Where our data comes from

The DOE Compliance Certification Database is published by the U.S. Department of Energy. It is the U.S. register where makers certify that each model they sell in the United States meets the federal energy-conservation standard, with the figures measured under the federal measurement procedure.

This register covers 17 of the 125 washing machines in our catalog. For those models, the certified record ranks first among our sources, ahead of the manufacturer's page and the Amazon listing.

To match a model, we compare the model numbers on its Amazon listing with the certified model numbers. A listing matches when one of its numbers fits a certified number and the brand agrees. The register uses wildcard characters, and each one stands for a single color or region character.

We download the full database again every month and match the catalog again.

The register has limits. A model the maker has not certified, for example some portable or imported units, is not matched. A listing without a usable model number is not matched either. That is why most of the catalog has no record from this source.

ENERGY STAR certified products are listed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (ENERGY STAR program). The official list is on the ENERGY STAR product finder and is also published as open data on the ENERGY STAR open dataset, with each model's measured figures.

It covers 4 of the 125 washing machines in our catalog. From it we use three fields:

• ENERGY STAR certification;
• the percentage below the federal standard;
• ENERGY STAR Most Efficient.

We show these fields on the model concerned. For ENERGY STAR models, the official height, width and depth also feed the fit check described below.

The matching is the same as for the DOE database: one of the model numbers on the Amazon listing must fit a listed model number, and the brand must agree. The dataset is downloaded again every month and the catalog is matched again.

Only certified models are listed, so a model that is not certified simply has no ENERGY STAR data. The absence of a mention does not say anything else about the machine.

The CPSC product recalls pages are published by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. They hold the official U.S. recall notices for consumer products, with the products, model numbers and the remedy offered.

We check every model in the catalog against them: 125 models checked. So far no recalled model has been found, so no recall notice is currently shown. When one is found, we show the recall notice and its official link on the recalled model, and we use no other field from this source.

A recall is a candidate when it names the model's brand and one of the listing's model codes. An AI model then reads the recall's own text and keeps it only when it is the same product and the same model, not a neighboring one, a battery or an accessory.

The recall list is checked again every month.

A recall that does not give the model number cannot be matched with certainty and is not shown. The lack of a notice on a model therefore means that no certain match was found, not that no recall exists.

Each model's manufacturer publishes product pages, datasheets, user manuals and declarations of conformity on its own website, or on its group's. Examples are Rovsun, Comfee, Giantex and Black+Decker. These pages cover 10 of the 125 washing machines in our catalog.

From them we take five fields:

• drain type;
• drying option;
• noise level;
• number of wash programs;
• warranty length.

For each model, we search for its exact model number on the maker's own website. A figure is kept only when our server opens the page again and finds both the model number and that figure on it. Retailers, marketplaces, comparison or review sites and manual-collection sites are never used as a source.

Every model is researched once, and new models are researched as they join the catalog. Many brands sold mainly on Amazon publish no specification page. Their models keep only what their Amazon listing states.

Prices come from the product pages on Amazon.com and are updated every 7 days. The date each price was collected is shown next to it. A model without a price is out of stock.

The fit check lets you enter the height, width and depth available, in inches. The site keeps the models whose dimensions fit inside and shows the margin left. The dimensions are the official height, width and depth for ENERGY STAR models and the ones on the Amazon.com listing otherwise. The clearance needed for the door, the hoses and the vibration is given in each model's manual.

A model enters the comparison when it reaches a rating of 3.5/5 and at least 5 customer reviews on Amazon. Stock is not a criterion.

A model carries at most one badge, computed within its category. The rule shows on hover:

• Most popular: the most customer reviews;
• Top rated: the best rating among the models with at least 100 customer reviews;
• Best price per cubic foot.

In the AI search, you describe what you need in one sentence. An AI model turns it into the comparison's filters, which you see and can remove. It writes no answer and only handles searches about washing machines.

You can compare up to 4 models side by side. The best figure in each row is highlighted, and the comparison can be shared with a link. Every filter has a "?" that explains it, and the filters and the sort are written into the page address, which can be shared.

A heart on every product card adds the model to your favorites. The list stays in your browser, and we never receive it.

Links to Amazon are affiliate links: we earn a commission on a purchase, at no extra cost to you. No manufacturer pays to be listed or ranked higher.

If you see a figure that looks wrong, you can tell us through the contact page.