Washing dirty linen was never so easy

To cater to the basic needs of just washing, you can even get a machine just by spending Rs 3,200. Videocon and Onida offer models below Rs 4,000 in the capacity of 4 kg and 6.5 kg with the basic features of washing and two preset programmes.

Over the Rs 4,000-mark, the choice becomes wider. Godrej, BPL, Videocon, Onida and Whirlpool machines are available in Rs 4,900-Rs 6,800 range. All these semi-automatic machines are 3-5 kg and offer you washer as well as spin-drier in top-loading design. Most of them have pulsator, two or three preset programmes, and offer heavy, normal and delicate wash options. If your family is bigger, you may even buy a BPL 6 kg top-loading semi-automatic washing machine just for Rs 6,990. Alongwith a pulsator wash, it allows prewash (soak), normal wash, quick and delicate wash.

Between Rs 7,000-9,000, most semi-automatic washing machines come with three preset programmes in the capacity of 5.5-6 kg. Brands like Videocon, Whirlpool, Godrej, Onida, Samsung, LG, BPL all offer machines in this category along with added features like transparent lid, scrubber board to clean heavily soiled laundry, big fins for four-way wash action and safety brakes to cut off power supply in emergency.

Spend a little more and machines start getting sophisticated with seven preset programmes, bio-pulsator and bio spin drum, auto restart, etcectra. Most of these carry a price tag above Rs 10,000. You can even go for fully-automatic machines of 4.5kg capacity and beyond if you are ready to shell out more. Many of these machines have automatic drainage facility and auto restart, scrubber beads and ribbed walls for effective and gentle washing.

Fully automatic washing machines are in the price range of Rs 11,000 to Rs 15,000 offered by companies like Whirlpool, Electrolux, Videocon, Godrej, LG, Samsung etc. With higher number of preset programmes, most of them offer features like automatic drainage, in-built heater, washload sensor, digital programming to programme the machine automatically, adjusting the required water level, detergent quality and the appropriate wash cycle time.

The price tag goes up further with the increase in capacity which can go up to 7 kg for Rs 19-20,000.

Besides washing machines, market now offers dryers too, though in limited models and are fully imported. They come in handy for small houses which doesn’t have open space to dry even half dried clothes. The IFB dryer with 5kg capacity is available for Rs 15,000 while GE sells its dryer for Rs 18,000.

In the era of consumerism, one can go for easy financing at low interest rates. Most of the brands are available at 0 per cent interest while on some interest rate varies between 2.5 to 5 per cent with a repayment period of 12 months along with a processing fee of Rs 500. In case of financing, the cost of a product is divided into 12 instalments. While four instalments have to be given at the time of purchase, rest of the eight installments are given in the form of post-dated cheques (PDC). Most of the dealers have tie-ups with private sector financiers like Associates, City Finance, Countrywide, Bajaj Auto Finance etc which can provide you hassle free finance.

Dependability of the brand and energy efficiency of your machine is also important. One should also carefully study the manufacturer’s warranty to determine how long the complete appliance is covered.