A Buyer’s Guide To Washing Machines

Put simply, a washing machine washes your clothes. But when you start looking into washing machines in more detail you will find that there are lots of varieties available for sale nowadays. In fact, you might find it more difficult to figure out which one you want for your family.

This Buyer’s Guide will help to simplify things for you. When you start looking on websites in search of the best washing machine for your needs, you will understand what the various features and benefits are. That makes the buying process so much easier – so let’s get started and see the different types of washing machines that are on the market today.

A selection of Washing Machines from our recommended retailers

What is an A++ Grade washing machine?

You will probably be aware that a lot of appliances are now labelled for efficiency. Washing machines are no different in this respect, although they aren’t just rated for overall efficiency.

When you go onto a website, look for the ratings for each machine. They will be listed for the efficiency of the spin, the ability to wash your clothes and the overall energy efficiency. An A++ rating is the best one you can get, but you might also see ratings that say A+ or just A. If you find a machine with the two plus signs, you know you have got the best one you can find.

Obviously energy efficiency is very important now because it means you will use less energy with every wash you do. Over the course of a year this can save you a lot of money on electricity and water. This is particularly good news if you are on a water meter. And it is great for the environment as well.

An efficient spin also has its benefits. The better the spin is, the drier your clothes will be when they come out of the machine. And in the winter, that means you won’t need to turn up the radiators to dry all your clothes in this manner!

Finally the better the machine is at washing your clothes the nicer they will be when they come out. Obviously some older washing machines aren’t as good as the modern ones when it comes to stain removal. If you buy an A++ rated washing machine with regard to the efficiency of the washing process, you will know you have the best one on the market.

Do washing machines have different spin speeds?

As you start to explore various washing machines you will see that some have higher spin speeds than others. Basically, the higher the spin speed is, the drier your clothes will be when they come out of the machine at the end of the wash. As the drum spins round it throws the water out of your clothes. The faster the spin, the more water comes out.

Lots of washing machines will have more than one spin speed, giving you more versatility depending on what type of clothes you are washing. But when you look at the details for each machine you will see that the top spin speed will be listed. This is stated in rpms, which stands for revolutions per minute. So you might see something like 1200rpm or 1400rpm for example.

What load capacity does the washing machine have?

The load capacity is particularly important, because it will determine how much you can wash at any one time. If you currently have a small washing machine with a 5kg load, you will have to do lots of washes to get through all the clothes.

But just imagine buying a 10kg load washing machine. Needless to say this cuts the number of washes you will need to do in half. A machine that has a bigger drum like this also tends to be more efficient when it comes to washing your clothes.

Modern washing machines are typically no bigger than standard sized ones when it comes to having a bigger drum either. Just make sure you double check the measurements of any washing machine you are considering buying if you want a bigger load capacity like this. The last thing you want is to take delivery of your new washing machine and find that it won’t fill the gap you have ready for it.

Looking for different programmes

Modern washing machines come with lots of different wash programmes as well. For example there will be programmes for silks and other programmes for cottons.

But it isn’t just different programmes for different clothes that you will find. There are also different programme lengths available. To give you an example, one washing machine on the market currently has a quick wash that is a mere fourteen minutes long! You could almost put the washing on, make a cup of tea and then hang it out straight afterwards!

Lots of machines also now have quick washes available for lighter loads that take a mere half to three quarters of an hour. The advantages of this are wonderful when you think of the energy you will save. How many times have you put off doing some washing until you had a full load? Or felt guilty for doing a small full wash because your washing machine doesn’t have the ability to do a shorter programme?

These modern washing machines take away that problem in one fell swoop. Always look to see what programmes are on offer with each machine you consider. The more programmes it has, the more freedom you will have to do the right amount and type of washing at a time that suits you.

Of course, you might have to spend a bit more money to get a washing machine with more programmes available, but the money is usually well worth spending.

What types of control panel are available?

