If you’ve ever pulled a sweater from the washing machine to find a tangled collection of yarn, you wouldn’t be the first. Whirlpool’s new washing machine has a feature that aims to solve the issue without requiring hand-washing or running a dedicated delicates cycle.
The new Whirlpool top-load washer includes a built-in delicate basket that sits inside the drum, shielding sweaters and other fragile items from the agitation of a regular wash cycle. The basket also corrals socks in one place, making it easier to match and fold them when laundry time is done.
Serial sock losers will appreciate Whirlpool’s industry-first delicates basket.
While LG’s sidekick pedestal washer makes a similar claim, that version features a separate wash bin under the main drum. Whirlpool’s is a simple plastic basket, large enough for a sweater and plenty of socks, that sits right on top of the machine’s impeller inside the drum.
The basket can be removed to retrieve your delicates or left out for a wash that doesn’t require it.
I saw the soon-to-be-released machine at KBIS in Orlando. Just weeks before, I’d ruined one of my favorite sweaters by machine-washing it, so the feature won me over. The idea is so simple and smart, yet this seems to be the only modern washing machine to incorporate it.
Whirlpool debuted a delicates basket for soft sweaters and socks at KBIS 2026.
While we weren’t able to see the machine in action yet (it was only on display), a Whirlpool representative told me that clothes placed in the center basket remain there through the cycle, thanks to the distinct water flow patterns.
The basket is easily removed with a gentle squeeze of the handles, so you can extract your delicates and socks. You can also leave the basket out if it’s not needed for a particular wash cycle.
Pricing was not available but the washing machine is set to launch at national retailers in September.
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