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How to choose a good washing machine in India

There are so many good brands of washing machines being made in India, that it has become difficult to select a good washing machine to buy for a home in India. Apart from the brand of washing machine, you have to also decide on what type of washing machine to buy in India. We will help you to choose the best washing machine for your needs by explaining about the most important features of a Washing Machine to look for when buying a washing machine in India.

Best automatic washing machine brand in India

The first thing when buying a washing maching in India is to consider which brand of washing machine to buy in India. The best Washing machines companies in the world like Bosch, Haier, LG, Samsung, Siemens and Whirlpool are now making their washing machines in India. There are also very reliable original Indian washing machine Companies like IFB and Videocon.

The washing machines available in India are all good and reliable. The choice of the brand of washing machine to buy in India should be based on the service facility for that brand of washing machine near your house. There are no problems of washing machine service facilities of all brands in major cities of India, but if you are living in villages and remote areas, then service facility of the brand of washing machine to buy should be a major consideration.

What to look for when buying a washing machine in India

Everyone usually wants to know which type of washing machine is best in India? But the real question you must ask yourself is not which type of washing machine is best in India, but which type of washing machine is best for me: Front Loading, Top Loading, TwinTub or Fully Automatic? For this, the first thing is to understand the advantages and disadvantages of different types of washing machines available in India. Then to decide which is the best washing machine brand in India most suitable for my requirements.

How to buy a washing machine in India

To decide on which washing machine is best to buy in India, these are some of the most important things to look for in a washing machine in India.

Here is a list of what to look for in a washing machine in India

Best washing machine top or front loader in India

The main difference between a front loading and a top loading washing machine is the way the clothes are loaded in the washing machine. As the name suggests, top loader washing machines have clothes for washing loaded from the top and for the front loader washing machine the clothes are loaded from the front.

Generally it is considered that the front loader washing machines are gentler on the clothes and washes much better than the top loading washing machine. The biggest disadvantage of the top loading washing machine is that the clothes gets worn out due to the constant rubbing against the central turbine blade of top loading washing machines, which rotates in one direction and swiftly changes direction of rotation to the other way. The clothes also tend to get tangled with each other in a top loading washing machine.

The front loading machine has a big drum and the clothes tumble, that is gets lifted up and then dropped for a cleaning action very similar to hand washing. Thus a front loading washing machine is very gentle on the clothes and so the clothes tend to last longer. The front loading washing machine is also better since it spins at high speeds during the drying cycles and the clothes come out with much less water, and so clothes dry much faster.

Other advantages of the front loading washing machine are that it uses less water and detergent. Unlike top loading washing machine which must have its water level to be on top of the highest level of the clothes, a front loading washing machine just needs enough water to come up to a few inches above the lower level of the front loading drum and the clothes gets lifted up and dropped back into the water when the drum rotates. Finally the front loading washing machine is much quieter and does not make as much noise as a top loading washing machine.

The only disadvantage of the front loading washing machine is that it is usually more expensive than a top loading washing machine.

Automatic vs manual washing machines

In front loading washing machine you can only get a fully automatic version of the washing machine. The higher end front loader washing machines have more programs with different temperature settings and spin speeds. The price of the front loading washing machine is also very much dependent on the maximum spin speed of the washing machine.

Manual washing machines are only available in the top loading models. The manual models have two tubs. You wash in one tub, transfer the clothes manually from the washing tub to the drying tub. Since the spin drier in these manual machines are thin, not enough centrifugal forces are created to drive out the water from the clothes, even though the spin drying tub of the manual top loading washing machine runs at quite high speeds.

Capacity of washing machines in India

The capacity of a washing machine is based on the maximum weight of clothes that can be be washed. The load of a washing machine is expressed as a unit of weight like 6 Kg washing machine or 8 Kg washing machine. These weights are the weights of clothes when dry. In front loading washing machines if you put only one or two pieces of clothing or a heavy item like a pair of jeans, then the front loader washing machine will have an unbalanced load and will start to violently vibrate and literally starts shaking and moving when it starts its high speed rinse and drying cycles. Most modern front loading washing machines have sensors to detect these violent vibrations and cuts the high speed rotations of the washing machine.

