Washing a family's clothes by hand eats up hours every week, and in humid weather the drying drags on even longer. A machine takes most of that work off the household. Choosing one is the hard part, though. The market has several types, sizes, and price levels, and a wrong pick is expensive to undo. Start With the Type of Machine Most machines sold here fall into three types. A twin-tub has one tub for washing and another for spinning, and the person doing the laundry carries the wet cloth