A washing machine is a faithful assistant to every housewife, which frees both hands and precious time. Its correct operation is the key to many years of service of irreplaceable home appliances. Considering that the machine is not cheap, keeping it in working condition for as long as possible is the dream of every owner. All that is required is to periodically clean and use the technical device correctly. The weight of the laundry for the washing machine is also an important criterion, because when overloaded, the thing will not be washed well, and the equipment may fail.
When buying a washing machine, many are interested in what is the maximum load of a particular model and, having received a satisfactory answer from the consultant, they immediately make a purchase. However, not everyone knows that this information is quite relative - what exactly is loaded into the washing machine plays a key role in this matter.
Maximum and minimum load options
In fact, in order to comply with the conditions for proper operation, it is important not only the concept of maximum, but also the concept of minimum load. The fact is that if the machine is underloaded during each wash cycle, this brings a breakdown even faster than a constant overload. Here are the main indicators for limiting the weight of things when washing:
- the minimum load is practically constant, since in all washing machines this value is 1-1.5 kg. This means that less than one kilogram of laundry cannot be loaded into the drum;
- maximum load - this indicator varies depending on the capabilities of a particular model.Standard machines can hold from 5 kg to 7-8 kg of laundry. On the market you can find compact specimens with a maximum load of 3.5 kg and real ten-kilogram giants. If the maximum load indicator is, for example, 4 kg, this means that laundry with a larger total mass cannot be loaded into the automatic machine.
It is advisable not to ignore these parameters and adhere to them with each wash. Minimum indicators exist in order to ensure the distribution of the load on the inner surface of the drum during the spin cycle. If the load is less than the minimum, then at high speeds the walls of the laundry compartment are gradually damaged, and the machine fails faster. At the same time, the owner is completely at a loss, because he took care of the equipment so much, loading a minimum of dirty laundry into it, and it broke.
The maximum load indicator is also an important aspect. After all, the larger it is, the more opportunities the washing machine has - you can wash jackets, heavy blankets, pillows in it.
In the reviews of some housewives, you can see the following opinion: if a thing fits in a car, then it will wash out, and you can ignore its mass. However, it is not entirely correct - it is impossible not to take into account the maximum weight indicator.
Laundry weight depending on the type of fabric
After the item of household appliances and the instructions for it have been studied, a completely logical question arises: what linen should be taken as a guide when calculating the weight of the load - dry or wet?
Manufacturers claim that, of course, the instructions refer to the mass of dry things loaded into the drum. After all, no one will wet the laundry before washing, weigh it, and then wait until it dries to send it to the machine.
But there are some nuances here. For example, if the weight of bed linen for washing is 3 kg, then when wet it will be much lighter than a 3 kg woolen blanket. What should you pay attention to?
- Firstly, with the same mass, different tissues occupy a completely different volume.
- Secondly, the weight of a wet product will also depend on the type of fabric from which it is made.
As a hint for housewives, you can find a special table on the Web that indicates what the weight of laundry should be for well-known brands of washing machines, depending on the maximum load.
If you pay attention to the information contained in it, the conclusion is that regardless of the manufacturer, the parameters are almost the same for all models:
- cotton fabric can be considered a standard and the main reference point, therefore, if the machine is loaded with 6 kg, then in the cotton mode, you can load 6 kg of not wet or wet, but dry things;
- on the synthetics program, it is better to wash half as many things; when loading 6 kg, laundry weighing 2.5-3 kg will be enough;
- the weight of dry laundry for washing woolen items should be approximately three times less than the maximum allowable, approximately 1.5 kg for all models;
- in the “Delicate wash” mode, the mass of dry things should be half, or even a third, of the maximum possible. Approximately this figure is 2 kg;
- The "Quick wash" program means that the weight of the loaded laundry cannot exceed a third of the limit. This is approximately 2 kg.
If you follow these rules, then a faithful assistant will not fail for many years.
If you ignore the above tips, then problems with smart home appliances cannot be avoided, very soon you may need a major overhaul, which is no cheaper than a new machine. Such parameters are the same for both front-loading and top-loading washing machines.
How to determine the load volume without weighing
Most likely, it is not worth mentioning that no housewife wants to bother so much as to weigh the laundry before each wash. Fortunately, finding a table with approximate general indicators and thus determining the weight of laundry for a washing machine is also quite realistic.Using this hint, you can easily navigate how many things can be loaded into the machine.
According to the data, women's trousers weigh approximately 300-400 g, men's 600-700, jackets from 800-100 g, etc. Using simple calculations, it becomes clear that a 2-bed laundry set weighs approximately 1.5 kg. If you print out such a memo, hang it in a conspicuous place and each time roughly estimate the optimal number of things, you can not only save your favorite equipment, but also get high-quality washed linen.
How to understand that the machine is too overloaded or, conversely, underloaded with linen, without weighing it? In fact, there is nothing complicated here.
- With excessive loading, excessive foaming can be seen through the door, and after the wash cycle has come to an end, there are residues of washing powder on the clothes that were not washed out during rinsing.
- When the drum is not loaded enough, the washing machine usually makes too much noise and rumbles, which is impossible not to notice.
In this way, it is possible to understand whether the indispensable household helper is being used correctly, and in the future to correct the weight of the loaded laundry.
The weight of the laundry loaded into the washing machine should not only not exceed the maximum allowable, but also should not be too small. This will adversely affect the condition of household appliances. Moreover, when laying, you need to pay attention to the total weight of things, and the type of fabric from which they are made, because mass and volume are completely different concepts. In order to quickly navigate when loading laundry, there are special tables indicating the maximum allowable weight of the loaded laundry, each item of clothing and bed linen.
