Bosch WLX24162, I'm a clean living girl now (Bosch WLX24162)

Member Name: littlexen

Product:	Bosch WLX24162
Date:	30/05/07 (1036 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: washes brilliantly, medium drum, range of programmes, easy to use, door has safety lock, size

Disadvantages: noisy and quite expensive

There are only two people in our household, myself and my husband so we really don’t create that much washing, at most we fill 2 loads of a washing machine once a week, therefore we didn’t need a washing machine with a huge drum capacity or a top of the range model with 1001 different programme settings. What we needed was a small, basic washing machine that didn’t cost an absolute fortune. With these specifications in mind, my trusty husband was sent on his way to pick up a model. On recommendation from my mum, he was directed towards Bosch models before any other due to their reliability, durability and strong support from the manufacturer in the event of any problems. After spending £325 my husband returned with the Bosch WLX24162, silver in colour and seemingly from first impressions of the instruction manual and manufacturers booklet, the solution to all our needs.

Thankfully my dad was on hand to help us plumb the washing machine in. The instructions weren’t that clear and the hot and cold pipes that came as standard were both white in colour so not entirely clear which was which, and had I been left to my own devices I know with a 50-50 choice I probably would have got it wrong or ended up with a flooded kitchen. The entire unit is very slim, the actual dimensions being 84.7cm high, 60cm wide and 44cm deep, but the best thing is that the entire unit is not as heavy as normal washing machines so I can without struggling pull it out from its slot under my work surfaces and clean the floor around and behind it. Considering how it looks in comparison to more expensive models the WLX24162 is very basic, it doesn’t have any super features or indeed an LCD programme display, instead it reminds me of the washing machines my parents would have when I was a child. The machine is front loading, has a little draw for the powder and fabric conditioner and it controlled using just one dial rather than some that require an advanced University degree in programming to start a simple wash.

As you would expect from a washing machine, it has a number of wash settings, for example delicate wash, silk, and wool programmes at different temperatures, however as it only has a relatively small drum capacity at 35 litres (4.5 kilograms in weight) it does not have the option of setting only a half load, if there are only a few pieces of laundry in the drum, it automatically detects this and programmes itself. I don’t find that this is a problem and rarely only use the machine for one or two items, there are always clothes that can be put in with a load to make sure we don’t set it running with just say one shirt or pair of jeans in the drum. When in operation the drum door automatically locks and remains locked until the drum is completely drained. It cannot be opened once a programme has started which gives me peace of mind if my little nephews decide they want to play around in the kitchen.

When considering any flaws with the machine the important things like quality of the wash, size and durability are automatically ruled out as these are nothing but amazing in my opinion but I do have a few niggling issues with our machine. It technically should only produce 55 decibels of noise when on full spin but in comparison to our dishwasher that only produces 54 decibels it seems much louder and it grates at me so much that I refuse to use the machine if I know I will have to spend long periods of time in the kitchen. Another issue is the powder tray that does not have a removable section to allow for easier cleaning. This tray fills with gunk on a bi-weekly basis and cleaning involves me having to pull the tray out and scoop it out before cleaning. It is a minor irritation but mainly because it would be so easy to solve.

With an energy rating A and water consumption of 40 litres per cycle the WLX24162 is one of the most environmentally friendly way of doing your washing without doing it all by hand, something I point blank refuse to do.

Using the WLX24162 could not be easier and it suits our needs down to the ground. Every major box on our list of requirements has been ticked and I am even warming to the price paid for the washing machine due to its performance when washing clothes, something it has and continues to do exceptionally well, without any fuss or any breakdowns. There are a few minor irritations, irritations that I put down probably to me being highly strung. Over the 5 months I have owned the machine I have had no need to call upon the manufacturer for support or to claim under the warranty but previous experience of dealing with Bosch leaves me with a sense that if something does go wrong, they will be nothing but prompt, professional and courteous in the way in which they deal with the issue. I have no hesitation in recommending this washing machine, or indeed any Bosch products, all of which I have found to be of the highest quality.

Summary: Another high quality product from Bosch

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