Advice and resources related to buying washing machines

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Updated February 2, 2017 First Published May 6, 2016

What’s the difference between drum sizes in washing machines?

All drum sizes are not equal

Before looking into different drum capacities, an important point is that you can’t necessarily assume that they are all the same. If you take a dozen washing machines with the same drum capacity you would think you could fit in exactly the same amount of laundry in them all. However, this isn’t necessarily the case. One manufacturer’s 7Kg drum may have a smaller or larger capacity than another’s. My understanding is that they don’t all use the exact same criteria for deciding drum sizes in washing machines.

The design of the drum paddles and the door glass can also impact how much laundry can fit inside. Manufacturers can employ professional packers and use specific items of laundry in order to physically fit as much laundry in as possible, but in a way that no ordinary user would.

6Kg drum capacity

6Kg drum capacity is now the smallest size drum capacity, but still quite large compared to historic drum sizes, which were 4 to 5 Kg for decades. 6 Kg may already be seen as too small for many people but it probably represents the optimum drum size. That is, it’s neither too big nor too small, and fewer (if any) compromises have to be made to accommodate it. Unless you have regular extra large loads of washing to do or specific large items that need washing occasionally it should be fine.

7Kg drum capacity

My first experience of a 7 kg drum capacity was with the now obsolete Dyson washing machine. The way that this drum was designed is very unique, and coupled with the fact that it had a very shallow door glass and quite small drum paddles I can safely say that you could not fit as much laundry inside a normal 7 kg drum as I could in this one. When I later tested a “normal” 7Kg drum from another manufacturer it just wasn’t as big – even though they are both sold as 7Kg capacities, which confirms my opening paragraph. I would think you would probably need at least an 8 kg drum to be on a par with the Dyson CR01 7Kg drum.

The photos below compare the 7 kg drum with a standard 5 kg drum. 5 kg drum capacities are what we all used for decades and have now been replaced by 6 kg drum as the new standard. So arguably this section is of limited use because it compares drum size that is actually larger than all other 7 kg drums as explained above with a drum size no longer available. However, there will be plenty of people still using old 5 kg drums, and it is an interesting look at how drum capacities have increased.

Duvet wash

The photos below show the results of trying to fit a duvet into an old 5Kg drum washing machine, which was pretty futile. The photo at the side of it shows the same duvet happily being washed inside the Dyson CR01 washing machine’s 7Kg drum. Remember that as described above, this Dyson drum was unique and despite being sold as 7Kg capacity it could definitely fit more laundry inside than any other 7Kg capacity drum I’ve seen since.

8Kg drum capacity

I reviewed a Samsung 8 kg drum capacity washing machine a few years back. 8 kg is pretty big. If you have a lot of washing and are able to wash very big loads it might be more economical to use such a large drum. However, don’t forget to check out my previous article for the pros and cons (washing machine drum sizes – pros & cons). Check out my photos below for an idea of how much laundry you might fit into an 8 kg drum.

8 Kg of laundry This photo shows a pile of laundry waiting to be hung out to dry after being washed in the 8kg drum whilst testing it. I can’t say whether or not this load represents the maximum that can be washed as I wasn’t concentrating on that aspect. However, I did fill the drum up reasonably well and managed to get quite a lot of laundry inside. It is safe to say we have never had such a large load in the laundry basket, and clearly these baskets were designed at a time when washing machine drums were considerably smaller.

8Kg of laundry on line The 8Kg drum capacity allows a lot of washing to be done in one load. This picture shows just one wash load of laundry and looks more like two loads. In the middle of the second line at the back of the picture is a rotary sock hanger with 32 socks hung up too, but it’s obscured on this photo.

