Choose a washing machine around your repeat dry loads and the programmes your items require. Check the exact model’s limits, then assess bulky bedding separately. Use the tools below to shortlist capacity, total a load and compare metered running costs without treating a headline rating as permission for every wash.
Start with the load you regularly wash
Measure a representative basket while dry, excluding its container, and note how often you wash it. Household-size bands help start a shortlist; actual loads and your routine refine it. Hotpoint and Samsung Australia give household guidance, while Whirlpool describes US drum-volume categories. These do not certify an individual machine or comforter.
Read the evidence: Hotpoint washing machine capacity guide · Samsung Australia washer size guide · Whirlpool washer capacity guide
Keep three capacity questions separate
A kilogram rating concerns dry-load mass. Cubic feet describe volume. The selected programme can have a lower allowance than the headline rating. Samsung’s programme guidance illustrates specialist load limits, with the exact model manual remaining essential.
For a worked comparison, a 5.3 kg dry basket is below an 8 kg headline rating but above a confirmed 4 kg programme limit. That result answers the weight comparison; compatible care and loading space still need checking.
- Use the capacity advisor for a buying shortlist.
- Use the weight calculator for a dry basket total.
- Use the fit checker for a specific duvet and appliance.
- Use the cost calculator for your entered electricity, water and tariffs.
Read the evidence: Samsung UK washing cycles · Samsung laundry load guidance
Include the cost and drying route
When comparing costs, keep tariffs, programme and load schedule consistent. The running-cost calculator excludes fixed utility fees, detergent and appliance purchase costs. If you intend to dry the full load, check the dryer or wash-to-dry programme allowance separately. An occasional bulky item may need an approved professional route even when everyday laundry suits your home machine.