Washing machine help!

leandygandy

Background : we are a family of three (mum, dad, two year old) with a new baby due in February. Moving house in ten days and need a new washing machine. I've looked online and am a bit confused about the difference between a 5kg machine and a 9kg one in real terms. We do about five washloads a week (bedding/towels alternate weeks, whites, darks, colours, reds/pinks)

What I'd like to know -

Who are you?
How many in your household and how many washes a week do you do?

About your machine
What model/drum size do you have?
How long is a 40 degree wash cycle?
Would you recommend it?

I don't want to spend a fortune but would prefer to buy one that is right for us than buy a cheap one. Similarly, I'll not buy a 9kg if a 7kg will do.

Thanks in advance!

Kynthia

I don't know I'm afraid, but one thing that would seem relevant is would you do less washes a week if more fit in the drum each time? Or are each of these washes separate because of the type of contents require separate functions or just need separating to prevent colour mixing? One thing I have heard is that a bigger drum makes it easier to wash your own duvets and pillows, which is great for getting rid of mites and allergens.


I personally use a colour catcher in each wash so that all non-whites go in together. However I also have to do a regular 60 degree wash as hubbie's cycling clothes don't get clean at 40 degrees. Then towels and bedding as and when (there's only two of us for now). However with a baby on the way I imagine things will change but I don't know what machine will suit our future needs.

ciderwithrosie_2

I've got a 6kg Indesit 1400 rpm spin at the moment and it was a hasty purchase (all I could afford at the time) as our old one had broken down. I wanted an Indesit as that's the make of the last one and my cooker, and they're reliable, I just wish I'd been able to afford a larger drum.

We're a family of five adults and I do about 12 loads a week - including work uniforms and son's team football shirts.

40 degree basic wash takes 90 mins, there is a 15 min express wash but it only spins slowly so needs to be done again.

If you get a larger one you can wash your quilt in it and be able to do all your towels at once, I can only get about 4 in mine at a time. Think how much time you'll save loading and unloading it, especially with a toddler and a new baby. Maybe look for one that's got a half load option as well though.

Mazzarati2000

There are 2, soon to be 3 of us (due Jan), and ours is aa+ rated with a 1600 spin (godsend as saves lots of time drying), and an 8kg drum. It has a 15 min freshen up wash, (which was perfect for many of my office clothes that never really got smelly or dirty). It has a 12 hour delay function, so we can set it to run after the dishwasher, or finish just before we get home ( perfect for anything that benefits from going straight in the dryer, though these days I don't need to use the dryer very often at all. It also has a display that displays the programme time before you start, and counts down to the end. It wasn't the cheapest option, but was mid-range price wise and I couldn't be happier with it after almost 2 years.

Eta: Indesit here too. About 5 -6 loads a week, but one is dedicated to DH's overalls, and another to his work clothes. . Our duvet is super king size,, and in two sections, a 3 tog and a 9 tog that clip together to make a 12 for winter, with the separate options in between, and I think I could get each section in a load on it's own, not together though.

leandygandy

Thanks all. It's good to see Indesit being bought up as that's the brand I would generally sway towards, as I know my mum always had them.

Mazzerati, don't suppose you know the model number of yours do you? It sounds like it has all the features I'm looking for!

leandygandy

Oh and Kynthia - these are separate full washes! Husband wears a shirt for work each day which is either white or blue, so there's a big chunk of each load before I've even started...and with another little washing generator due to arrive shortly I'm not anticipating any letup in the amount that needs doing lol

Mazzarati2000

I'll check and update shortly.

Sorry about the continuous prose in my last post! - it was late ;-) . Iirc we ordered the 7kg version at the time as it fitted our budget best, but was oos, so they delivered the 8kg version instead.

Mil bought one of the same range 6 months later, on our recommendation, and I believe she may have ended up with the 9kg version for a little less than we paid. For the record she loves hers too. :-)

roddydogs

How on earth do you dry 9KG of washing in the winter? far too much to hang up indoors.

ciderwithrosie_2

roddydogs wrote: »

How on earth do you dry 9KG of washing in the winter? far too much to hang up indoors.

Generating around 12 loads a week, I couldn't manage without my tumble dryer. Stuff that can't be tumbled gets put on the airer or on coathangers on the radiators. Bit like a launderette at times!! I definitely need to invest in a dehumidifier.

leandygandy

roddydogs wrote: »

How on earth do you dry 9KG of washing in the winter? far too much to hang up indoors.

It'll be a combination of airing cupboard, airer and tumble drier I should imagine? Unfortunately things still need washing in the winter, and I'll probably just deal with a couple of days a week where the house looks like a laundrette rather than have it hanging around all the time.

Things like hubby's work shirts would only need 20mins in a tumbler so shouldn't use too much energy to dry, ok towels and sheets would require a longer tumble but again once a week shouldn't break the bank. Socks, tshirts, babygrows etc don't take up much space and would dry fairly quickly in an airing cupboard.

And when the summer comes along it can all go in the garden on my washing line (having lived in a flat I'm very excited at the prospect of this, I'm such a saddo!)

Gillyx

Family of 3 adults, 1 toddler here. 12-14 loads a week. Generally 2 towel washes, 2 nappy washes, 1 bedding wash, 1 hand wash/wool cycle a week and then another 1 wash a day alternating white and darks.

We have a 7kg hotpoint ATM, but when we need a new one I'm going for a 9kg Samsung Ecobubble.