The standard width space for a kitchen appliance has been 600 mm (60 cm) for many years. However, many people are stuck with kitchens not fitted to the proper European size and have spaces smaller than this. In the past it wasn’t so serious a problem because you could usually find a washing machine a few millimetres smaller but these days almost all free standing washing machines are at least 595mm (59.5 cm) wide.
I’ve come across a few smaller washing machines but unfortunately none have a full sized drum.
Zanussi do a small washing machine but it only has a 3Kg drum size instead of the standard 5Kg (or even 6Kg drum these days).
Zanussi Compact ZWC1300W small washing machine
Depth: 51.5cm (515mm)
Width: 49.5cm (495mm)
Height: 67cm (670mm)
Drum Capacity: (only) 3Kg
Search Washerhelp Affiliates for Zanussi Compact ZWC1300W
Another alternative is a Bosch WLX24162 which is a slimline front loading washing machine – the slimness is in depth here though, not width. I has a larger 4.5Kg drum capacity because it still uses 60 cm for width. 4.5Kg is the drum size all washing machines had around 20 years ago so although small, (the average size now is 6Kg) if we managed with them 20 years ago it’s possible to manage now if needs must. The measurements are -
Width 60 cm – (23 inch)
Height 84.7 cm – (33 inch)
Depth 44 cm – (17 inch)
This machine might be hard to find as 4.5Kg drums are not wanted by the majority of people so it’s likely to be a very slow mover and few are likely to stock it. If you need one I would contact Bosch themselves if you can’t find one on sale or ask if anyone can order one.
Reducing the height of a washing machine
If your washing machine won’t fit under the worktop simply because it’s too high you can reduce the height using a special height reduction kit supplied by most manufacturer’s, which involves removing the lid and replacing it with a flat one. However, you shouldn’t just remove the lid yourself as there are some safety issues to bear in mind as discussed in the link.
Hi,
The working services in our kitchen are bit too low for the ‘standard’ 85 cm high machines. I need a washing machine and dishwasher that a bit lower than this.
Can anyone recommend suitable ones?
Thanks.
Eric
Hi there,
I too need to find a washing machine that is approx 83cm high. I might get away with 83.8-84cm at a push, but ideally 83 down to 80 at the very lowest.
Can anyone help?
Thanks
Chantelle
I need a washing with measurements not greater than
h 85 cm
w 58 cm
Does anyone know of one?
There must be more people who need a slimmer washing machine than the current 60 cm width. the only one is the Zanussi 1300 that does not give much choice and is very expensive as no competition. I am sure there is the demand for it unfortunately the market is directed to high earners as it believes thats were there bread is buttered ! they may be making poor calculation…..
Hello Wainam: You are right in that there is a demand for smaller washing machines but it’s a very small demand (excuse the pun).
Zanussi presumably make enough money to keep making their compact washing machine because it is a small niche market and they can charge enough to keep making it. If they could sell 10 times as many they could sell it for less but lack of competition does also inevitably add to the price.
The smaller the market for any product the more expensive it will be because global manufacturers need to sell in vast quantities to create cheap products. Unfortunately the Zanussi compact washing machine is way too small for most people with its 3Kg drum. The Bosch compact I also mention has a better drum size but it’s still only 4.5kg which is very small these days and it’s only slimmer in depth – not width.
The problem is there’s so much to cram into a washing machine these days especially larger drum sizes so most manufacturers naturally use up the maximum width they can use which is 60cm. There are lots of people with only a 59cm or even 58cm gap but no where near enough to create a viable market for a washing machine of that reduced width. It’s a great shame that so many people appear to have this problem as 60cm has been the standard kitchen appliance width for as long as I can remember. Presumably some people will have extremely small kitchens but many have just got badly designed fitted kitchens.
Is a built in washing machine an option, which may be smaller?
Hi
Like Eric and Chantelle above I need a lower machine, maximum 81cm. Was there an answer to their queries? does any manufacturer have a make or model that would fit?
Thanks
Malcolm
Hello Malcolm. The only washing machines I’m aware of that are less than standard height are compact ones which are a foot or so lower but with very small drums. A height reduction kit can reduce the height of a washing machine if you only need a small height reduction.
Having one standard size washing one is really unsatisfactory because there is no such thing as a standard size household or a standard size kitchen.
Not everyone requires a large machine with a 7 kg drum – there are hundreds of thousands of one or two people households in this country. I don’t have enough clothes to only wash once a month and even then I doubt if I would fill the 7 kg drum. As a result my new machine is less efficient that the old one – it doesn’t even have a half load setting!!
