How to choose a washing machine correctly – 12 criteria

Thinking about buying a washing machine? Or the old automatic machine ordered to live long? We will tell you how to choose the right washing machine, so that later you do not regret wasted money, do not frantically look for a master and do not pay neighbors for damaged repairs.

• Loading side. Choosing – frontal or vertical? It will be difficult to install top-loading equipment in the kitchen, and such equipment will not become a convenient “shelf” in the bathroom – linen is loaded from above. The advantages of the “vertical” are space saving (width – about 45 cm), lack of a hatch, ease of use (no need to bend over and forgotten socks can be thrown into the machine during washing). Advantages of a front-loading machine: the ability to build into furniture, a choice of models with a load of up to 10 kg, a convenient “shelf”, a transparent hatch. Minus – large size (in the bulk).

• Capacity and maximum load in kg. If your family is two spouses or you live alone and for pleasure, then a car with a load of 3-4 kg is enough. For a more “dense” cell of society (about 4 people), the maximum load increases to 5-6 kg. Well, for a large family, you should immediately choose a car with a load of up to 8-10 kg.
• Spinning, washing, energy efficiency are the main criteria. Washing class: A and B – the most effective wash; C, D and E – less effective; F and G are the lowest efficiency level. Spin class (indicator of residual moisture of clothes after spinning): A – 40-45 percent, C – about 60 percent, D – even lower level, but stumbling upon such a machine today is an accident. Energy efficiency class (the efficiency of the technique, the higher the class, the less the machine “eats” electricity): A – the most economical (at 60 grams of water – about 1 kW / h), A + – even more economical (0.7-0.9 kWh).
• Spin speed. Usually it varies from 800 to 2000 (yes, there are such) revolutions. Which is better? The optimum spin speed is 1000 rpm. Machines with a higher spin speed will be 30-40 percent more expensive due to the high cost of parts, and you will not notice a significant difference in spin. And it is not recommended to spin the laundry at a speed higher than 1000 rpm – it will simply lose its appearance.
• Software. The norm for a modern machine is 15-20 washing programs with minor differences. Obligatory and most popular programs among housewives: wash silk, synthetics, delicate items, cotton, hand wash (for a light, gentle wash), wash baby clothes (with boiling), quick wash (30 minutes, for lightly soiled items), prewash (or soaking), processing linen with silver or steam (for disinfection). Mandatory: rinsing, selection of a cycle or selection of individual cycle elements (number of rinses, temperature, spin speed, etc.).
• Leakage protection – partial or complete. In cheap cars, partial protection is usually installed – special valves on the inlet hoses (if the hose is damaged, the water supply is interrupted) or the protection of the body from overflows (in this case, the water supply stops if the water in the tank rises above a certain level). With regard to complete protection against leaks, it represents the whole complex of protective measures.
• Tank and drum – material selection. Features of the plastic tank: good noise insulation, chemical inertness, very long service life. Features of a stainless steel tank: even longer service life (tens of years), noise.
• Auto-control of drum imbalance. How is the function useful? It allows you to extend the life of the equipment, to reduce the noise level. Action: when the linen is tangled in a tight ball, the machine itself “unravels” the clothes with the help of the drum movements.
• Foam control. It is also a useful function that allows the machine to “extinguish” the foam (by suspending the wash for a while) if the wrong choice / dosing of the powder.
• Noise level. The best option is not more than 70 dB when spinning and not more than 55 dB when washing.
• Protection from children. A function that is useful for every mom. With its help, the control panel is locked so that the curious little one cannot change the operation of the machine by accidentally pressing the buttons.
• Postpone start. This timer allows you to postpone the wash for the desired time. For example, at night (electricity is cheaper at night).

The issue of brand choice is individual – and, in fact, secondary. There are practically no cars with a categorically bad reputation on the market. And the main cost difference comes from design and brand.

Therefore, the first attention is on the functionality and parameters of the technique.