Is your old washing machine costing you money?

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Article wrote:Old Washing Machines cost you money?

Is your washing machine old?

Then it may be costing you money, as the following recent report found:

“….in order to achieve the same washing performance as a modern machine does in a 40 °C wash, a 15-year-old washing machine must be operated in a 60 °C programme, and a 30-year-old one in a 90 °C programme (on average). By contrast, on average a 15-year-old washing machine requires approximately twice as much energy and water as a new one to achieve the same level of performance, and a 30-year-old washing machine about four times as much.”
Source

Your machine could be costing you money and using more energy than necessary, increasing your carbon footprint. But how can you make sure that buying a new machine will be a worthwhile investment, helping in your efforts to combat global warming?

One problem with buying a new washing machine can be that it only lasts 3-4 years; it is a common perception that older washing machines are of a higher build quality than the newer washing machines, results of a more disposable society. There is some element of truth to this, but the high quality builds are still available at higher prices.

However, buying a quality washing machine is complicated by the fact spending more money won’t necessarily mean you are getting a product with high build quality; brands tend to build washing machines to the same standard in their factories whatever their sale price. The differing prices relate to more features such as spin speed and drum size rather than hardiness.

So what to do if you are looking for a washing machine that’ll last more than 3-4 years? Washing machines are a very brand led sector; a good rule of thumb is to find which brands budget goods start at higher prices. Hopefully the higher the price the better build quality you can expect of that brand for all of their machines. You can also look for <a href="http://householdappliances.kelkoo.co.uk/c-146601-washing-machines-washer-dryers.html
” target=”_blank” rel=”nofollow”>reviews of washing machines at online shopping comparison sites such as Kelkoo and Shopping.com.

Currently the better quality brands seem to be AEG, Bosch and Siemens, whilst the lower quality brands seem to be Hoover, Hotpoint and Philco, but shop around and make your own mind up.

Looking to the future, a new design is coming out which may be able to cut down on the cost of detergent and the environmental costs of your washer.
An interesting new product coming out this summer in France is a detergent-less washing machine which supposedly could be better for the environment by not flushing soap down the drain; the washing machine from Wash20 works by ionizing water atoms into H+ and OH- which act as a detergent would in the water. If this catches on the machine could revolutionise washing machines in the same way Dyson
revolut-“ION”-ised vacuum cleaners.

A good overall guide to washing machine use can be found here