There should be a washing machine available at a reasonable price (ie no more than the larger ones) to cater for smaller households with less space. There is a gap in the market for an enterprising manufacturer.
Hello Lena: Having a standard size is necessary so that all washing kitchen appliances will always fit in any kitchen. No matter how small a kitchen is, all spaces for appliances should be 60 x 60 cm. It’s a European standard and has been for many years.
Many kitchen people and presumably diy fitters knock several millimetres off – especially if there’s already an existing appliance that will fit but they are doing no favours because as soon as it needs replacing people find new ones wont fit and that’s a serious problem.Some even make the space only 2 or 3 mm too small but it’s enough to stop a standard appliance fitting there in future. Almost all washers and dishwashers are 60 cm wide or just the odd millimetre less.
I agree many kitchens are very much non standard, in fact my own is too small to fit a washing machine and a dishwasher in but if a kitchen fitter needs to shave a few millimetres off somewhere they should knock it off the cupboards not the appliance spaces.
7Kg drum washing machines are still no wider than 60 cm (600mm). They are just a bit deeper.
Take the lid off in 30 seconds job done!!
Hello Anonymous: That may help if it’s only height that’s the problem but there are some safety issues to bear in mind before doing it Reducing the height of a washing machine to fit under a worktop kit
I am looking for a washer dryer that is 59cm wide or less. My brother has recently moved house and had to give away a perfectly good washing machine that simply wouldn’t fit. A position that we were in also when we moved house.
Can you advise on his options.
Many Thanks
My mothers washer dryer is no longer working after 20 years. We now have a problem as her old one was only 56cmwide .has anyone else managed to find a small width washer/dryer or small width washing machine. She hasnt got the space for anything much bigger . would be grateful for any replies
Unfortunately, when in a similar position last year I could not find anything but the Zanussi Compact which is very expensive!!
I ended up by buying the new standard size and having the space adjusted, which was the cheaper option. The new one has a 7 kg drum which I almost never fill, so it is more expensive to run.
It is very sad that manufacturers simply don’t cater for single person households with small kitchens. They blame it on the EU, but the fact that Zanussi do a compact shows that they could bother if we all made more fuss.
My advice has always been if possible to grasp the nettle and get your kitchen modified or replaced so that there is space to fit a standard sized washing machine or other appliance. That way you will never have the problem again. Even if you find a washing machine to fit you have virtually no choice over its features, the quality, the aftersales service and no competition to keep prices down and when it packs in after potentially several years you have the problem all over again.
There are some people with this issue that do put off sorting it out and take the shorter term view when the best option is to sort it once and for all.
That’s an ideal solution of course – and there are many people where it’s simply not an option due to lack of money, or an extremely small kitchen you can’t do anything with – or maybe even because they are in rented accommodation or they feel they may not be in their house long enough to justify the expense.
For those people they have a very difficult dilemma as there just aren’t really washing machines that are much less than 600 mm and the few that are will be compact washing machines that are quite a bit slimmer with very small drums unsuitable for normal households.
I’m sure there will be thousands of people with this problem but it’s just not economically viable for most companies to produce a small machine for what is ultimately a very small minority of people. If they did, the lack of economies of scale would make them extremely expensive. Manufacturer’s usually need sales in the millions to be able to make money out of a washing machine.
Hi Guys,
I am looking for a washing machine to fit into a space 500mm wide. It is proving to be quite the mission to locate such appliance, any ideas??
Would really appreciate your feedback
Many thanks
Kitty
As far as I know the Zanussi Compact is the only one. I believe it would just fit. It is rather expensive though.
Yes Lena: It has very small sales due to its niche market so prices will inevitably be high.
This may be a dumb question, but………….
If a washing machine measurement states that it is 60cm depth, does this mean that all the piping and electrical wiring at the back will fit under a worktop of 60cm depth, or that it needs just that little bit extra space as well as the 60cm in order to fit?
Many thanks!
Hello Jim: I’ve answered your question in depth by creating a new article on Washerhelp – Washing machine depth specifications
i have the same problem looking for a small washing machine, as i live in flats i cannot expect my landlady to build an extension on the kitchen to fit a washing machine and there is no other space in my one person flat. just posting a note to get it out there and join the list of people in the same boat.
I’m in my own boat (ref to champayne). I live on a narrowboat with narrow spaces – 48cm wide kitchen cupboard. What about top loaders? Can you still buy them? And sizes?
Nice little pun timsincable :-)
You can still buy top loaders and check out sizes on comparison sites. You can also still buy twin tubs if you know where to look though I don’t know how good they are.