered a knack for solving everyday problems using typical household appliances. When he’s not toiling at his day job, Mark tries to find time to write the next bestseller and draw satirical cartoons, but is too easily distracted by TV, music and video games.