Washing machine buying checklist
Open a section, slide each feature to what you want, and print your own washing machine wish list at the end.
Semi-automatic needs you to move clothes from the wash tub to the spin tub. Fully automatic does everything, and comes as top load or front load.
Loads from the top, so no bending. Quicker cycles, but uses more water than front load.
The most dry clothes, in kg, the drum takes in one load. Match it to your household rather than buying the biggest.
Roughly how many people each size suits, washing every day or two.
The common family size. Fine for regular loads and a few bedsheets.
The inner tub that holds and spins your clothes. Steel lasts longer and stays cleaner, and a textured pattern is gentler on fabric.
Resists rust and stains, and is easier to keep clean.
A washer dryer also dries clothes with hot air. Handy in the monsoon or in small flats with no space to hang clothes.
Spin, then hang to dry. Simpler and uses less power.
How fast the drum spins at the end, in RPM (turns per minute). Faster spinning squeezes out more water, so clothes dry sooner.
Clothes come out damp
A rough idea of how damp clothes are when the wash ends.
Clothes come out damp and dry on a line in a few hours.
Preset cycles for different fabrics and dirt levels. Most people use only a few, so check the useful ones are there.
Adds cottons, synthetics, wool, bedding and tub clean.
Heats the water for warm or hot washes. Warm water lifts oil and sweat stains and helps detergent dissolve in winter.
Warm and hot cycles for stains, towels and bedding. Standard on most front loads.
A very hot or steam cycle that kills most germs and dust mites. Useful for baby clothes, allergies and bedding.
Normal cycles only. Fine for most homes.
Much of India gets hard water, full of salts that leave scale, stiffen clothes and waste detergent. Some machines help with this.
A cycle that cleans the drum and helps keep scale and smells away.
Older universal motors run at fixed speeds through a belt. Inverter motors change speed to suit the load, so they use less power and run quieter.
Also called BLDC. Changes speed to the load, so it is quieter and lighter on power.
The Bureau of Energy Efficiency label. More stars means less electricity per wash. The label also shows the years it is valid for.
Uses noticeably less per wash
A rough idea. Compare the energy figure printed on each label.
A sensible middle for daily washing.
Machines with load sensing weigh the clothes and add only the water needed. Front loads use the least water of all.
Water matched to the load
A rough comparison of water saved per load.
Weighs the load and adds water to match.
How loud the machine is, especially during the spin. It matters in small flats or if the machine sits near a bedroom.
Quieter washing and spinning, thanks to an inverter motor.
Power in many Indian homes dips and spikes. Good protection stops the machine safely instead of damaging its circuit board.
Keeps working through common dips and spikes. Check the range in the manual.
If the power goes off mid-wash, the machine remembers where it stopped and carries on when power returns.
Picks up from where it stopped. Important where cuts are common.
A child lock stops little hands changing settings mid-wash. A rat guard covers the base so rodents cannot chew the wires.
Locks the buttons too, so nobody can change a cycle midway.
The motor is the costliest part to replace. Many inverter machines have a long warranty on the motor alone, on top of the main warranty.
Common on inverter models.
Wi-Fi lets you start, pause or check a wash from your phone. Useful for some people, but the basics matter more.
Nothing to set up and nothing extra to go wrong.
Your wish list
WASHING MACHINE WISH LIST
by TechPP Insights
Your next washing machine should have these minimum features
Your picks will print here.
Scan to make your own wish list
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Choose at least one spec to print your wish list.
Down to two models? See them side by side or plan your fridge too
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