What washing machine capacity do I need for my household?
Short answer
The practical rule is about 1.5 to 2 kg of capacity per person: 6 kg for one or two people, 7 to 8 kg for a family of three or four, and 9 kg or more for five or if you wash bulky items like duvets. But the kilos aren't the only thing: the spin RPM decides how damp the laundry comes out.
Choosing a washing machine by kilos seems obvious, and it’s fine as a starting point, but it’s barely half the decision. The other half — the spin RPM — is what decides whether the laundry comes out ready to hang or dripping.
How many kilos by household size
| People in the house | Recommended capacity |
|---|---|
| 1 to 2 | 6 kg |
| 3 to 4 | 7 - 8 kg |
| 5 or more | 9 kg or more |
| Duvets / bulky items often | 9 kg or more |
The underlying rule is 1.5 to 2 kg per person. But that assumes normal laundry: if you regularly wash large items — duvets, jackets, double sheets — go up a size even if the weight doesn’t demand it, because the problem is volume, not weight: a light duvet won’t fit a small drum.
Why the biggest isn’t always best
A washing machine performs best used close to its capacity. Small loads in a huge drum move little, wash worse, and waste water and energy heating a half-empty drum. Add that big ones cost more and take up more space, and the right size is a better buy than the big size.
RPM: the forgotten half of the decision
The RPM (revolutions per minute) is the spin speed, and it decides how much water comes out of the laundry:
| RPM | How the laundry comes out |
|---|---|
| 800 | Fairly damp |
| 1000 - 1200 | The comfortable point for most |
| 1400+ | Almost ready to hang (usually front loaders) |
If you live somewhere humid or dry indoors, the RPM matter as much as the kilos: the difference between drying in hours or in days.
Top loader or front loader
- Top: cheaper, faster cycles, no bending down.
- Front: washes better with less water, higher spin RPM, and you can rest things on top or stack a dryer. In exchange, you bend down and cycles are longer.
If space and budget allow, the front loader washes better. If you want something economical and practical, the top loader does the job.
Frequently asked
Should I buy a bigger one just in case?
Not as much as it seems, and there's a concrete downside. A washing machine performs best used close to its capacity: if you wash small loads in a very large drum, the laundry moves little, washes worse and you waste water and energy heating a half-empty drum. Plus larger ones are more expensive, bigger, and many programmes set a minimum load. It is worth going bigger if you regularly wash bulky items — duvets, jackets, large sheets — because those won't fit a small drum even if the weight allows it. For daily use, the right size beats the big one.
What do the RPM mean and how many do I need?
RPM (revolutions per minute) is the spin speed, and it decides how much water is pulled out of the laundry at the end of the wash. More RPM means the laundry comes out less damp and dries faster on the line. 800 RPM is basic and leaves laundry fairly damp; 1000 to 1200 RPM is the comfortable range for most people; and 1400 RPM or more, usually on front loaders, leaves laundry almost ready to hang. If you live somewhere humid or dry indoors, the RPM matter as much as the kilos: it's the difference between laundry drying in hours or in days.
Top loader or front loader?
They're two formats with different strengths. Top loaders (the drum spins vertically, loaded from the top) are usually cheaper, faster in their cycles and don't require bending down. Front loaders (the drum spins horizontally, loaded from the front) wash better with less water, reach higher spin RPM, and you can rest things on top or stack a dryer. The front loader's downside is bending down and longer cycles. If space and budget allow, the front loader washes better; if you want something economical and practical, the top loader does the job.
Are automatic and semi-automatic the same?
No, and the difference is big in practice. An automatic does the whole cycle on its own: fills with water, washes, rinses, spins and signals when done, without you doing anything. A semi-automatic has two separate drums, one to wash and one to spin, and you have to move the laundry by hand from one to the other and manage the timing. The semi-automatic is considerably cheaper and uses less water, but requires you to be present and working during the wash. If your priority is price and you don't mind supervising, the semi-automatic saves money; if you want to press a button and leave, the automatic.
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