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Washing Machines

The washing machine generally refers to a machine that applies water as the primary cleaning solution. There are other common cleaning methods such as dry cleaning. Electric washing machines have be available for purchase since the early 1900's, before this there have been many mechanical washing machines which used the same common rotating drum technique. Present day washing machines come in two popular design "top loading" (most popular in North America) and "front loading" (most popular in Europe).

Front Loader Top Loader

The two designs are not only cosmetic, they do use different processes to clean laundry. Tests have shown that front loading machines have in general washed laundry more thoroughly, the laundry has less wear and shrinkage, the machine uses less water (which means less detergent) and energy. This equates to a lot of benefits for front loading machines. But top loaders do have certain advantages over front loaders, they tend to wash faster, they are cheaper to buy, last longer because they do not suffer from front door seal problems and are easier to load and remove laundry from. The domestic washing machine can greatly range in price, with the gap varying from £150 to over £1000. The drum size and capacity is primarily a major consideration for a washing machines, alongside it's wash, energy and spin efficiency. In the UK most retailers provide efficiency grades running from A to E. The increased efficiency of wash, energy and spin usually translates into lowers running costs. An AAA rated machines denotes the best performance in all these efficiency ratings.