average water usage for a laundry washer
Laundry Water Usage. Standard top-loading washing machines use the most water -- typically 40 to 45 gallons per load -- because their vertical drum and agitator design requires a full tub of water to perform a wash cycle. High-efficiency washers -- both top and front-loading designs -- use 15 to 30 gallons of water per load,. They use less water because of the sideways drum design as well as using gravity instead of an agitator to toss the clothing during the wash cycle.