Spin
doctor.
You
might not have noticed, but today (14th
September) is National Quiet Day. As well as sounding like the best
idea for a National Day ever, it has been started by Whirpool to draw
attention to all the unnecessary noise in our homes. The place in
which we should feel the most relaxed and calm, is often the busiest
and most stressful, with loud TVs and stereos, chirping phones and
tablets, and rattling appliances in the kitchen. Of all of them,
which is the noisiest? Has to be the washing machine on spin cycle,
right? Well, maybe no more thanks to the Whirlpool Supreme Care
washing machine.
Whirlpool
very kindly furnished Test Pit Towers with one of their latest and
most advanced machines gratis; so confident that we would be
impressed by it. The Whirlpool Supreme Care washing machine features
a 10kg capacity drum, a touch-responsive control panel (with a big
twisty knob), and lots of clever design quirks on the inside.
First
up, for those concerned with both the tightness of their purse
strings and the environment, this machine boasts an A+++ energy
efficiency rating. Thanks to Whirlpool's '6TH
SENSE®' technology, sensors can actually detect the weight and type
of the load, adjusting the wash cycle's duration and amount of water
used. This means that it won't waste a tonne of water and electricity
on just a single pair of socks, even if they are your favourite.
Those
same sensors can also make sure that the quality of the wash is
vastly better than with a standard washing machine. The motion of the
drum itself can be changed to ensure that all the garments get an
even and gentle clean. The first time we took a load out we were
taken aback at how soft everything felt, despite still being damp.
This thing doesn't just spin quickly and push all the clothes into
the drum's nook and crannies to get squashed.
Speaking
about spinning, the Whirlpool Supreme Care washing machine can spin
at an impressive 1400 revolutions per minute, and that spin forces an
exceptional amount of the water from the clothing, meaning drying
times are reduced. And while we're on the subject of the spin cycle,
this is where Whirlpool's ZENTechnology™ kicks in, and the reason
why this is the ideal washing machine for fans of the quiet. Check this out:
ZENTechnology™
essentially replaces the traditional belt drive in the machine with a
traction motor that is connected directly to the drum. The idea
behind this is to reduce the vibrations caused by the drum spinning,
and therefore lower the overall noise. And by crikey, it works. Even
on the highest spin setting with a drum full of clothes, the
Whirlpool Supreme Care washing machine is the quietest washing
machine we've ever seen and heard.
Obviously,
the thing isn't totally silent (we assume Whirlpool is working on
that machine as we type), but for the first time ever, we were able
to close the kitchen door and not hear the washing machine. Like, at
all. Even being in the same room as it while it spins is fine, and
gave us lots of opportunities to say 'is it on?' to each other. We
found it was comparable to a TV at a fairly normal volume level –
imagine watching a documentary about a washing machine. That is what
this washing machine sounds like. Whoa... meta! It is certainly
quieter than any other “loud” home appliance, like a hair dryer,
vacuum cleaner, and blender. Whirlpool tells us it reaches a maximum
of at just 68db, which is only slightly louder than a normal
conversation.
The
Whirlpool Supreme Care washing machine therefore has a Quiet Mark
accreditation, something we've never before considered but definitely
will from now on. Making our homes quieter and more peaceful, (more
Zen, if you will) seems like a really good idea, especially
considering how loud the outside world is getting each and every day.
So National Quiet Day is a wonderful opportunity to think about the
annoying noises in your house, and we don't just mean your kids.
There
is so much to recommend about the Whirlpool Supreme Care washing
machine, and it definitely ticks all the boxes. Great for the
environment, cheaper to run, intuitive and simplified controls, a
better quality of wash, and quieter than any other spin cycle out
there – check it out.
£600
Visit
www.whirlpool.co.uk