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Fast program
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An option for small/lightly soiled loads which shortens the selected program or reduces cycle time. May also be called 'fast', 'quick', 'rapid' or something else. Some machines also offer temperature variations in conjunction with faster washes.
- Yes
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Gentle or delicates program
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Some machines have an extra-gentle wash cycle for garments labelled as delicate and only suitable for hand-washing – including materials like woollens, silk and cashmere.
- Yes
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Auto sensing water level
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This can help you save water, energy and time by automatically adjusting the water level according to the load and/or fabric type. Some machines also adjust the washing action.
- Yes
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Out of balance correction
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The machine automatically detects and redistributes an out-of-balance load, either by spinning slowly before the full spin cycle or by taking in more water (which is what many top loaders do). If you're concerned about high water use, opt for a machine without this feature or go for a front loader.
- No
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Selectable spin speed
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You can change the spin speed on some programs. A higher spin speed will result in drier clothes, but you might want a lower speed for delicates or easily creased fabrics. The higher the spin speed, the more likely your clothes will be stiff when they come out of the wash.
- Yes
- Machine washable woollens
- No
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Handwash only woollens
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Some machines have an extra-gentle wash cycle for garments labelled as only suitable for handwashing, including woollens, silk and cashmere. The program uses different washing actions such as less water.
- No
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Extra rinse
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An extra rinse can be useful if your wash hasn't removed all the detergent, leaving white marks behind, or if you have sensitive skin which reacts to laundry detergent. May be an extra run at the end of a program, or a standalone (rinse and spin) program.
- Yes
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Lint filter
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Many machines now have self-cleaning lint filter systems, while others use the traditional mesh trap in the wash drum that you have to clean manually. It's mostly top loaders that have lint filters; front loaders tend not to need them because they're gentler on clothes.
- Yes
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Delay time
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'Delay time' or 'time delay' is a feature that lets you program the wash to start at a specific time in the future. If you're on off-peak energy, you can take advantage of this feature.
- Yes
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Time remaining display
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Time remaining display will give you a rough estimation of how long the load will take to wash. This can often fluctuate wildly as some washers use sensors to detect how dirty your wash is, the type of load you've put in and how much you've put in, then adjust the timing.
- Yes
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Favourite or memory option
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Allows you to specify a program, then hit the memory button so you don't have to program the same set of steps every time you run the washing machine.
- No
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Door locks during use
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This will lock the door opening if the washing machine is in operation. Many front loaders do this by default.
- Yes
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Child lock control
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Activating this feature means the controls cannot be adapted after a program has started. The downside is that you can't cancel the wash to put something else in, but the upside is that your child's wandering hands can't cancel a wash and waste the water and energy for that run.
- Yes
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Water save option
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Sometimes available on top loaders because of their capacity to use a lot of water, most front loaders don't use much water so the need for this feature is less useful. If a washing machine uses over 100L for a cycle we note the lack of a water save option as a bad point.
- Yes
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Internal light
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This might be useful for some if your laundry is not well-lit and you're reaching around in the dim light for that recalcitrant sock.
- No
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Detergent auto dose
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This gives you the capability to store a whole litre or so of liquid detergent in the machine and it will auto dose itself based on your program. You can either use a manufacturers proprietary detergent or your own choice of liquid detergent for the best of both worlds.
- No
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Auto open door
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Another rare feature, this might be useful if you want the door to open so it dries the seal (we've had complaints about mould on front loader seals).
- No
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Add items after start
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Most front loaders allow you to pause the wash and add extra items in the first few minutes of the cycle but after water gets to the door, it's a no-go unless you cancel the wash and start again. Most top loaders allow you to open the lid at any point.
- Yes
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Other features
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These are features we've seen that are unusual. We don't normally test them as they tend to be driven by marketing hype, but they might be of interest to you.
- None to mention