Here is a list of the items washed in one load –

10 pairs of underwear
8 pairs of socks
2 pairs of trousers
3 t-shirts
2 cotton shirts
4 pairs of jeans
1 pair of shorts
1 (heavy) hoody top

Pros & cons of different drum sizes in washing machines

An accompanying article to this looks at the pros and cons of different drum sizes Washing machine drum sizes

Updated March 20, 2019 First Published May 6, 2016

Washing machine drum sizes

Washing machine drum sizes were the same for decades, but now we have several to choose from. You would think the biggest is the best, but not necessarily. Back in 1976 when I first started repairing washing machines, all the drums were about 4 ½ kg. By today’s standards they were painfully small.

What are the advantages for larger drum capacities?

The first obvious advantage is that you can fit some large items in the machine that you would otherwise be unable to wash. The biggest advantage is that you can wash a lot more laundry at a time, and reduce wear and tear on the machine as well as running costs. However, as described below, many people struggle to utilise a large drum capacity properly and therefore do not really save any money.

Why are there so many different sizes?

As with most products, manufacturers want to offer as many variations of their product as possible in order to have a big range and appeal to everyone’s wants and price range. This is true regardless of whether the different options they create are necessary or not. Large capacity washing machine drums can be inappropriate for some people as described below, but they’ve become very popular.

We definitely needed bigger drums

Someone eventually decided to have a go at making drum capacity bigger. To be fair it was a welcome move. They managed to get the size up to 5 Kg. A paltry but welcome increase with no downsides as far as I could see. Drum sizes remained at around 5Kg for many years after. At the end of the day there was no room for anything bigger really. But eventually someone managed to make one at 6Kg, which was another welcome increase with no real noticeable downsides.

Eventually they realised that not only could they charge more for a bigger drum but they could also even persuade people to upgrade to a bigger one. They slowly went up to 7Kg, 8Kg, 9Kg 10Kg and beyond. So bearing in mind there is very little room for making the actual washing machine much bigger – how did they do it and what are the down sides?

What are the disadvantages of bigger drums?

If you think about it, apart from depth, washing machines are still virtually the same size as they always were. They are only slightly bigger – yet some have greatly increased drums. This is achieved by increasing the size the main drum, which decreases the space for all other parts including the space between the outer drum and the sides of the cabinet. If there’s less room for the outer drum to move before hitting and dinting the cabinet then stopping the spinning of loads that even hint at being out of balance may be employed to compensate. This can mean problems with loads not spinning at all or not being spun at full speed (Washing machine won’t spin just one item or very small load)

Much bigger drums also need bigger doors and a bigger door glass. It is at least theoretically possible that larger door glass could be relevant in a safety issue where a slow but steady trickle of people are reporting that their door glass has exploded (Washing machine exploding door glass danger). Another potential disadvantage is that many people might assume or believe that they are more economical, but they can be less economical for many people as explained below.

Are bigger drums more economical?

A bigger drum requires more water, more detergent, and will presumably need slightly more energy to turn it. They only use less of anything over a given time period if the larger drum capacity has allowed you to do less loads. If you buy a large capacity drum but don’t increase your wash load you will more likely be wasting – not saving – money. Using a washing machine less times each week means less electricity, less water, less detergent and less wear and tear on the machine. If you don’t regularly use the extra capacity then you have paid a fair bit more for the washing machine just so that every so often you could wash something quite large. This may very well be perfectly acceptable of course. It just makes sense to properly utilise the drum capacity you have bought.

Do you need a large drum capacity?

I’ve read reports that the average wash load in the UK is only around 3 to 4 Kg – therefore it seems likely that a large drum capacity will be less economical to use for many – if not most – people. So if you have large items that you want to wash and think it is worth paying extra for a larger drum capacity and even potentially using more resources during normal wash loads then you may be happy to buy a washing machine with a big drum.

If on the other hand you are interested in a large drum capacity because you think it is more economical than just make sure that you are going to use that extra capacity on a regular basis. If you are not going to put a fair bit more laundry inside on most washes then it can’t really be economic. In such cases consider a more modest drum size such as 6 kg. At the end of the day it is probably better if everybody had larger drum capacities as long as they use the space.

How much extra washing can you fit into a large washing machine drum?

