A SOUTH AFRICAN BUYER’S GUIDE TO WASHING MACHINES
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If you’ve moved into your own place or you’re in the market for a new washing machine after your old one packed up, fear not, we have come up with a few tips to make sure that you buy the perfect washing machine that will suit your household's needs.
Living in the 21st century, you have the option to drop off your laundry at a laundromat, but in the long run, it will be cheaper to buy your own washing machine.
However, buying a washing machine is not as simple as just choosing any washing machine, paying at the till and you are sorted. You first need to consider more than just your budget, you need to consider your current household situation and a few other factors as well.
To help ensure you make the right choice when purchasing the ideal washing machine, here are a few tips to consider:
To help ensure you make the right choice when purchasing the ideal washing machine, here are a few tips to consider:
First things first: What type of washing machine would you like?
In case you didn’t know, there are mainly two types of washing machines that you can choose from, namely;
Front Load Washing Machine
When it comes to loading laundry, the washing is loaded in the front of the washing machine.
The average capacity of a front loader ranges from 7kg to 9kg, and they are ideal for smaller households. Plus, it is said that front-loaders use less detergent and they are gentler on your laundry.
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Top Load Washing Machine
When it comes to loading laundry into the top loader, you load your laundry from the top of the washing machine, which is a benefit, because you do not have to hurt your back by bending to put washing into the machine. In addition, it’s not easily accessible to toddlers.
Another benefit of top loaders is that they are cheaper than front loaders.
Another type of washing machine, which is not very common, but it is available on our website, is a washer dryer. These efficient space-saving laundry solutions combine the power of a washing machine and a sensor drying of a tumble dryer in one machine, so you can save on space.
Size up the area
When going to purchase a washing machine, it is important to keep in mind the size of the washing machine, because you don’t want to be stuck in a situation where you have bought a washing machine it does not fit through the doors of your house.
Luckily, on our website, you are able to see the dimensions of all the washing machines so that before you purchase, you can make sure the machine fits the requirement of your home.
The larger the capacity or load size, the wider the washing machine will be, we will go more in-depth on load sizes of a washing machine in the next segment.
Load size of washing machine
When purchasing a washing machine, you ideally only want to do washing once a week, so you need to take into consideration the number of people in your family.
The larger the load size, the less often you have to do washing, in other words, if you take a washing machine with a large capacity, you would only have to do washing once a week, or you can do it twice or thrice a month, in addition, you will be saving water and energy as well.
For example, if you are a family of four, you can purchase a 7-9kg which has enough space for washing your families weekly washing.
If you are living on your own, have a roommate, or are a newlywed couple who have just moved into their first house together, you can go for a 6kg washing machine, such as the Midea 6kg Front Loader Washing Machine, which will allow you to wash 4-6 outfits or 4-6 towels per cycle.
These typically start from around R4 000, depending on the brand and features.
These typically start from around R4 000, depending on the brand and features.
If you are a family of four or you are a parent of three, you should go for a 7-9kg washing machine, such as the AEG 8kg Front Loader Washing Machine, which will allow you to wash 7-8 outfits or 7-8 towels per cycle.
Prices generally range from R6 000 upwards, depending on capacity and specifications.
Prices generally range from R6 000 upwards, depending on capacity and specifications.
If you are a family of five, your parents or in-laws are living with you, or you often have guests over a period of time, you should go for a 9kg or more washing machine, such as the Defy 17kg Top Loader Washing Machine, which will allow you to wash more than 9 outfits or more than 9 towels per cycle.
You can expect to pay from approximately R8 000 and above.
Spin speed of washing machines
Your washing machine’s ‘spin speed’ is basically how many times the drum spins around in a minute. The speeds are given in rotations per minute or ‘rpm’, and most washing machines have spin speeds that will go from as little as 600rpm up to 1600rpm.
The faster the spin speed is, the drier the clothes will come out because the faster spin speed extracts more moisture, which is perfect for items such as your jeans, which take longer to get dry. But the faster the rpm the more water will be out of clothes and in addition, the more creases will be on your clothes.
Noise level
Most washing machines have a noise output that ranges from 45dbA to 61dBa during the wash cycle and it is higher during the spin cycle, especially if you have guests over or you don’t want to wake up the rest of your household. Take for instance this Bosch 9kg Front Loader Washing Machine WAT2848XZA with a noise level of 49 dBA for washing and 75dBA for spinning.
Take note: The faster a washing machine’s spin speed, the more the washer will vibrate and the noisier it will sound during the spin cycle
Energy efficiency and water saving washing machine
With global warming and climate change which our country is facing in the 21st century, we need to do our bit to save energy, reduce energy consumption and water where we can.
Ideally, you would want to buy a washing with an A+++ rating but they can be quite pricey so an alternative is one with an A++ or A+ rating which is less pricey and is still energy efficient too. Energy efficiency rating is displayed on the washing machine, take note of this when you purchase your new washing machine.
When it comes to saving water, you would ideally want to purchase a washing machine which has a low water consumption, but there are washing machines such as the Grundig 9kg Front Loader Washing Machine GW7P682210W which has an automatic water adjustment and emergency water drain hose as well.
Features such as the intelligent detergent dispensing system (i-Dos system), in the Siemens White 10kg Front Loader Washing Machine WG56B2A0ZA, will dispense detergent based on the fabric type, degree of soiling, and water hardness
The future of washing machines is here
Whether we want to admit it or not, we are in the 21st century, and we are slowly moving into a phase where everything can be operated in the palm of our hand. There are a few of our Samsung machines which allow you to operate and monitor your washing machine with a mobile app, which can easily be installed on our Android device, such as the Samsung Bespoke 12kg Front Loader WW12BB944DGBFA.
Bosch has also developed washing machines such as the Bosch 10kg Front Loader Washing Machine WGK254ZXZA, which is equipped with Smart technology that allows it to interact with smartphones via the Home Connect app.
Bosch has also developed washing machines such as the Bosch 10kg Front Loader Washing Machine WGK254ZXZA, which is equipped with Smart technology that allows it to interact with smartphones via the Home Connect app.
So, as you can see, buying a washing machine might not be as easy as you thought but with this buyer’s guide, we are hoping it will help you to make a great decision on what washing machine you should buy. If you are looking at purchasing a Tumble Dryer, kindly refer to our blog on purchasing a tumble dryer for some helpful tips.
Happy shopping!
Happy shopping!