How much laundry can you load in a washing machine?
When buying a washing machine, we are always interested in the volume of the drum and its maximum load. But as soon as we start using the machine, we don’t even think about how much laundry we put in the washing machine and how much it weighs. Of course, no one will weigh the laundry on a scale before washing, but constant reloading can lead to rapid wear of the equipment.
On the front panel of the equipment they write in large numbers 4, 5, 6 or even 8 kg. But what does this mean, maximum load of laundry? But then the question arises, what kind of laundry: dry or wet? These are the questions we will try to answer.
Minimum load
Let's start with the minimum amount of laundry you can put in the drum, because the minimum is just as important as the maximum. The number of items in the drum during washing will determine the degree of vibration during spinning, and therefore the period of uninterrupted operation of the machine.
Any automatic washing machine must contain at least 1-1.5 kg of dry laundry.
Not all washing machine manufacturers indicate this parameter, saying that it is better to put more in the machine to save energy. However, for some, the need to wash three pairs of socks or one T-shirt is more important than saving money, which is not at all safe for equipment. The 1 kg limit is not accidental; the fact is that when spinning at high speeds, the laundry should be evenly distributed throughout the drum for balance.
An unbalanced drum will begin to vibrate more forcefully. Even if the machine is not a narrow model and is installed well, internal vibration remains, and it can cause microcracks.We hope now you understand why you shouldn’t wash just one pillowcase or one panties.
Maximum weight of dry or wet items
Now let's talk about the number that is indicated on the front panel of the washing machine, or more precisely, about its maximum load. Today, automatic machines can have a load of 8, 10 and even 12 kg of dry laundry. In reality, this is a lot; for clarity, let’s give an example: a set of bed linen consisting of one duvet cover, one sheet and two pillowcases weighs on average 1.3 kg when dry. This means that about 9 such sets can be placed in the drum of a washing machine with a load of 12 kg. However, you should not blindly trust the numbers; everything is not as simple as it seems.
For your information! Some manufacturers intentionally overestimate this parameter in order to attract attention to the car model and increase sales.
The technical meaning of the maximum load of the machine in kilograms indicated in the passport is as follows - the machine must rotate the indicated weight without overloading the engine during its service life. But this does not mean at all that you should put such a quantity of linen and clothes into the drum every time, weighing it on scales, and it is unlikely that you will succeed. In addition, at maximum load the manufacturer does not guarantee the quality of washing. Most users note that even if they wanted to, they cannot cram and compact the maximum possible weight.
Most likely, this is also no coincidence. Some washing machine manufacturers, for example Bosch, when testing the machine for maximum load, use dense, heavy fabric cut into small pieces. And, as you know, the denser the fabric, the heavier it is and takes up less volume.Therefore, it easily enters the drum, while there is enough space in the drum for it to flop around. In accordance with these tests, the manufacturer indicates the maximum load with some margin, so that the machine is not overloaded, even when fully loaded.
In reality, we wash clothes and things that are bulkier and therefore weigh less. In addition, water absorption depends on the density and composition of the fabric. Imagine a sofa blanket. When dry, it easily fits into a regular basin. But washing it in a basin by hand will be extremely difficult, almost impossible. It is much easier to wash it in a bathtub, which is several times larger in volume.
The same is true in the drum of a washing machine. The larger the item, the larger the load and drum volume should be. If you are going to wash jackets, down jackets, blankets in the machine, then you need to choose a machine with a larger load so that the clothes are washed well. The manufacturer takes this into account, and in the instructions for the machine writes the load of laundry for a specific washing mode.
Important! The weight of the loaded laundry is measured dry. No one will weigh wet laundry and put it in the machine; doing this is problematic.
After analyzing this table, we can conclude that regardless of the manufacturer of the washing machine, its load under different modes is approximately the same. The least amount of wool you can put in the drum is because it is the most voluminous and absorbs a lot of water. You shouldn't machine wash a lot of synthetic and delicate fabrics, otherwise they won't stretch and will be too wrinkled.