Check out my next article which looks in a little more depth at each of the most common drum capacity sizes and contains photos and descriptions of how much washing you can fit inside some of them – what’s the difference between drum sizes in washing machines?

Updated November 22, 2018 First Published December 11, 2015

Cold fill verses Hot fill washing machines

This is a rough and ready guide and summary of cold fill verses hot fill washing machines. In the early days all washing machines were hot and cold fill but now they are mostly cold fill only. I have a more in depth article on why washing machines are now only cold fill and the information below used to be part of that article. However, it was too large so I’ve placed this information on its own. For a full understanding of the issue make sure you read the previous article too.

Cold fill verses hot fill

If you use biological detergents, and do mostly 30 degrees or 40 degrees washes then you are the type of customer the washing machine manufacturers say will benefit from a cold fill washing machine. Biological detergents work best when cold water is slowly warmed up and the final wash water isn’t too hot
If you don’t use biological detergents, you may only see a marginal difference in wash results as a direct result of having no hot valve
If you regularly use boil wash, a cold fill washing machine will be subject to more wear and tear through longer wash cycles so a hot valve might be useful depending on your plumbing (see link in next item)
If you heat your water using solar energy or another environmentally friendly or economical way then a hot water valve could be useful if you can get a reasonable amount of hot water into the machine. However, as this article explains, that’s not easy these days – Do washing machines with a hot valve use much hot water?
If you decide that you want a washing machine with a hot water valve, but can only find it on one of the cheap washing machines (most decent to quality washing machines are cold fill now) then it could be a false economy. Any savings made on energy could be wiped out by extra repair and maintenance costs or by lack of longevity.
Overall, more energy is saved nationwide with cold fill only washing machines.

Summary

The subject is more complex than you’d think but most people shouldn’t worry about not having a hot water valve in their washing machine and most people may indeed be better off without one. Although the majority of people may (according to manufacturers) be better off with a cold fill only machine I can see many examples where washing machines would probably be better with a hot valve. Utilising an already hot supply of water can be cheaper and speed up some wash cycles. However, because modern washing machines use very little water and it takes so long for most people’s hot water to actually run hot it needs a sophisticated washing machine to utilise it properly in all the different circumstances at people's homes. At this present time manufacturers aren’t concerned about doing this.

Washing machines are currently designed for an average user with an assumed type of hot water system, washing with biological detergents on low temperature washes and they fail to accommodate any of the many thousands of users not falling into this category.

Currently there are so few washing machines with hot valves that it isn't worth picking one simply for a hot valve unless you do a lot of very hot washes and you know you can get hot water into the machine quickly (for example – a combination boiler with a very short pipework run to the washer). Even then it could easily be a case of swings and roundabouts in that the savings you make with the hot valve may be wiped out by having a lesser quality washing machine or through other missing features or economies due to your severe lack of choice.

Why not let the user choose?

It would be nice if washing machines went back to having hot and cold valves and had an option button where a user can inform the machine that they want to use the hot valve under the following circumstances –

When they are not using biological detergents
They are doing a maintenance boil wash
They are doing a normal hot wash at 60 – 90 degrees
They have a very cheap or environmentally friendly source of hot water and want to run the hot tap to draw hot water into the pipes before washing so that a reasonable amount goes in (for hot washes)
They use a combination boiler which supplies instant hot water at a pressure equal to the cold supply and they do hot washes
Their combination boiler is close to the washing machine and hardly suffers any loss of hot water through lack of pressure and cooling in the pipe work

Remember, if you wash with biological detergents and wash mostly at 40 degrees and your hot water is stored in a hot water cylinder in the airing cupboard you most probably don’t need a hot valve anyway. (Related advice: Washing machine smells – causes of grease, slime and black mould inside washing machines)

You can now buy a British made washing machine with a hot water valve. Ebac’s hot & cold fill washing machine uses, “Intelligent hot fill technology”. Ebac said my articles on hot and cold fill washing machines were excellent, and it appears they have now made one that isn’t just a dumb hot fill machine. It’s especially for people this article is aimed at who want to use their hot water. Check it out here Ebac – Intelligent Hot Fill Technology

Updated March 21, 2019 First Published July 2, 2014

Pros & Cons of washer dryer v separate

This article is a pros and cons summary for my more in depth article asking – washer-dryer or separate washing machine and dryer – which is the best? The contents of this article were originally squeezed into the side bar of the first article because it was too big to fit in the main section, but I’ve now moved it here to make it more prominent and easier to read.

