Whirlpool WFW9290FW Closet Depth Washing Machine Review

This configuration—which Whirlpool calls "closet-depth"—gives you about two extra inches of wiggle room over standard Whirlpool front loaders, which tend to be a little under 33.5 inches.

The closet-depth machines also require an inch and a quarter less clearance for the door to open fully. That might not sound like much—but every inch matters in a room that's only a handful of square feet.

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While the WFW9290FW may be slimming down, it doesn't lose any stain-fighting power. The test results we gathered for the 9290 stood toe-to-toe with the standard-depth WFW90HEFW. On the closet-depth machine, capacity decreases by just 0.3 cu. ft. to a total of 4.2 cu. ft., and we had no problems fitting a large load inside the drum.

This new washer also includes some of Whirlpool's best features:

• Fan Fresh, an option which allows you to wash and dry a small load of laundry overnight • Load & Go, a cartridge that lets you store up to 12-loads worth of detergent to be automatically dispensed in each wash • ColorLast, a no-sort cycle that Whirlpool says uses gentle wash motions and cooler temperatures to preserve colors. • EcoBoost, an option on select cycles which decreases temperature, but makes up for it with extra agitation. • Steam Clean, which can deodorize hard-to-clean items like stuffed animals.

At first glance, the 9290 seems expensive—a sale price starting at $1,200 is twice as much as one of our favorite front-load washers. Other washers will fit in the same space, too: Most of LG's 27-inch wide washers are fewer than 30 inches deep, as are a few models from Frigidaire.

However, if you want Whirlpool's latest features but can't fit them in your existing laundry room, the WFW9290 is your only choice.

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Meet the tester

Jonathan Chan

Senior Manager of Lab Operations

@Jonfromthelab1

Jonathan Chan currently serves as the Lab Manager at Reviewed. If you clean with it, it's likely that Jon oversees its testing. Since joining the Reviewed in 2012, Jon has helped launch the company's efforts in reviewing laptops, vacuums, and outdoor gear. He thinks he's a pretty big deal. In the pursuit of data, he's plunged his hands into freezing cold water, consented to be literally dragged through the mud, and watched paint dry. Jon demands you have a nice day.

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