I’d never want to come across as a kitchen snob, but that’s what I am and so that’s how I’m going to come across.
I know, I’m sorry, it’s both a character flaw and somewhat weird. However, there is no denying the unequivocal aesthetic appeal of the sleek, minimalist lines of a kitchen unencumbered by the clutter of appliance acne. Ovens, dishwashers and washing machines – manufacturers may try and make them look as ‘attractive’ as possible, but dials, drawers, displays, windows and all that essential operational ugliness detract from a kitchen’s design almost as badly as leaving an unattended toddler in there with a whole box of permanent markers.
No, to keep your kitchen as classy and ‘clean’ looking as possible, what is required is integrated appliances, specifically in this appliance instance, integrated washing machines.
Slotted away from sight in custom-constructed cupboard space and concealed behind a decor-matching door, these slender style-savers offer all the functions of freestanding washers but in a clothes cleaning way that won’t make you recoil in horror, and instantly losing your appetite every time you walk in the kitchen.
So, what do you need to consider now that I’ve so utterly convincingly sold you the idea of investing in an integrated washing machine? Well, in a nutshell, machine dimensions, capacity, range of programmes, spin speed, noise, energy efficiency and water consumption. Oh, and price, clearly. You’ll also need to ensure that the space you have in mind for it.
Which brings us neatly and utterly inevitably to this: which integrated washing machine is right for you? Why, one of these, of course…
Best integrated washing machines at a glance:
- Best for Italian ingenuity for medium-sized households: Smeg WMI147C - £839, AO
- Best for quick and quiet cleaning: NEFF N50 W543BX2GB - £749, AO
- Best for reliable performance time and again: Bosch Serie 8 WIW28501GB - £799, John Lewis
- Best for ease of use for larger households: Hoover H-WASH 300 Pro HBDOS695TAMCET - £399, Appliance City
- Best for impressive features for just over £500: Whirlpool BIWMWG81485UK - £469, AO
- Best for allergy sufferers: AEG ÖkoMix Technology LF8E8436BI- £798, AO
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Smeg WMI147C
Best for: Italian ingenuity for medium-sized households
Serial maker of cucina appliances of absolute unerring elan, it may seem like some hideous crime against design to hide anything Smeg away behind closed doors, but the WMI147C 60cm 7kg Fully Integrated Washing Machine, catchy full-name and all, has been designed to disappear seamlessly into your kitchen like some kind of stealthy stain-slaying ninja.
As you may has surmised from the name, there’s a 7kg drum capacity, which should be ample for the average (roughly 2.36 people – make of that what you will) household, while a generous 15 programmes and other assorted options have you covered for all manner of materials and whatever you’ve accidentally covered them in, even letting you engage an anti-wrinkle feature that will leave you with considerable less ironing to get all hot under the collar about once your clobber is clean again.
An automatic load balancing system determines the weight and adjusts the amount of water in the machine as appropriate to save water consumption and, indeed, energy, while an anti-flood device stops things getting all unnecessarily underwater when you’re not looking.
A 30-minute quick wash cycle is a boon to those who live life at full-pelt, while a spin speed of 1400-RPM (Revolutions Per Minute), kind of an industry average, means the Smeg will rid your clothes of a lot of moisture during the final spin cycle, but will not leave them completely dry, obviously.
If you do open the door mid-wash, perhaps out of idle curiosity, an LED display will bring you up to speed as to where your washing is at and, keeping you, your laundry and your kitchen safe from the prying hands of idle infant curiosity, a child lock prevents unauthorised kiddie access.
Yes, it seems a shame to hide a Smeg away, but Smeg say it’s okay and who are we to argue?
Tech Spec
Maximum capacity: 7kg
Programmes: Cotton 20°, Cotton 40°, Cotton 60°, Cotton 90°, Eco 40-60, Delicate 30°, Drain + Spin, Rinse + Spin, Quick Wash 30°, Mix 30°, Wool Cold, Wool 30°, Synthetics 40°, Synthetics 30°, Synthetics Cold
Options: Delay timer, Prewash, Additional rinse, No spin, Rinse hold, Anti-wrinkle (easy ironing), Intensive
Max spin speed: 1400-RPM
Noise level: 56dB (washing), 72dB (spinning)
Total annual water consumption: 10,340-litres
Energy efficiency class: E
Dimensions: 818 x 596 x 546mm
Buy now £839.00, AO
NEFF N50 W543BX2GB Integrated 8kg Washing Machine with 1400 rpm - White - C Rated
Best for: Quick and quiet cleaning
Washing machines can be noisy beasts (that bit inside is not called a drum for nothing [note: not really called a drum for that reason]), so this can be an issue if, say, you live in an open-plan apartment or work from home a lot with only the kitchen table sufficing as a desk - having something thundering away nearby can be quiet the distraction. Which is why the brains at German appliance giant NEFF have created a fully functioning in-built washing machine that not only offers up a staggering array of programmes and options, but also which operates at a barely bothersome 41dB when washing. Okay, this increases to 66dB on a spin, but even so!