The main advantages of using a combined washer dryer are –

Cheaper than buying separates
Takes up half the space

The main disadvantages of using a combined washer dryer are –

You have to remove laundry before allowing to tumble dry because they need different drum sizes for each task (see previous article washer-dryer or separate washing machine and dryer – which is the best? for details). Commonly washer dryers can only dry less than half what they can wash
They aren’t as efficient at tumble drying than a separate dryer plus they can’t dry as much on a cycle so drying takes longer. This may be better than nothing, but it will add a lot of wear and tear to the machine
The dryer may not be as energy efficient as a separate dryer
The dryer is unlikely to be as sophisticated as a dedicated dryer
You have to wait until a load has dried before being able to wash another load. Combine this with extra long wash times on modern washing machines and you could have your washer dryer running for 8 hours washing and drying a full load of sheets or towels

The main advantages of using separate washing machine and tumble dryer

Each appliance is a specialist in the task its required to do. Washing laundry and tumble drying laundry are very different jobs (see previous article for details)
The dryer section is likely to be more energy efficient and more sophisticated, as well as quicker
You can tumble dry and wash two separate loads at the same time

The main disadvantages of using separate washing machine and tumble dryer –

Costs more to buy two appliances
You may not have room for separates

If separates are so much better why bother with a washer-dryer?

If you don't have any room for a separate dryer, then a washer-dryer is far better than nothing at all. Many people are quite happy with their washer dryer. As long as you accept their limitations they are OK, but always buy a separate washing machine and tumble dryer if you can afford to – and you have the space of course.

A more in depth look

To see a more in depth look at this topic including whether a washer dryer is more, or less reliable than separates read my main article here – washer-dryer or separate washing machine and dryer – which is the best?

Updated March 21, 2019 First Published April 9, 2014

Washing machines to avoid

It’s hard to believe that anyone could make a washing machine these days that didn’t wash laundry properly. I can easily understand how they might make one that’s just poor quality and unreliable. But surely it’s very simple to make them at least wash laundry properly during their short life? It’s not rocket science, they just fill up with water, heat it, swish it around with detergent until clean – then rinse and spin. There can’t be anything remotely hard about that.

As a Which? affiliate and member I see a lot of their washing machine reviews. It’s surprising how they still find ones that they find so bad that they need to warn us NOT to buy it – Which? Don’t buy recommendations. Which? Best Buy awards are long established for many products, but they’ve sadly found a need for Don’t Buy awards too. The worst example I’ve seen is this month where they’ve awarded one washing machine a remarkably low 25% and said –

It’s the worst machine we’ve seen in years. It does a terrible job of cleaning cottons and the rinse is so awful you may find traces of detergent on your clothes afterwards ”

They also recently similarly dismissed another with only 30% marks (Best Buy’s typically get over 80%) saying –

The main cotton program removes around 30% less soiling than an equivalent Best Buy machine and the rinse is so poor… ”

Do some research

It’s clear that buying the wrong washing machine or any other white goods could be disastrous. Not only if it’s unreliable or doesn’t last long, but it might simply be rubbish at doing the job it’s supposed to do as well. Carrying out a fundamental core function reasonably well is an absolute must. If a product can’t do that then anyone dissatisfied with one should be entitled to their money back. It’s like buying a radio that can’t tune into radio stations properly, or an umbrella that can’t keep the rain off us. Needless to say, if you don’t want to buy something which independent experts have warned us not to buy – and that goes for all products and services – consider becoming a Which? member.

