The Washing Machine Guide

My old washer/dryer decided that it wanted to retire and on the voyage of getting a new one, i found myself overloaded with the features to consider. As i was making a major purchase decision i did not want to choose the wrong one and so i have accumulated a lot of information on the washing machines, tumble dryers and washer dryers available and their features; hopefully this guide will help you in making your purchasing decision.
This guide covers washing machines but please also see my lens on tumble dryers if you are considering a washer dryer.

Size is the first thing to consider before anything else as there will be no point in having a great machine if it doesnt fit into the space that you have.

So first things first get your measure tape and measure the width, height and depth of your existing machine or the space you want to fit the machine in.

Washing machines can either be top loading or front loading. The loading is just to do with how you place your clothes in the machines.

Top loading machines are favoured by USA, Canada and Australia and front loading machines are favoured in Europe.

I would recommend a front loading machines for several reasons:

In a top loading machine, clothes are placed from the top of the machine into a horizontally aligned basket which has an outer water tight tub.
During a wash cycle, the tub is filled up with sufficient water which allows the clothes to suspend in the basket freely. Located to the bottom centre of the basket is an agitator. The movement of the agitator causes the clothes to move up and outward towards the sides of the basket. Top loading machines are not particularly suited to washing pillows for example as they tend to float to the top of the water and will not wash well. Also due to the motion of the agitator it is also possible to damage delicate clothes.

A front loading machine has a vertically aligned basket and tub from where the clothes are placed. The glass door is mechanically shut and sealed during wash cycles and often machines will not start until the door is shut properly. There is no central agitator, instead it uses gravity and side mounted paddles inside the basket to clean clothes. Subsequently there is more capacity to fit clothes into a single wash load, reducing the amount of wash loads required reduces time, energy and water bills.
During a wash cycle, the clothes are lifted up by the side paddles and then dropped back into the soapy water via gravity. This motion allows water and detergent to thoroughly go through the clothes, allowing better cleaning. As front loads have a gentler action compared to a top load with its agitator, it prolongs the life of the clothes. As clothes don't have to be freely suspended in water, less water and detergent is required.

A top loading machine requires dedicated space, as you cannot have anything on top of the machine which would hinder access to getting inside. A front loading machine can be easily integrated into a kitchen, with a cover over the glass door. It can also have a work surface on top so that space can be utilised on top.

The load capacity is the amount of clothes that can be washed. It is measured in kilograms of dry clothes and can vary between 4 - 9kg.

Generally the larger the capacity, the bigger the wash load you can do in one go.

An average wash load is about 4.5kg, but if you have a bigger family or need to wash duvets frequently then a larger capacity will be a better option as you can wash more in fewer loads and so would save time, energy and money.

However if you dont fill the full load of a washing machine, it will be expensive to run, as a half filled machine will use the same amount (if not more)of energy as a full load, so it might be worth getting a smaller capacity or a standard size machine in this case.

Washing machines will spin clothes in order to get rid of excess water, the higher it is, the more drier the clothes will be when they are removed from the machine and will take less time to dry fully.

Spin speeds of 1000rpm (revolutions per minute) are quite common but can be as high as 1600rpm.

Most machines will do both the full spin speed and a half spin speed stated on the machine, but you can now get a variable spin speed mode so that you can select the appropriate speed for the fabric.

A slower speed is ideal for delicate items, as faster speeds would damage the material.

A faster spin speed may sound like an ideal thing but you need to consider if it is something that will be used often as faster spin speeds puts pressure on the machine and will make the machine less durable, so it may be worth having a slower speed.

A faster speed will also make your clothes more creased. But usually the machine has an anti-creasing function to reduce this from happening.

In Europe, all machines (and other appliances) must have an energy rating on them. The ratings range from an 'A' which is the best through to 'G' which is the worst rating.

Washing machines will use 3 letters.
The first letter represents the energy efficiency.
The second letter represents the wash performance.
The third letter represents the spin performance.
Therefore a AAA will have the best performance overall in energy, wash and spin.

It is rare that you will find a machine which has a 'G' rating these days as these have been phased out since the energy rating were introduced. A 'G' rating will consume alot of energy and will cost alot to run compared to a an 'A' rating.

Water and energy consumption is a factor which would certainly affect all those that are on a water meter in addtion to an electricity meter.

Water consumption is based on how many litres of water are consumed in a standard cotton wash cycle.

Energy consumption is measured by kilowatts per hour. If you were to multiply this figure with the how much you pay per kilowatt of energy in an hour, you'll be able to find out roughly how much it wil cost you to run the machine.

If you think the noise of a machine is going to be a problem, maybe its the way the house is built that it amplifies even the the most tiniest of noises, or you have a young family or even if you want to run your machine during economy rates during the night without waking up the household or the entire street, then this is something to consider.

It is measured in decibels, the higher the noise, the higher the decibels.

Most machines are cold fill only. It means that the machine will only heat up the amount of water that is needed for the wash.

With having both a cold and hot fill water supply, hot water cools down fairly quick and so when hot water eventually reaches your machine, it may not use the hot water as their is adequate water in the machine and will automatically go to waste and wont be as hot as it should be anyway.

As most people use biological powders, these contains enzymes which work best below 40 degree wash but any higher it will kill it and wont be effective in washing your clothes and so a cold fill would be better.

Having a cold fill, not only saves energy and money , but it also is more gentler on fabrics, helps stain removal (as hot water will fix a stain) and also will help your washing powder perform at its optimum giving you the best results for your laundry.

Some machines will have a timer on their machine, so you can set the machine to start washing at a particular time to take advantage of cheap rate electricity at overnight or even finish a wash at a set time.

