Features to look out for...

Features to look out for

Door that opens outward 180 degrees.

It is not uncommon for washing machines these days to come fitted with a door that opens out 180 degrees. The reason you want this is so that you can easily load and unload your laundry from the WM. There are still manufacturers that make WM with doors that open 90 degrees out or less, the reason could be cost or technology, I do not know. However I discovered it is troublesome not so much when you have to load the clothing in but taking out the heavier wet clothing.

Variable Spin Speeds

As mentioned earlier, the higher the maximum spin speed the WM has, the better and usually more expensive the WM is. This notion is only partially true. Some of you may know that different clothing are cleaned optimally at different spin speeds.

For example, your regular shirts and t-shirts can be spun at higher speeds while more delicate items like expensive lingerie or curtains need a slower more delicate wash. The reason for wanting the laundry spun at a higher speed has already been discussed and it is for a cleaner wash and a drier result at the end of the dry cycle. Try to find WM that offers at least 3 variable spin speeds. For example, if you settle for one that has a maximum spin speed of 1000rpm, then its best if it has variable modes at 1000 for cotton, 800rpm for synthetic materials and 650rpm for delicate materials.

Delayed Start

Since you are already spending a small fortune on your washing machine, I would personally suggest you spend maybe a couple of hundreds more and get the delay start feature. This feature from what I learnt from the suppliers usually only appear in the higher end WM. Why you would want to spend more and get the delay start function is because when the laundry is washed and at the end of the cycle not hung up to dry soon, a lot of creasing occurs and the clothes start to smell bad. What this feature does is essentially provides a timer to allow the washing of your clothes to be triggered at a certain time of day.

For example, in the morning you wake up and dump the laundry into your WM and set the timer for 5pm in the day before heading off to work. At exactly 5pm, the WM will start the wash cycle and in about 2 hours time when you reach home, the washing would have been done with the clothes ready to be taken out for drying. This is where the delayed start feature comes in very handy, especially for working adults. WMs with delayed start feature are usually easy to recognise with a digital LCD screen. That said, always check with the sales person that the WM has that feature.

Hot and Cold Wash Functions

This is one extra feature that may be useful to have.
The reason for having hot, warm or cold washes is the following:

1. Hot wash mode (>54 degree celsius) is mainly for getting rid of the tough stains and dirt since higher temperatures allow for a cleaner wash. This is good for most of the linens and regular white clothings. One drawback however is that the clothing does not turn out looking as good, they may look creased, shrink and even fade colored cloths.
   
2. Warm wash (about 32 to 43 degree celsius) is just a step down from hot washes and a step up from cold wash. In fact it is exactly what the WM does, mix hot and cold water together to wash your laundry. This mode is typically present in most washing machines and is suitable for alot of laundry, providing adequate cleaning without much wrinkling, shrinkage or fading.
   
3. Cold Wash (15- 27 degree celsius) is used for delicate items, and also fast fade clothing. If the clothes to be washed are heavily soiled however, the washing duration should be longer and pre-wash treatment may be needed to remove the tougher stains.

Topics still to be covered in later posts... recommended brands for washing machines, some tips and tricks for doing your laundry, maintaining your WM so it serves you up to 10 years without going kaput!