Update

Since writing this article I’ve seen another set of DON’T BUYS by Which? This time it’s 3 Washer Dryer’s that failed to function properly in their tests. One was “terrible” at cleaning cottons, another “did a poor job” at cleaning synthetics, and the other was found to be poor at rinsing synthetics. Don’t forget these “Don’t Buy” warnings cover all other appliances and many other products.

Which? Offer

I can’t publish specific model numbers and details because of copyright. But you can easily take advantage of the £1 offer (Why subscribe to Which?)

Updated March 21, 2019 First Published January 24, 2014

Are Samsung Ecobubble washing machines any good?

The short answer is that some models seem to be, but according to Which? at least one is not. Samsung have created a new technology for washing machines called EcoBubble, which they claim, “improves wash performance, reduces energy consumption and saves money”.

How does it work and what are the main claims? In plain language, they mix air bubbles in with the water and detergent which they say gets detergent into the fabric 40% faster allowing lower temperatures to achieve good results using 70% less energy (at 40 degrees).

It sounds impressive, and clearly any figures quoted will be provable in some way, but I’m always sceptical of percentages without context. So when I see percentages quoted like this I immediately think, 70% less energy than what? And what does the 70% equate to in actual money? We all know 70% is very impressive, but 70% of a pound is nothing to get giddy about. Potentially, the implication most people may take is that it uses 70% less energy than all other washing machines, but does it?

Comparing a Samsung 7kg ecobubble with a normal Bosh 7Kg washing machine

The Bosh claims to cost only £21 a year in energy to run. So being 70% cheaper than that makes it £6.30 a year – which can’t be right, no washing machine costs anywhere near as little as £6 a year to run. According to the specs on the Ecobubble 7Kg washing machine, it costs £25 a year to run – which is more! So 70% less energy consumption doesn’t look so impressive when I can already see a rival washing machine without the ecobubble which costs even less to run – and it was the first one I looked at. No doubt there are some tests which will back up the 70% claim but it clearly doesn’t equate to being 70% cheaper to run per se.

Also, what does 40% faster mean in real terms? 40% faster could mean just over half a second instead of 1 second for example, which isn’t remotely significant. The point is, percentage figures are meaningless without context but they are always used to impress in adverts, so be careful what you assume from impressive looking percentages.

The ecobubble washing machine I’m currently looking at does wash 10 minutes faster than the same Bosh WAE24490GB washing machine, which is quicker, but not significantly quicker to me. However, the ecobubble takes 20 minutes longer to wash on the Time Easy Care cycle than the Bosh, so it’s only faster under specific circumstances, or maybe on just a few programmes.

Putting aside the percentage claims

Out of the 5 ecobubble washing machines reviewed by Which? so far some of them are reportedly very good at cleaning but one model was found to be so poor at cleaning that they gave it a Don’t Buy icon. To be fair it’s probably an older model, possibly one of the first.

Ultimately most of the reviews say they wash well and relatively quickly, how much of that is down to the bubbles is unclear because many washing machines without ecobubble also have fantastic cleaning results and are Best Buys, so the bubbles aren’t necessarily some new discovery set to revolutionise washing machines.

Summary

It does seem that there is something in the bubble system. The best advice is to check out Which? reviews on any model you are interested in. I suspect the Ecobubble may mainly be useful at reducing wash times on low temperature washes so if you are into washing at really cool temperatures it is worth looking into, but choose your model carefully.

Samsung EcoBubble reviews

Which? have so far reviewed the following EcoBubble models –

WF80F5E5U4W Ecobubble
WF0704W7W Ecobubble
WF1124XAC Ecobubble

Read their reviews

Only Which? members can read the full reviews but non members can still get limited information including reading Which? member’s reviews. To read all the reviews plus get several more benefits you can take a trial membership out for just £1 – Check out Which? £1 offer

Advice and resources related to buying washing machines

What’s the difference between drum sizes in washing machines?

All drum sizes are not equal

6Kg drum capacity