Spin speed of a washing machine, higher speed faster drying

The spin drying of clothes in a washing machine depends on the centrifugal forces created when the wet clothes are rotated at high speeds. The efficiency of the spin drier in a washing machine depends on both peripheral speed of the clothes and the peripheral or tangential speed of the clothes depend both on the speed of rotation and the diameter of the drum. In the front loading washing machines, since the axis of rotation is in the horizontal plane, the gravitational forces help in distributing the clothes evenly on the whole surface of the horizontal drum. In a top loading washing machine since the drum is in a vertical position, the clothes are always at the bottom of the drum due to gravity, and so it is difficult, if not impossible, for the top loading washing machine to distribute the clothes evenly over the surface of the drum during the spin cycles. So a front loading washing machine gives much better results when spin drying clothes and the clothes come out almost dried and can ironed immediately.

One problem in the old days of high speed spin drying was that the clothes used to come out of the washing machine in a highly crumpled state. But now with computer controlled speed settings, crumpled clothes out of the high speed spinning washing machines are a thing of the past.

Cost of washing machines in India

Before buying a washing machine, it is a good idea to go to the online stores like Flipkart and Chroma, to browse about the price of the various models of washing machine and have rough idea of the washing machine you want to buy. Then you should go to the show rooms and actually see the washing machine and talk to the sales persons. One thing you have to be careful about when listening to the showroom sales personnel. Remember they will try to promote washing machines on which they get maximum commissions or profits. So do not blindly believe what the sales person says. Take your time to buy the washing machine, google the brand and model number of the washing machine you plan to buy and see what comes up. You will find a lot of opinions from several people and you will get a general idea.

Washing machine cost of running

The cost of running a washing machine, apart from the special soap detergents, fabric softeners and bleaches, is the cost of water and electricity consumed by a washing machine. The water consumed by a washing machine is about 25 to 35 liters of water for a wash load of 6Kg. The main cost of running a washing machine is the electric power energy cost. The electrical power consumed by a washing machine manly depends on the temperature setting of the washing machine wash cycle. To heat the water in a washing machine is the major source of power consumption in a washing machine.

The main reason to keep higher washing cycle temperatures is to get a better wash. The latest soap detergents for washing machines are designed to give a very good wash at a low temperature of 40 degrees centigrade (40°C). So to save electric energy costs in a washing machine make sure the wash cycle is set at 40°C and a low temperature washing machine soap detergent is used. Usually the front loading washing machine power consumption is the lowest of all types of washing machines.

The average power consumption of a regualr washing machine load of 6Kg with a wash cycle set at 40°C is less than one unit of electriciy in India.

Tips on how to use automatic washing machine

One of the best sites for advice on the best way to use a washing machine is provided by Hindustan Lever, the famous soap manufacturers on their Surf-Excel website

Washing machine and dryer combo in India

A Washing machine and Dryer Combo in India is a fully automatic washing machine with built-in dryer in one machine. This means that the washing machine and dryer is in one machine and thus saves space of have two separate machines for washing and drying clothes in India.

Pros and Cons of Combo Washing machine and Dryer in one machine

The advantages and disadvantages of washing machine and dryer combo in India can be summarised as follows:

The main advantage is that you can simply put the clothes for washing into the washing machine dryer Combo machine, add detergent soap, select the wash cycle needed and also select the drying option and finally press the start button. After a few hours your clothes are automatically washed and dried in the machine in a single operation. So like magic the dirty clothes go into the machine and come out clean and dry.

You do not have to pull out the wet clothes like from an ordinary automatic washing machine and put it to dry on clothes line or worry about rains and high humidity, when clothes do not dry for days and starts smelling. The clothes from a fully automatic combo washing machine plus dryer comes out fully dried and without being crumbled.