The nature of the control panel will depend largely on the type of washing machine you buy. The cheaper models simply have a number of buttons or a dial (or a combination of both). They may also have lights to indicate whereabouts in the washing cycle you are.

As you go up the scale and spend a bit more money on a more advanced machine, you will notice that you will start seeing LCD panels on the front of the machine. These can obviously give you a lot more information, which is very useful for a number of reasons.

It will display the temperature of the wash and often the amount of time remaining until the load finishes. This is very useful as you will know exactly when it has finished, to let you empty out the washing and hang it up.

In short, if you buy a washing machine with a display panel of some kind, you will be able to find out much more about what your washing is doing and how much longer the cycle will take.

What types of advanced features are available?

As modern technology has advanced so have the features you will find on the typical washing machine. There was a time when a washing machine would use a set amount of water for each load, and that was that. There was also a more basic set of wash programmes than you will find now. And if your machine is quite old you will probably still be revelling at the thought of a fourteen minute quick wash!

So with that in mind let’s take a look and see what kind of advanced features you might expect to find on a modern washing machine. Bear in mind that different machines will vary, so always check the exact specifications for each model you are interested in.

Fuzzy logic

It’s a great name for a great feature, and most modern washing machines will have this now.

The idea is that the washing machine is now intelligent enough to know how much water and detergent the washing load needs to get the optimum performance out of it. This will save you a lot of money over time. Instead of using 100% of the available detergent and water during one wash cycle, it may evaluate that a particular load needs only 75% of that to get the best results.

It is definitely worthwhile opting for a new washing machine that has the Fuzzy Logic feature on it. This is probably one of the best new features that has become available in recent years.

Steam washing

All washing machines use water to process each load. Except that is for washing machines that have a steam function on them. These use steam to achieve a better end result. A small amount of water is still used, but clearly you will use a lot less when taking advantage of the steam washing function that comes with some machines. If you want to save water this machine will help you do it.

An added bonus of this feature is that you can say goodbye to any bacteria which could be living on your clothes. The steam function makes this a reality.

Built in or freestanding

All washing machines fall into one of two groups. The freestanding ones are designed to be pushed underneath the worktop, although you need to make sure they are front loading machines. You can get top loading ones as well which are designed more for use in a utility room.

Built in washing machines need to have a door fixed to the front. When this door is closed you won’t be able to tell that the washing machine is present in the kitchen at all. It will look just like a normal kitchen cabinet. The washing machine does not actually go into a cabinet itself though – if it did it might shake it to pieces!

What do you need for you and your family?

This is one of the most important questions of all when you are buying a new washing machine. You need to think about how often you currently do the washing, which programmes you would benefit from the most and whether your current machine lives up to your expectations or not.

For example, if you currently do a load of washing every day because you have a young family, you would certainly benefit from a machine which has a bigger load capacity. If you double the capacity of your current drum, you would only have to do a wash every other day instead.

Think about whether you sometimes have smaller loads you need to do as well. If this is the case a machine which has much faster programmes for lighter loads would certainly come in handy. And baby clothes benefit from having that steam wash function to get them truly clean and keep them more hygienic as well.

In conclusion

All of this information might be a little overwhelming to begin with. But as you start looking at the washing machines that are advertised for sale online today, you will start to see that there are different machines for different people. All you have to do is to figure out which benefits and features you would like the most, and then find the right washing machine that will work for you.

For example there wouldn’t be a lot of point buying a 10kg capacity machine if you live on your own. But to a large family it would be a godsend. Similarly you might have a lot of delicate fabrics that need washing on a frequent basis. Picking a machine that has various programmes for this would be ideal for you, whereas someone with a small baby would prefer the steam wash function.

In any event you can find great deals on all the available washing machines by looking through the websites included in our Shop Now section. These are the best online outlets for supplying the latest washing machines with up to the minute features on them.

Why not start looking now? You might be surprised by just how many choices there are out there.