Here I am to share them with you.
What to look out for when buying a washing machine?
We may all know that when you want to buy a computer or notebook, you would look out for how much RAM it has, what is the clock speed, how heavy it weighs (for notebook), which are the reliable brands to look out for. Well no surprise then when you find out that there are such things to look out for when buying a washing machine.
A) Capacity
This is one issue that you cannot run away from; you have to tackle it. You should buy a washing machine (hence forth to be known as WM) that suits your needs. There are WMs with different capacities out there from the small 3 Litres up to the large 10 or 11 Litres. Below is a simplified guide for the sizes and what is is appropriate for.
- 3-4 L - For small households with 2 or less persons.
- 6kg - For the average households of about 4 people.
- 7.5kg - Slightly larger and suitable for throwing in extra clothing such as jeans or blankets with the daily wash.
- 10kg - For large households.
B) RPM
Short for revolutions per minute, this refers to the fastest speed the drum turns while washing your clothing. WM spin speeds go anywhere from the slow 600rpm to the fast 1200 rpm or more. The general guide is the faster the spin speed, the better the ability of the WM to clean your clothes and the drier your clothes get during the dry cycle; of course the top speed you would want to spin your clothes at is subject to how delicate your wash is, but more about that in the later posts. As a rule of thumb, try to get something with at least 800rpm or more to get your clothes more effectively cleaned.
The higher the rpm, the more expensive the washing machine gets. A difference of 200rpm could mean around USD100.
C) Type of loading, Front Load or Top load
This is another very common thing to consider when buying a WM. Personally I would recommend the front loading type, and here's why.
Pros of a Front Load Washing Machine
- Saves water and uses less detergent. Front load WMs have been found to use about 2.5 times less water than top load WMs.
- Saves energy. Front loaders have been found to use up to 75% less energy than top loaders.
- Saves space. The top of front load WMs can usually be used to stack a dryer or additional storage space.
- Gentlier on clothing. There is less twisting and pulling of clothes in the front load WM because it has no central agitator. More usable space inside the drum. Without the centre agitator, there is more room inside the drum of a front load WM to squeeze in a few more pieces of clothing.
- The clothes also come out cleaner when using a front load WM because of the higher spin speeds.
- More expensive to buy one. (However, by using less water, less energy, less detergent and the clothes lasting longer, I thought this factor is not as crucial. Think of it as investing for the future.)
- Once the drum is filled and the cycle starts, you are not able to add more pieces of clothing into the Front load WM. For the top load WM you can easily open the top and toss in a few more pieces, while the wash cycle is in progress. (I do not foresee myself needing to throw in last minute pieces to wash very often so that's not a big issue.)
