Washing Machine when have a baby - how big a drum is wise?

[fanjobiscuits]

Turns out our time to get a new washing machine is due before our first baby. How big a drum is wise, I understand there will be a LOT of washing? I was thinking the larger the better to get through the washing mountains quicker. But drums seem to come in small, medium and HUGE, and is huge a bit OTT?

Also any other things we should consider when choosing our new model, given our upcoming lifestyle change, much appreciated!

As big as you can afford! (And a tumble drier to match.)

Thanks Antoinette! That was my gut feeling but I think OH thinks I'm a bit crazed.

Don't think we'll have room for a dryer as well - would a combined washer/dryer work OK?

I have a 9kg drum and it's brilliant, really cuts down on the number of washes I do a week.

I don't think it matters unless you have several kids, but it does help if you can put a full load in your tumble dryer and not have to divide it.

Combined washer/dryers are pretty rubbish, btw. See if you can reorganise things to fit in a separate one in.

mine is 8kg, & it's nice but it won't take a double duvet at all, & struggles with a single

you will have pukey bedding to wash, & some of it will be yours! so I'd get 10 or 11 if that's an option. these days they are very good at sensing how much is in them, & if it's not a full load they use less water & finish faster

washer dryers tend to go wrong much more than separates. a dryer can go anywhere, esp if it's a condenser - doesn't have to be in the same room as the washer

All i would ask is how do you plan to dry the clothes?

I got a big drum before DD but had no space for a dryer and could never fit a full load on the clothes horse in the winter, ended up doing half loads!

I have a washer dryer and I hate it. I used to have separate machines but in our new house they wouldn't fit :(

Thanks, this is so helpful. I hadn't even thought about drying. At the moment we just use a clothes horse, which is fine for two of us. Hmm .

Are all washer/dryer machines definitely bad?

Oops, cross-posted with Antoinette - that maybe answers my question. The choice for us may well be clothes horse or washer dryer though, unless OH has some creative ideas for a tumbler to sit. (garden shed?!?)

I have a 7kg LG washing machine with a direct drive thing; it's great, and crucially really spins the stuff so is pretty dry. Big saving for tumble drying or pulley.

My advice- get a machine with a child lock. That way, when you have DC2, DC1 can't turn off machine, or reset to do a 3 hour wash when the machine was about to finish.
And maybe a time delay- you put washing on at night, it delays, and is then ready first thing in morning to hang up.
But a drier IMO is fantastic. You can get mini ones (not as useful if you have vomity child ) but they can be squeezed in..,

if necessary you could fit a couple of \link{http://www.dunelm-mill.com/shop/over-bath-airer-240644\these} over a standard bath

is there somewhere you could put a \link{http://www.amazon.co.uk/ORIGINAL-Sheila-Maid-CLOTHES-AIRER/dp/B004D3OHHM\Sheila Maid?}

otherwise \link{http://www.amazon.co.uk/Minky-Concertina-Tubular-Clothes-Silver/dp/B0001A967M/ref=sr_1_1?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1355341420&sr=1-1\these have 15m of drying space} amazingly! plus holes for hangers at the corners

& unless you have stairs between 2 walls, big stuff can hang over the banister. it's not pretty but it does the job!

I have a 6kg machine and it fits quite a lot in. I dont use a tumble drier except in emergencies (have a washer drier) e.g. pee/puke incidents. I use 2 airers one of which is big and takes at least 3 or 4 loads - tower airer

p.s. I also have a concertina airer similar to the one in the previous post

Yes- garden shed if it has electricity is ideal! If it doesn't- do you have an extension lead?
My first drier (a small one)was bought when DS was 3 weeks old. It was February and those cotton vests take AGES to dry on airers. The drier was in a shed type thing. By our house.

\link{http://www.ikea.com/gb/en/catalog/products/80189663/\Ikea socktopus} (sadly they don't actually call it that) - fab for all those tiny baby doodahs. you could hang one from each corner of a concertina airer

Loads of brilliant drying gadgets! I remember my grandparents had a Sheila Maid. And I love the octopus baby dryers.

Am off to discuss the merits and possibility of tumblers including a serious look at the shed. I actually remember reading something about the danger of damp from air-drying without ventilation so that might be another point in its favour.

Will have to get an octopus anyway though - can always hang it in the bathroom where there's an extractor.

Unless you are going to have a tribe of kids, I wouldn't get too big, op. I have a 7kg, which is brill with 4dds 6 and under. However, I THOUGHT the machine I got did half loads, but it doesn't. It's a little frustrating waiting for enough whites to do a white load etc. I had intended on getting a machine that calculated the load and washed accordingly. At the time I was buying a number of white goods for a new kitchen and I don't know how I missed that.

It's brilliant for duvets etc. I can get our king size duvet in even! Perhaps as my dds get bigger and the clothes get bigger, I'll be able to fill a load easier. I do a lot of washing, I can make a coloured and darks load up with much waiting, but whites (dds pools) is a load I struggle to make up and not really one you can mix up.

Good luck with your dc!

you can usually get a Stacking Kit to put a tumble-drier (which is light) on top of a washing machine (which is heavy).

The Bosch one I got, I think they say fits all their washers and all their driers. It is very simple, it just screws on and prevents the tumble drier falling off and two people can lift a drier up fairly easily. In Canada I saw generic kits that seemed to fit all makes and models.