Test method

How we test washing machines

The uses we score and the tests we run on every washing machine: Indian stains, cycle time, water, spin noise, drying and power cuts.

Washing Machines reviews

Every washing machine we review goes through the uses and tests below, in a real home and on the unit we bought or borrowed, over several weeks of daily washing. Indian homes differ more than labs do, so each review also states the water hardness (in ppm TDS), the floor and the water supply we tested on, because hard water, a tiled upper floor or a weak overhead tank all change the results.

Front loaders and top loaders run different main programmes, so compare cycle time and water use within a type. Each test result in a review links back to the matching test on this page.

What we score

Daily family load
How well it cleans a mixed everyday load of cottons, school uniforms, towels and kurtas on its main programme, how long that takes and whether clothes come out evenly wet rather than clumped.
Haldi, oil and collar grime
How completely it lifts the stains Indian laundry actually has: haldi, oil, dal, tea and collar or cuff grime, with and without a heater or pre-soak.
Bedsheets and bulky loads
Whether a double bedsheet and towels tumble freely without roping, how often the machine stops to rebalance, and how it behaves with a single heavy item.
Hard water
How much scale and soap residue builds up on the drum, door seal, heater and inlet filter when the machine runs on hard borewell or municipal water for weeks.
Power cuts, voltage and low pressure
Whether it resumes after a mid-cycle power cut, keeps running through voltage swings, and fills from a weak overhead tank without inlet errors.

The tests

  1. Stain removal on test swatches

    We wash cotton swatches stained with dal, haldi, tea and collar grime (and oil on some machines) on the main cotton or normal programme, then on the heater programme where there is one. We record which stains came out fully, which faded and which needed a pre-soak.

  2. Main cycle time

    Measured in min Lower is better

    We time the programme most buyers use daily from start to door unlock: the 40 degree cotton programme on front loaders and the normal programme on top loaders. Front loaders and top loaders run very different programmes, so compare this number within a type. The review states the load size and programme.

  3. Quick wash time

    Measured in min Lower is better

    We time the quick or express programme on a small, lightly soiled load from start to door unlock, and note whether the result is clean enough for everyday clothes.

  4. Water per cycle

    Measured in L Lower is better

    We measure the litres of water the machine draws over one run of the main cycle-time programme. Load size changes the figure, so the review states the load we used.

  5. Energy per cycle

    Measured in kWh Lower is better

    We measure the electricity the machine uses over one run of the main programme, and state the wash temperature and whether the heater was on.

  6. Spin noise at 1 metre

    Measured in dB Lower is better

    We measure the A-weighted sound level 1 metre from the front of the machine during the fastest spin of the main programme, on a tiled floor with a balanced load. We also note whether the machine shook or walked with uneven loads.

  7. Wash noise at 1 metre

    Measured in dB Lower is better

    We measure the A-weighted sound level 1 metre from the machine during the wash phase of the main programme, before any spin.

  8. Residual moisture after spin

    Measured in % Lower is better

    Residual moisture is the water left in cotton shirts straight out of the final spin at the machine's top spin speed, as a percentage of their dry weight. Lower means faster drying, which matters in the monsoon.

  9. Resumes after a power cut

    We cut power mid-wash several times during testing and restore it. Pass means the machine picked up the cycle where it stopped rather than restarting from zero or stopping with an error that needed a manual restart.

  10. Runs through voltage swings

    We run normal cycles on the household mains through the low and high swings Indian homes see, and log the voltage range. Pass means no error stops, stalls or resets over the test period.

  11. Fills at low water pressure

    We run cycles fed from an overhead tank at weak pressure on an upper floor and compare the fill with a normal supply. Pass means it filled and completed the cycle without an inlet error; we note any extra fill time.