The most things you can load into the machine are cotton items, bedding and baby clothes. This does not mean that the drum should be filled to capacity. The drum must be filled 2/3 full, so the laundry can be washed and rinsed well. In addition, this will allow the laundry to be evenly distributed throughout the drum, which will not cause imbalance or poor spinning of the laundry. An imbalance may cause the machine to stop and an error to appear on the display, e.g. ue error on Samsung machine.
How much does laundry weigh?
Now it’s logical to talk about how much laundry you can wash in a machine in one wash without weighing it. Each piece of clothing has its own weight in grams, for example, a women's T-shirt can weigh on average from 70 to 140 grams, depending on the size. A few more similar examples are reflected in the table below. Using a table like this you can easily calculate how much laundry to put in the drum.
In a machine with a 5 kg load, at any mode for cotton fabrics, you can wash a couple of sheets, a couple of pillowcases and 3-4 towels. The laundry will rotate freely in the drum without twisting or wrinkling. But outerwear needs to be washed separately.
Remember! You should not put too small things in the drum with large ones, for example, washing underwear with jeans.
Modern washing machines have an “Auto-weighing” function. Now a person does not need to think about how much the dirty laundry he loads weighs; the machine will receive the necessary information itself. The main benefit of the function is that the machine, having recognized the weight of the laundry, will determine the amount of water required for washing and select the optimal washing program. This results in a triple benefit:
- the machine eliminates the need to think about how much laundry to put in;
- saves water and electricity;
- selects the best program to wash your laundry properly.
Auto-weighing also protects the washing machine from breakdowns, since overload can lead to drum imbalance. If the machine has automatic weighing, then if the drum is overloaded, it simply will not start and will give an error.
Thus, it is necessary to put laundry into the drum of a washing machine not in accordance with the maximum load of the machine, but in accordance with the maximum load for a certain washing mode. We hope our article helped you understand how much stuff to put in a drum. Good luck!
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Super! Now I understand how it works! Thanks to the site developers!
Thank you! Useful info.
Thank you! Everything became clear!
Washing jeans with underwear is not washing, but spreading germs. Normal people always wash their bottoms separately from their tops! And it is important to observe the temperature regime, because bed linen should be free of germs, which are killed only at high temperatures. Agapkin also talks about this in his program.
What about silk underwear? Both under and bed? Even for satin there is a limit of 60″. I always washed it at 30-40″. And there don’t seem to be any microbes...
Have you looked under a microscope? 🙂
In this case, as in ancient times, after washing, boil in a large cauldron.
Yeah, boil the silk)))
Why does my wife wash her panties with towels, and mine with socks? 🙂
Well, there are only germs in your underwear, and pollen and candies in hers.
Thank you.
There’s a whole article, but I still don’t understand, 5 kg, taking into account the dry or wet state of the laundry :)
Load dry. And if things are heavily soiled, then in order to wash them better, it is better to put in 2 times less.
Sukhoi!
God bless! I was struggling with this question :)
You need to read where the letters are. And you will understand everything.
A whole scientific work! To a simple and specific question. What a gem about English scientists!
Thank you very much for such an accessible and understandable explanation.
This is a deception of the manufacturers. Yes cm We can do 8 kg. In reality, only 3.5 kg fit into the drum. dry cotton. Pure fraud. Almost all drums have a... diameter 0.5m, difference in length. Bloomberg at 6 kg. Drum length 300 mm. The same as mine. Maybe 8 kg. The tank volumes are the same - 58 liters.
If you load the drum according to the passport, let’s say there are two or three bricks, and the spin is on, then the bearing will fall off :)
This means putting up to 5 kg of dry and spinning no more than 600 rpm. min? Or maybe 1000 rpm. min?
But I didn’t understand anything.
If the BOSCH machine is 7 kg, how much dry laundry should I load? I ask for a concise answer, thank you everyone!
