Washer dryer or washing machine? Washer dryers are a very useful item if you are short of space in the kitchen, however there are a number of drawbacks you should consider before you purchase. Washer dryers are not suitable for large families who want to use it to do all of the drying. This is because the dryer part usually has a reduced load size so you would need to remove some washing before you can dry it. This means that the time to complete a full size wash and dry could be up to 4 hours. For a large family who might use the machine 2-3 times in a day, it would mean the machine could be in use all day. Also while the machine is drying you are not able to start washing the next wash load. Our recommendation is that you should only buy a washer dryer if the following is true. If you are a 1-2 person household or you use the dryer just as a back up to a your clothes line. But even then if you have the space to fit a separate washing machine and tumble dryer, it is better to do so.

So which is the best machine for you? As many machines are so similar in features, it may be more a question of how much do you want to spend? Again the amount you spend on a machine should be decided on how you use it, along with how much you can afford of course. Iit would be easy for us to recommend the most expensive machine on the market, but there is little point in spending money unnecessarily. On the other hand if you decide you want to buy a machine with all the bells and whistles added to it, its a good idea to keep away from the budget end of the market. The more complicated the machine is, the more there is to go wrong. Budget manufacturers are in business to make money just like their high end rivals, so if a machine is considerably cheaper the money has to be saved somewhere. It is difficult to recommend any one company with so many to choose from, but we feel that AEG, Zanussi or Tricity offer some of the best value for money machines. All three of these companies are owned by Electrolux, with AEG being the premier brand. The Tricity Bendix range is the budget end of the group, and we feel offer excellent value.

So which spin speed? Its easy to get carried away about buying a really fast spin speed. It is true that the faster the spin the more water is removed from the clothes. But the faster the spin the more your clothes will crease! So before you purchase an 1800 spin machine, try to think how many times you would use such a fast spin? Mainly you would only be able to use such a fast spin on items like sheets and towels. So for every day clothes you may only use a 1000 spin, to protect the clothes from creasing. Another thing to remember here apart from the cost of a faster spin speed, is the durability, the faster the spin the more stress is put on the machine. An average spin speed is 1100-1200 and is usually more than sufficient.

How big should the load be? The average load size is fast becoming 6kg as there seems to be less and less 5kg machines on the market. There are machines on the market that can take up to 8 or 9 kilos, but there are things to consider with the large load machines. Some of the very large machines are out sized like the American style Whirlpool machine, and they are also top loading. Whirlpool also make the Dream space machine which is an 8kg load, and although these are a front loader they are bigger than a standard machine. For a standard machine which is up to 60cm wide and will fit under a standard UK worktop 6 - 7 kilos is the largest machine. On these larger loads it may be worth checking the wash results and energy ratings, as in the past we have found some makers like to publish the results on only washing a half load. Wash results do seem to improve when there is less washing in the drum, as this allows the clothes room to move which helps remove the dirt. So whatever size drum you choose it pays not to overload the machine. Also, if you have a tumble dryer, check that it can hold the same size load as the washer.

Overview These days washing machines are much more energy efficient, this is because they use a lot less water. This does mean that they wash for much longer though, its not unusual for a machine to wash for 2 hours. So if you like your clothes in a hurry, check how long the fastest wash is. We have also heard from customers who use washing tablets or liquid pouches, that on low energy machines where the clothes are not submerged in water clothes can get damaged by the detergent. This is because the detergent is too strong if it is not diluted by the water in the machine, (this problem was also highlighted on BBC's Watchdog. Because machines use such small amounts of water, many are now cold fill only. This is probably a good idea as it takes a while for the hot water to travel to the machine, so by the time it gets there the machine may already have enough water. The hot water would then be left in the pipe and go to waste. This guide is only a brief list of do's and dont's, if you require any further info or feel we should add something please contact us.