With wash options aplenty to handle all manner of materials and even programmes for specific stains such as red wine, oil, and tomato, the NEFF guarantees the perfect wash no matter how messy things got for you, even when it comes to woollens.
Featuring an 8kg drum, again the NEFF is an ideal option for average-sized households, while the 1400-RPM spin speed will render clean kit ready for the dryer/washing line with the minimum of drippage.
Finally, adding an almost undue amount of coolness, it also features a Time Light which projects the status and remaining time of the programme its working through onto the floor in front of it! On the floor! Am I easily impressed by projected lights? Maybe, but tell me you didn’t geek out from that too.
Tech Spec
Maximum capacity: 8kg
Programmes: Delicates programme, Easy-care, Whites and coloureds, Woollens hand wash, Drain/Spin, Mixed Load, Prewash, Ready in, Shirts, Single rinse, SpeedPerfect, Spin speed reduction, Stain - butter/oil, Stain - Red wine, Stain - Tomatoes, start/pause with reload function, Super Quick 15/30, Temperature
Options: AntiStain, Aquastop, ecoSilence Drive, Intelligent Water System, Reload Option, Stain Removal System, Super Quick 15, TimeLight
Max spin speed: 1400-RPM
Noise level: 41dB (washing), 66dB (spinning)
Total annual water consumption: 11,000-litres
Energy efficiency class: C
Dimensions: 818 x 596 x 544mm
Buy now £749.00, AO
Bosch Serie 8 WIW28501GB
Best for: Reliable performance time and again
Not sure about the NEFF and want something with a solid reputation for being value-positioned but delivering years of trouble-free use? Welcome to Bosch and, more specifically, the Serie 8 WIW28501GB.
Owned by BSH Home Appliances, which also own the likes of Siemens, Gaggenau and, yes, NEFF, as you may have gathered from the familial looks shared between the NEFF W544BX1GB and this Bosch, it isn’t just in the looks that the two models share similarities.
Also an 8kg drum-toting option with an identical energy rating, indistinguishable noise levels, duplicate dimensions and the same spin speeds, the NEFF and the Bosch are like two peas in a massive washing machine pod, which is probably why the pricing of the two is parallel too. However, the NEFF does edge functionality when it comes to the sheer volume of programmes it offers.
But, that said, also delivering perfect care of delicates, whites and coloureds, woollens and even specifically ‘sportswear’, the Bosch is no slouch and is more than capable of seeing to all of the average household’s laundry needs. And, yes, the Bosch name is enviably renowned for the reliability of its washing machines – something which, as we spin ever downwards into inevitable recession, is well worth keeping in mind.
Tech Spec
Maximum capacity: 8kg
Programmes: Delicates, Easy-care, Whites and coloureds, Woollens hand wash, Dark Wash, Down Wear, Drain/Spin, Mixed Load, Prewash, Ready in, Shirts, Single Rinse, SpeedPerfect, Spin speed reduction, Sportswear, start/pause with reload function, Super Quick 15/30, Temperature selection
Options: Easy Iron Function, ecoSilence Drive, SpeedPerfect, Super Quick 15
Max spin speed: 1400-RPM
Noise level: 41dB (washing), 66dB (spinning)
Energy efficiency class: C
Dimensions: 818 x 596 x 544mm
Buy now £799.00, John Lewis
Hoover H-WASH 300 Pro HBDOS695TAMCET
Best for: Ease of use for larger households
Coming packing a large 9kg drum, I’ve gone just a tad off remit with the Hoover as it’s actually a washer dryer combo, but it’s so feature-ridden for the price that only a fool would not include it.
What manner of features? Well, for a start it has all the expected programmes, including those for all your varying your delicates, Eco settings to save money and planet alike, quick wash options and even an All in One programme that allows you to – yep, you guessed it – bundle all your laundry in together, regardless of colour or textile, and hit start safe in the knowledge that your whites will stay white and your coloureds will not come out jaded and faded. For the time-poor, the environmentally conscious and the hapless and hopeless alike, this is one excellent feature.
Also propping-up its eco-credentials, weighing your load at the beginning of the cycle, the Hoover H-WASH 300 Pro automatically calculates the exact time and water needed to get your stuff stain-free, making it even easier on the wallet.
