by When you decide that your household needs a new washing machine, you must prepare yourself for a little bit of searching for two significant reasons. One, a washing machine usually represents a fairly big investment, and two, you are going to be stuck with whatever choice you make for close to a decade.
You will either be celebrating your choice once to thrice a week for the next 10 years or rueing your choice every time you run your washing machine over the next 10 years.
The point is not to bring home the best washing machine but the best washing machine for your needs. Brands shouldn’t necessarily drive your choice either. Whether you bring home a Bosch washing machine or a Whirlpool washing machine should matter less than whether its features and dimensions suit your requirements.
Here is a guide to making a smart selection while purchasing a new washing machine.
Check the dimensions and compare them to available space
Washing machines might look like they are all approximately the same size but height and width can differ greatly between models. What’s the point of owning the best washing machine if you have to move it around or move other things around every single time you need to use it?
Take a tape measure to the area designated for your washing machine and thereafter approach your purchase armed with the dimensions that work for you. You can immediately eliminate models from your wishlist if the dimensions do not work.
Choose long term savings over upfront savings
If you won’t do it for the environment, do it for your pocket. Environmental sustainability is also cost-effective, especially in the long run. When you purchase a more energy-efficient appliance, you make up for the additional amount you might have to shell out in the form of lower electricity bills.
Given the long product life of a washing machine, these savings can be enormous. You can evaluate a washing machine’s energy efficiency by looking for the yellow and red BEE sticker on the appliance itself. The best washing machines come with 5 stars. Avoid opting for models with less than 3 stars.
Select products with wash features you will actually use
Do not get swayed by numbers and brands outdoing each other. Go through the wash features instead of choosing simply on the basis of a number. What exactly are the wash features that come with the washing machine?
The monsoon feature might be extremely useful in almost all Indian cities but do you need the sari or curtain feature? Purchase a model that comes with the wash features that you will actually use.
RPM is a more important factor instead; consider it
Look for specifics like revolutions per minute (RPM) which tells you how fast the washing machine is capable of spinning. If possible, try and get a range rather than just one figure. A higher spin speed is optimal because it helps dry thicker materials faster and also gives such materials a sufficiently thorough cleaning.
But what about delicates? They need a lower RPM. Hence, you need to check for the range rather than just the upper limit which is usually cited upfront.
Load capacity is extremely vital
Depending on the size of your household and how many times the washing machine is run during a week, you need to choose a higher or lower wash capacity. Don’t get a higher wash capacity than you need (or are likely to need over the next 10 years) because you will be burning electricity and scaling up your bills for no good reason.
On the flip side, avoid going for a washing machine with too low a load capacity, because then you might find yourself utilizing the washing machine more often than you intended to. This also means escalated electricity bills (besides unnecessary extra work).
Consider your back and neck
People with neck problems tend to have a harder time lifting a laundry basket and tipping it over for clothes to be transferred into a top-loading washing machine. However, people with lower back problems or knee problems have a harder time bending and placing clothes into a front-loading washing machine.
Consider the back and neck issues of the family members who most frequently do the family’s laundry. If both sets of problems exist, it might make sense to go for the latest top-loading washing machine as the user can still transfer smaller amounts of laundry.
Add ons
Features like child-lock and an inbuilt dryer can be invaluable for families that could really use them. Look for these features if you have small, curious children or if you frequently have no time or no space to dry your laundry.
Get the best washing machine for your needs by comparing Bosch washing machines with washers from all the other top washing machine brands in India when you shop at the Bajaj Finserv EMI Store. You can pay for the purchase on No Cost EMIs by using the Bajaj Finserv EMI Network Card.
