We measure how well the machines keep the dirt suspended in the water, rather than depositing it back on the clothes, and how well they rinse out the detergent. We test this by adding a marker chemical to the wash and at the end, we take a sample of the water remaining in the clothes to determine the amount of chemical that's left. The less there is, the better the rinse.

This score measures how long your clothes are going to last compared to other machines using the program we test on. To check for fabric wear, we attach swatches of easily frayed fabric to the garments in each load. The area of the swatch is measured before and after the wash. The less fraying, the gentler the machine is assessed to be and the higher the score it's given.

This shows you how efficiently a washer uses water. Water flow meters are connected to each machine to measure water use. To compare efficiency between different-sized machines, we calculate the amount of water used per kilogram of the test load of washing. The lower the water consumption per kilogram of clothing, the higher the efficiency score.

The test load is weighed before and after each wash. Higher scores mean more water is removed, which means the washing takes less time to dry. We use the default spin speed (some machines let you vary the speed).

Our priority is testing the models you'll see in stores and major online retailers. To do this, we check current market data to see what's most popular. We'll also test models that a lot of members have requested.

We have our own on-site laundry lab, equipped with precisely calibrated measurement tools and reference machines to test and compare products. Every model is tested with a standardised laundry load, cloth swatches embedded with specific amounts of dirt, fray swatches and specific detergent. These align with Australian and International Standards. Our experts assess key test criteria including dirt removal, rinse performance, water and spin efficiency, gentleness on clothes, noise levels and more.

Our expert testers – Petr Valouch and Shafi Noor – have many years of combined experience in reviewing products. They also sit on industry standards committees, both national and international.

Unlike other product review sites, we don't accept free test models from manufacturers. This allows us to be independent and review without interference. We buy products anonymously from a variety of retailers, then bring them into our labs. This means we get what you'd get, and can be sure the model has not been potentially 'tweaked' for better performance.

We test new models every four to six weeks, usually in batches of six. We do this because manufacturers are constantly releasing new front loader and top loader machines into the market.

The star ratings you see on labels are calculated using a full load, warm wash, as specified by the Australian Standard. But we've found most consumers actually use a 3.5kg cold wash, so we use this in our testing to truly reflect real use at home.