It spins at a nicely rapid 1600-RPM, meaning laundry will take less time to dry when you switch to the combo dryer side of things. What truly sets the Hoover apart is that it also comes Wi-Fi-enabled, meaning you can download the free Hoover app to your smartphone and/or tablet and control and monitor the whole shebang from any room in the house, while at the shops, in the office or, depending on just how much of a control-freak you are, literally anywhere in the world with Wi-Fi.
Okay, quite noisy at 76dB on its spin cycle, which is why you’ll probably make the most of the smart control app and keep out of the way when it’s doing its business, the H-WASH 300 Pro offers an awful lot of washing machine for comparatively very little of your wonga.
Tech Spec
Maximum capacity: 9kg
Programmes: Active Steam, All in One 59, Cottons, Drain & Spin, Eco 20, Eco 40-60°, Extra Care, Mixed, One Fi Extra, Rapid Care 14/30/44, Wool & Soft Care, Rinse
Options: Quick wash, Spin, Stain level, Temperature
Max spin speed: 1600-RPM
Noise level: 48dB (washing), 76dB (spinning)
Total annual water consumption: 26,000-litres
Energy efficiency class: D
Dimensions: 820 x 600 x 530mm
Buy now £399.00, Appliance City
Whirlpool BIWMWG81485UK
Best for: Impressive features for just over £500
With a reputation as solid as a concrete elephant, Whirlpool appliances have been a mainstay of popularity with UK punters for quite some time, and the built-in FreshCare BI BIWMWG81485UK adds to that solidity.
An 9kg capacity model, blessed with programmes for all the usual suspects, plus ‘Big Items’ and Sports/Outdoor wear, the Whirlpool also comes imbued with something Whirly call ‘6th Sense Technology’, which has nothing to do with the spooky blockbuster Bruce Willis-starred movie of 1999, but rather the fact that the machine features intelligent sensors that weigh up each and every load of laundry you lump in it, then adapts time, energy and water usage accordingly.
So, purse- and planet-friendly with no sign of anyone ‘seeing dead people’ (an antiquated reference to the aforementioned film) with reliability guaranteed, the Whirlpool FreshCare BIWMWG81485UK may not be as appliance-advanced as some of the other options I’ve assembled here, but for just a shade over 400-smackers you’re bagging yourself an absolute soap-spinning bargain.
Tech Spec
Maximum capacity: 8kg
Programmes: Cotton 40, Cotton 60, Mixed/Magic 40, Wool, Rapid 30, Big Items/Duvet, Delicates, Sport/Outdoor, Rinse & Spin, Drain & spin, Eco 40-60, 20°C
Options: Speed spin, Start/Delay
Max spin speed: 1400-RPM
Noise level: 45dB (washing), 70dB (spinning)
Energy efficiency class: B
Dimensions: 815 x 595 x 545mm
Buy now £469.00, AO
AEG ÖkoMix Technology LF8E8436BI
Best for: Allergy sufferers
Towards the pricier end of the integrated washing machine spectrum, the AEG ÖkoMix Technology LF8E8436BI is a powerhouse of cleaning convenience with a wide range of programmes to tackle all types of materials and stains.A USP for wool-wearers if ever there was one, this is the only wool programme on the market with a cool down at the end of the wash phase preventing chill-shock when the cold rinse begins, ensuring shrinkage is minimised.
With an 8kg capacity and the ability to rid you of all irritating allergens that may become entangled within the fibres of your machine-washable things, the AEG can handle your delicates with the same adept approach as it deals with your duvet, making stains a thing of the past and spinning them out at 1400-RPM to make them quicker to dry and get back on your body/bed.
AEG’s ProSense Technology weighs your garments when you put them in and adjusts the length of the cycle and how much energy used accordingly, ProSteam adds steam to your cycle to reduce any crinkles and wrinkles, and the quick wash programme cycles like a particularly hurried Sir Chris Hoy to get said garments stain-free in just 20-minutes.
Pricey at just under £1000, for busy allergy sufferers looking for a built-in built to launder all and sundry, the AEG ÖkoMix Technology LF8E8436BI is the stand-out solution.
Tech Spec
Maximum capacity: 8kg
Programmes: Eco 40-60, Cottons, Synthetics, Delicates, OKOPower, Steam, Spin/Drain, Rinse, Anti-allergy, Duvet, 20min 3kg, Sport, Denim, Wool\Silk
Max spin speed: 1400-RPM
Noise level: 50dB (washing), 68dB (spinning)
Energy efficiency class: A
Dimensions: 819 x 596 x 540mm
Buy now £969.00, AO
