I have written this review based upon my own experience when I decided to buy a washing machine at my new house. I had already decided not to carry my old washing machine, that was purchased almost 10 years ago and was not happy with it. It was a top loading one so I got into this notion that Top loading machines are useless. So I was very clear that I would go in for a Front-loading one.
Disclaimer: What I am going to write is not in favour of any or against any particular Type or Brand of Washing Machine.
Come to think of it, washing machines have become more of a necessity than luxury. Being a high priced item, you would want to buy the best suitable for you and your family. When you decide to buy a washing machine, there are a few points to be kept in mind
Size of the Family
Age of the family members
Water supply in your house
Place where you would keep the machine/size of your house
Amount of time you can afford to spend on washing
Your physical capacity to take care of these chores
And Last but not the least your Budget
Smaller families would require a machine with lesser capacity but keep a small margin for guests/relatives
Age of the family members means smaller size of clothes for infants and children below five years of age. Elderly members could mean six yards saris to be accommodated in your machine (or even 9 yards sari in some cases) Second reason being that school going children would typically use three to four sets of clothes on a school going day!! All these could mean you need a machine with a bigger capacity though a small family.
Water Supply in your house has to be decent enough to run a front-loading machine (minimum of 2 hrs of continuous and steady supply). Both front -loading as well as top-loading - would work even if you had to pour water into them if your tap runs dry on those one off occasions. However, if it is a regular affair then top-loading is more convenient.
Place where you would keep your machine in the house and the size (carpet area) of your house is equally important. Ask anybody and the reply you would get - they need more storage space however big is the house !! If you have a defined area specially for washing machine, you may prefer to go in a for a front loading machine to utilise the space above the machine to make a cabinet or simply fix a few corners (usually glass ones) where you can keep your Washing Powder, Fabric Softener, etc. handy. Second reason is that your new washing machine may not fit into the place where it is supposed to be kept just because you did not measure that area of your house. One of my friends had to actually remove the Wash basin so that she could keep her machine in the provided space!!
A working woman would love to spend less and less time on daily chores to give more and more time for her favourite hobby and family after a hard day’s work. In such cases fully automatic machines (either front-loading or top loading ) are a real boon!! All you need to do is put in all the clothes, add washing powder, open the tap and you are assured that at the end of the cycle your clothes would be all washed and ready for hanging out to dry.
Physical capacity as a criteria is more applicable to Business/Working Women or elderly couples staying alone who have neither patience nor the enthu to first scrub the clothes and then pour this bucket full of clothes in the wash/rinse tub, remove from the rinse tub and put them all in the spin tub, then remove them from the spin tub for hanging them…. Huh … I am already tired just writing all this. Here again the Fully automatic machine comes to your rescue. Another factor would be your height. Don’t laugh… I really mean it. If you are short or just about average in height, some top-loading machines could test your patience while you try to remove all the clothes from the machine … they are too huge and deep inside. Front-loading machines could be considered in such cases
Last but not the least, your Budget, which is the most important deciding factor. I would say one should not go in for a bigger brand or a Front -loading just for the heck of it. If you have a maid who can take care of all your jobs you may want to go in for a semi-automatic machine. Remember… a penny saved is a penny earned!!
At the same time, if you are a senior citizen or a working/business woman then you may go in for a Fully automatic machine even if it means stretching your budget a little. Almost all Front-loading machines have common features such as Pre wash, preset wash programs, hot wash, child lock, etc. so you need to be meticulous while deciding on the Brand. You may get the same features in one less expensive lesser-known Brand than in another well-known Brand.
Being a working woman and having a toddler in the house, I preferred to go in for the Front-loading fully automatic washing machine. Its capacity is 4.5 Kg which is okay for a family of husband -wife - toddler. I wash our clothes once in two days and the load size is just perfect. It reminds me of the ad - Fill it Shut it Forget it. On a holiday, I put all the clothes in the machine for wash and by the time I am back from my weekly shopping, my clothes are done. No scrubbing of Cuffs and Collars required. Prewash program can be used for heavily soiled clothes.
Use your money wisely!! Happy spending!!