Many machines have an indicator to show the status of the wash and what function its performing at any one point. Usually this is shown by the dial used to set the wash cycle, turning as it progresses.

More advanced washing machines will have a digital display.

An LED display will most likely display the wash status , the time remaining and time delay countdown.

An LCD display will display more features, typically these would be on the wash status, time delay countdown, time a wash will take prior to setting it go, the time remaining during a wash and being able to adjust the programmes time, spin and temperature to suit your needs.

All washing machines should have the following wash cycles. The majority of your clothes will fit into one of these wash cycles.

Cotton wash cycle - this is often called 'white wash' cycle and is the most rigorous of all the wash cycles. The temperature in this cycle can be adjusted to suit the fabric, typically these would be 30, 40, 60 and 95 degree Celsius.

Synthetics wash cycle - this is sometimes called 'easy care' wash and this gentler than the cotton wash cycle. Typical temperature is 30, 40 and 50 degrees Celsius. The spin is often reduced to prevent the garments from creasing too much.

Delicate wash cycle - this is like the synthetics wash cycle but even more gentler for washing silk, wool and other easily damaged fabrics. Often the garments are not spun fully as the spinning action will damage the fabric.

Wool wash cycles - this is similar to the delicate wash cycle but with a bit more water and a lot less action to prevent the garments from being stretched while it is being washed. Again the spin cycle is reduced to prevent further damage.

Apart from the basic wash programmes you can get specialised programmes which are often adjusted combinations of the basic programmes in one easy to use function. Often the same function is named differently between different manufacturers. It is always worthwhile taking a look to see if you really need these functions, as you don't want to pay extra for something that you wont use at all.

Handwash - for those garments which require handwash only, the machine is more gentler than actually doing a handwash yourself.

Silk wash - washes silk and other delicate items at a lower temperature to protect the fabric.

Light load/Half load function - for when you don't have a full load to wash, this saves time and money on using a full load function on a smaller wash size.

Refresh/Freshen up programme - gets rid of smells rather than stains by quickly rinsing and spinning the garment. Other more advanced machines use steam to refresh instead of water so that dry clean clothes can be put into the machine.

Sport wash - for all the dirty kits that are soiled in mud and body odour and need a much more intense wash.

Quick wash - for when time is premium and the clothes are lightly soiled, this is ideal if you are in a hurry, the quickest wash cycle can be as little as 15 minutes.

Dark wash - for all your dark clothes, prevents them from getting faded too quickly.

Sensitive wash - usually combined with an extra rinse so that all traces of detergent are removed from the clothes.

Extra rinsing -ideal for those that suffer from skin conditions. As machines use less water in a cycle it will also make the detergent less dilute in the machine and hence clothes will be washed in a stronger concentration of detergent and hence even when the 'normal' rinse has been done it can still be sensitive to many different types of skins; the extra rinse, can get rid of any traces of detergent on the clothes.

Anti crease - At the end of a cycle the machine will intermittently turn the drum to prevent your wash settling with creases, making it easier to iron.

Easy iron - this function helps reduce the creases in your washing making it easier to iron, it can be either by turning the drum intermittently at the end of the wash cycle like the anti crease function and or by reducing the spin speed on the machine (as a higher spin increases the amount of creases it produces in your clothes)

Prewash - for when you need an extra cycle prior to a wash cycle to help loosen up heavy soiled and stained clothes. Prewash can be done before any of the wash cycles.

Duvet cycle - this is sometimes called the 'bed and bath' cycle for washing large duvets and towels, ideal if you need to wash duvets frequently and saves money on dry cleaning bills.

Mixed fabric - this allows you to wash mixed fabrics together, an item of clothing may consist of more than one type of material on just one garment, eg a top may have lace on denim

Rinse hold - allows the garments to sit in the final clean rinse water prior to spinning. This is useful if you are not there to take the clothes out of the machine as soon as it's spun and will prevent creases from happening as the clothes are not spun out and left to settle with creases and fold in the machine.

Economy wash- reduces running costs by using less water, electricity and detergent by switching to a lower temperature like 30 degrees Celsius.

Here are even more features to consider and may be something that could be useful in your own lifestyle.

Sensor technology - has a sensor which measures the load size to calculate the required amount of detergent needed to wash the load optimally.

Fuzzy logic - this usually monitors the wash cycle and makes adjustments to give the best wash results reducing the time, energy and water/detergent consumed. It adjusts the amount of water required to do a wash and a rinse, adjusts the temperature and spin speeds, as well as the wash time.

Steam - some machines combine steam with water throughout a wash. Steam reduces the creases and also sterilises the laundry by reaching temperatures of up to 99degrees Celsius to give eliminate bacteria.

Silver nano technology - silver has natural antibacterial and antifungal properties and is often used to treat many medical conditions. Smaller particles of silver (or nano silver) have a very large surface area and thus its beneficial properties increases. When it comes into contact with bacteria or fungus, it will effectively kill off or inhibit its growth. During a wash cycle, billions of silver particles are released into the water killing off harmful bacteria and it also coats the clothes providing it with up to 30 days protection after the initial wash. Useful if you need to maintain a high level hygiene due to allergies.

Often a brand you are comfortable with, will give you confidence in their products, which is also a great place to start if you are not sure which machines to go for.
But as always, brands are constantly competing on price, materials are constantly changing, so in the past where machines were built to last a lifetime, nowadays it is not always the case. Although there are machines where you pay a fortune on, where at least you will know on normal usage will last a very long time (at least 20-25 years); it is best to use review sites just to see what other people who have bought and used the machine have thought about it.
If unsure, see reviews of the machine.

On a final note - i hope this guide helps you in choosing your new washing machine, anything which i may have unknowingly missed out, please let me know.

Thanks