Does a washer with an agitator break down fabric more than a washer without one?

Question

my washer has an agitator, and my sisters washer does not.

she said that since she's gotten the one without an agitator, all her cotton has stayed soft, and her fleece hoodies don't get fuzz balls all over them. she told me that agitators break down fabric threads more.

is this true? my sister is known to exaggerate alot, but i wasn't sure if this was true or not. i have been noticing that the more i wash my clothes, the crappier they turn out. is this all from the agitator? ...do they really ruin clothes?

i'm kinda afraid to wash new clothes now...

Answer 1

Yes an agitator does wear fabrics out quicker, much quicker in fact.  I noticed this when chaning to a front loader that everything lasted years longer (I'm talking sheets and towels here).  Amazing difference.  Clothes seem cleaner too.

Answer 2

Just my personal opinion, I prefer the front-loading washers, the kind without an agitator. My fiance has one, and I have the top-loading kind with the agitator in it. I hardly wash my clothes at home any more because I noticed a huge difference. Most of my delicates, bras, etc. I had to wash by hand because the agitator would get caught on them and rip them up, or leave big "dent" marks on bra cups. I'm happy with the front-loader and do most of my laundry at his place now, because I can wash even my hand washables in it, and nothing has fallen to pieces yet. From my own experience, I do think that agitators will wreck some of your clothes, but mainly just delicates. I have never had a problem with my own washer ruining any jeans or regular shirts, but I would never trust it to wash a dress or a sweater.