Shiny New Washing Machines!

My washing machine is on its last legs. Three of them, to be precise. The fourth one keeps falling off when it goes on a spin cycle. I can't let S in the kitchen when it's running, in case it falls on her.

So I've been looking at new washing machines. And imagining I'll ever have the funds for one of these new, fandangly fancy ones.

Turns out these days, the choice isn't just over what colour it is, or which brand you have. Each brand has a hundred different options. Here's the low-down of what I've learned so far:

• All of these clever new innovations mean the new washing machines are greener. They use less of your water and electricity; good for your wallet and your carbon footprint!
• They don't just go round and round and round these days; oh, no. You can get washing machines with all sorts of cycles that go back and forth so that your clothes don't get all tangled up, or have a gentle swishing motion for your really delicate clothes.
• For those with large families (or small, really messy ones), you can get washing machines with massive drums for large loads. Some take up to 10kg of mucky, food-encrusted clothing.
• They're rated A+ to E based on their efficiency with water, energy efficiency and spin efficiency.
• Gone are the days of  "oh, I can't wear that tomorrow; it needs to be washed." These new washing machines have cycles as quick as 20 minutes, and the clever steam ones can even spit your clothes out all steamed, so they don't need to be ironed! Handy for those of us who are *ahem* a little less organised about their work wardrobe.
• If you really need that shirt clean for the morning, but you don't have a full load, many of them do half-load cycles.
• You can get washing machines now that have a "steam" function - so your clothes come out of the washing machine pretty much already ironed. For someone who is basically allergic to ironing, this is great news!
• That clever steam technology can apparently also remove 90% of the usual household allergens - so if you or your kids have allergies, that could be handy.
• Turns out they're not so ridiculously expensive that I could never afford one. I'll have to save for a while though.

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post, and I received some compensation for writing it.