Washing Machines

Wanting a washing machine that isn’t going to look out of place or take up too much room? Then why not get an Integrated Washing Machine? It definitely won’t look out of place because no one will know it’s there! Perfectly hidden and made to look like just another cupboard in your kitchen, it’s not going to take up that much needed space.

I’m going to go through five top integrated washing machines if you’re on a budget.

First is the Baumatic 6KG Integrated Washing Machine – BWR1206. At a mere £299 you can’t afford not to buy it! With 15 wash programs including Delay start, digital countdown indicator, overflow protection, safety door lock, blocked filter indicator, failure detection system and aqua spray.

Baumatic Integrated

Second is the Hotpoint 6.5KG Integrated Washing Machine – BHWM129. This machine will only set you back £329. It has 16 individual washing programmes and a half load function. And you won’t need to worry about noise levels as it is only 55DB. It also has a cold fill water supply for class A efficiency.

Hotpoint Integrated

Third on the list is the Indesit 5.5KG Integrated Washing Machine – IWME126. At a very affordable £359 you can be sure that it won’t be burning a hole in your pocket. With its great awards with an A for washing, A+ in for energy efficiency and a B for spin speed you can’t loose with this great machine.

Indesit Integrated

Fourth in line is the Smeg 7KG Integrated Washing Machine – WMI12C7. At a respectable £398 this is reasonably cheap for a Smeg appliance! It features 15 different washing programmes including mix and superfast. It also has a child lock, delay timer and spin speed selection. Using only 47 Litres per load of washing you can be guaranteed to be saving pennies as most washers use on average 67 litres per wash cycle.

Smeg Integrated

And last but not least is the CDA 6KG Integrated Washing Machine – CI330IN. Coming in at only £439 you’ll still have money spare to play with. The CDA comes equipped with 15 washing programmes including delay timer, variable spin speed, quick wash, delicates wash, child lock, anti – crease function, extra rinse function and intensive wash programme.

CDA Integrated

So go on, be daring. Get out there and buy yourself an integrated washing machine to fit in your perfect homely kitchen. I can promise you won’t regret it. Happy shopping!

Buying a washing machine might seem like a pretty simple process; you just need a big white box to stick your clothes in, and have them come out clean. But if we take a close look, we can see there are more options out there.

Firstly, there’s the freestanding washing machine. As the name suggests, these washing machines are freestanding! They come in two sub-categories; top loading and front loading. For ease of use, front loading machines are by far the most popular type; they fit perfectly into kitchens and between workspaces, allowing clothes to be loaded easily through the front hatch. Top loading freestanding washing machines are more common in places like launderettes, where space adjacent from the machine is needed. You can get both semi and fully automatic washing machines, although the latter are naturally more expensive. But what to do with the wet clothes? Luckily most freestanding washing machines come with integrated dryers too, so you can wash and dry without taking your clothes out of the machine!

In opposition to the freestanding washing machine there’s the integrated washing machine. Again, as the name suggests, these washing machines are integrated. Because they’re often covered by a work surface above, they’re predominately front loading. This doesn’t cause any issues because integrated washing machines are permanent fixtures, so the space in front of them will be thought-out beforehand, and loading will be quick and easy. In terms of price, integrated washing machines tend to be more expensive than their freestanding counterparts. Integrated washing machines can also come equipped with dryers, and these are ideal for modern homes where space is at a premium. Instead of having two appliances taking up space, both are combined into one neat area!

So there you go – your choice may not be as simple as you first thought; you may need either a freestanding washing machine or an integrated washing machine – choose wisely!

Washing Machines, or washers, as they’re known to their friends, have been doing the rounds for years. As with anything that’s been around that long, it’s inevitable that they’ve picked up some dirty laundry along the way – we’re going to sort through it by looking at the history of the noble washing machine.

Since time began, people have washed their clothes. This, I am sure, is no surprise to you; even the Romans weren’t that keen on wandering round in mucky rags. Arguably, the very first washing machines were the rocks and boulders next to streams, on which animal fat was smeared and used as soap. As you can imagine, nobody really enjoyed rubbing and scrubbing their clothes up against rocks to get out the stains of last night’s tea, but it wasn’t until the 18^th century that someone actually decided to do something about it.

First to appear on the scene were simple washboards, which boasted A Class energy ratings (because they didn’t use any) but were still a bit of a pain to use. Following on from those though, in 1782 a presumably clean man called Henry Sidgier was issued with a British patent for a ‘rotating drum washer’ – or in other words, the first real washing machine. Round of applause for that man.

The next big step in washing machine technology was the introduction of electricity; always a good ingredient when you’re dealing with water. Electric washing machines were touted as early as 1904, and were soon put into production. They were essentially the same design as Sidgier’s machine, but, as the name suggests, were driven by electricity rather than someone’s arms.

Though they were electric, they weren’t automatic; that was the next big step in the washing machine world, followed by the notion of front loading. Basically then, everyone spent thousands of years doddling around in streams or up to their elbows in basins of water, until one man’s bright idea sparked a washing machine revolution. Nowadays, it’s more than likely you’ve got an integrated washing machine sat under your kitchen worktop and you haven’t given it a second thought! Which is probably fair enough. But what’s to come for washing machines in the future? Find out next time!