These new Washing machine Dryer Combo models in India use Condensation Drying. This means that there is no need for an exhaust hot air tubing like in normal dryers. Condensation drying uses hot air through the clothes and it goes through a condenser cooled by outside air. The water which evaporates from the clothes is condensed into a liquid in the condenser of the dryer and the condensed water goes into the drain. Being sort of a closed circuit system, the condenser dryer does not increase the humidity in the room and any increase in the temparture of the surrounding air will be negligable.

The disadvantage of the Washing machine Dryer Combo Machine in India is that it is very expensive. The other main disadvantage of the Washing machine Dryer Combo Machine in India is that it consumes more electricity, about 3 units of electricity per full load wash and dry cycle.

Washing machine Dryer combo electric power cost

We will take the case of the power consumption of the LG F14A8RDS29 fully automatic front loading Washer Dryer Combo with a capacity of 9 Kg wash load and 6Kg drying. On an average the LG F14A8RDS29 Washer Dryer Combo will consume about 3 KW-hours or 3 units of electricity per wash load of 6Kg all the way from washing to full drying. So for a month this washer dryer combo machine electric usage will be about 90 Units of electricity, if the Combo Washer Dryer Machine is used daily with a 6Kg load. Assuming an electricity cost of Rs.5- per unit, the cost of electricity for an average Washer Dryer Combo Machine in India will be about Rs.15- per wash load and about Rs.450- per month if used daily with full loads.

Best combo washing machine with dryer in India

The best combo washing machine with dryer in India right now is the LG F14A8RDS29 Fully-automatic Front-loading Washing Machine which has a capacity of 9 Kg for wash and 6Kg for condensation drying. The list price is Rs.86,890-.

The online price of this LG combo washing machine is about Rs.70,000-. For the cheapest deals check price on the website of the leading online seller of washing machines in India LG F14A8RDS29 Fully automatic Combo Washer Dryer on Amazon.in

Best brand for washing machine in India

We give below names of the best washing machine companies in India. All these best brands for washing machine in India are well known in India and are reliabile washing machine brands with good service availability all over India. Clicking on any of the brand name below will take you directly to the website of that best washing machine company in India.

You can see all the washing machine models available from these best brand Indian Washing machine companies on the Amazon.in washing Machines website with price..

On the Amazon.in website you will be able to see the most popular models of front loading washing machines in India with their best discounted prices. Even if you do not plan to buy washing machines online from Amazon.in, it is a good idea to see the specs and prices of all the wahsing machines listed on the Amazon.in web-pages. This will give you an idea of the models and prices of washing machines. With this knowledge you can try to get the same washing machine at a cheaper price from your local shops. If you cannot find, then buy from Amazon with confidence.

Advantage of Online buying of Home Appliances

Whatever Home Appliance you plan to buy, it is best to first do an online research about all available types and models on the leading online retailers in India, namely Amazon, Flipkart and Snapdeal. The advantage of first doing an online research about products you plan to buy is that you get to see all the available models of the product and you get to compare prices online. After this you can go around to the showrooms and do window shopping.

You should then decide to buy from the cheapest and most reliable source. When buying online, you can be sure that you will not get fake products and you are assured of after sales service. This is because the giant on-line retailers arrange for delivery to your house directly through the manufacturers of the product. Due to the high volume of business from the big online retailers, all manufacturers will make sure that any delivery on behalf of the big online retailers are of the best quality and that after sales service is provided on a priority basis.

If ever you have any problems, then you can go back to these online retailers and complain. All of these big online sellers have a reputation to keep and they always make sure that all complaints are promptly solved.

Advantage of buying AC, Fridge, Washing Machine, etc. online

Buying online fridges, washing machines, dishwashers and other major kitchen appliances is now the better option in India, just like it is in the USA and other advanced countries. There are several advantages of buying online. First of all, you get unbeatable bargain prices. Secondly, you get new and genuine products. Other benefits include no interest EMI payments, able to return the product for a full refund if not satisfied, etc.

Just to give you an example, below are some of the benefits Amazon India, the leading global online retailer, offered in India during their last sale. The same deals are not always available, but it is a good idea to check this link to the special offers page on Amazon.in India website.

Amazon-Logo
Link to Amazon.in deals

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