Two-thirds of the way through the drum so that it washes properly (well, depending on the fabric).
Good afternoon Please tell me I have Indesit 5kg. How much laundry can you put in at one time? I need to wash a set of bed linen, it weighs 1.800. Is it possible to wash this quantity and how many turns should I use?
Hello Anna! If you need to wash bed linen weighing 1800, and this is a double bed, then of course you can wash it with a capacity of 5 kg. It is better to always wash a 2-bed set of linen separately from other things, so that it stretches and dries well. It’s better to set the speed to 700-800, which is more gentle, so that the fabric retains its newness. Don't forget to turn your pillowcases and duvet covers inside out.
Thank you for the article!
I'm laughing at the questions in the comments)))
Thank you for the article!
Brevity is the soul of wit.
Brief and very accessible.
There was an LG machine with direct drive that weighed about 5 kg. I stuffed so much into it that it was difficult for the door to close. And it washed normally. And now there’s an old HANSA… a 4kg tank. I throw a couple of sweaters and she can no longer handle them, turn them around. I can’t understand whether this is normal for her or some kind of malfunction.
I also have a 4 kg LG with direct drive and auto-weighing. The instructions say 4 kg of dry laundry. But it's real. You can only put in 1.5 kg of dry laundry (even for cotton).Otherwise it gives an error and disconnects. You have to drive an empty machine, the load is only a third. I would also like to know - is this normal or a malfunction?
Just imagine, 4 kg for the unfortunate tank :) When you carry 3 kg of food from the store in a bag, your hand falls off and the bag breaks. And the machine also spins with incredible shaking!
You can load a very small weight, 900 grams maximum (one duvet cover), is that logical?! And only rarely can you wash something from your uniform (work jacket).
Good afternoon Why is there a 1.5-2 kg limit for short washes? If I put a short wash in Samasung, but the water is 40C, then it washes for 1 hour, not 30 minutes. In this case, can I load a full drum? Thank you!
Finally I saw the answer to my question. Thank you!
Thanks for the useful article. The Hotpoint machine itself has a capacity of 6 kg. But the signs with the approximate weight of each type of laundry seemed useful, so I kept them for myself.
Yes, this is all crap. The main thing is that the tank mounts and bearings are designed for the specified load weight in the passport. If this is a ploy by the manufacturer, it's very bad. And someday, the production workers will reach the point of precedent.
Remember, the most fragile place in a machine is the bearing. In my opinion, shaking during the spin cycle is simply contraindicated. Ideally, it is better not to squeeze large and heavy lumps of things in the machine at all.
I almost always soak my laundry in the bath before washing, and before doing so I weigh it to determine the amount of laundry detergent. Will the machine accept 3 kg of dry laundry as 5 kg including water and choose other washing parameters?
5 kg of panties (dry) will not fit into the car, and if it does, then when they get wet it will no longer be 5 kg. To wash – it washes but during the spin cycle!?
Is it possible to wash a thick cotton blanket with a max load of 5 kg?
My BEKO with a 5 kg load is already 13 years old. I wash a huge Euro blanket and synthetic blankets in it.
Very useful article, thanks to the author!
Many thanks to the author for the information, I have Candy-Rapid for 7 kg. And it was important for me to learn how to use the machine correctly.
Are you squeezing? My Samsung is 6 kg. I need to wash the Ikea bedspread, but I smell Khan’s typewriter. She stuck it in and the door closed with force. There is nothing to wash in 🙁
Thank you very much for the necessary information. I learned a lot for myself. There was Indesit washing double blankets without any problems, but here the machine is shaking terribly. Still, it’s better to repair it; the machine worked for 17-18 years.
Somewhere above they wrote why a wife washes her panties with towels, and her husband with socks. Well, this wife is somehow inadequate. Then let him wipe his face with a cloth. How can you wash panties with towels? Horror.
What do you wash your panties with?
Do you really save them for more than two months if the car weighs 4.5 kg? downloads.Panties average 0.2-0.25g.