The almost all singing all dancing light up your life machine. (Indesit WIXE167)

Member Name: missy0303

Product:	Indesit WIXE167
Date:	01/04/09 (431 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: mid price, cleans clothes well, some unique features.

Disadvantages: no half load or hand wash functions.

==Indesit WIXE167 1600rpm washing machine==

A few months ago my kitchen flooded...at first I thought my freezer had somehow defrosted itself, and then looked at my kitchen sink and washing machine and was shocked at the mucky looking water that had filled them both. I emptied the sink with the help of a jug and a large bucket, and then pressed the empty button on my washing machine, only for the water to start gurgling up through the sink again...and it really was stinking...almost sewage smell! Not good. So I mopped up my floor and used about 4 old towels soaking up the water too.

So the next step was to try source the blockage, I remembered about 6 months previously my washing machine hadn't been working too well, and a neighbour popped in, pulled out the filter, cleaned it and replaced it....and the machine went like new again, so I thought I would try this. Big mistake! I turned the filter cover...and it basically shot across the room with the force of the water behind it...and yes, you guessed it, the floor was soaked again and yes I did a lot of swearing that morning (thank heavens the kids were staying over with their dad) I couldn't replace the filter cover it just wouldn't go back in, it slotted in but wasn't catching on anything so was pretty useless.

Anyway as with all things that go wrong, it just happened to be a Sunday morning, and there was me with a slight hangover, and I had to call an emergency plumber who eventually turned up at 4pm that afternoon. Said plumber said the problem wasn't with my machine or my sink but with a main pipe outside which couldn't be sorted until the next day (which turned into late Tuesday afternoon) All this time I couldn't use washing machine as every time I turned it on, water would spew out the filter. And even when the blockage eventually got fixed the leaking problem still occurred...I thought it was finally time to replace my old faithful 8yr old machine!

So online I went, read a few product reviews, decided I definitely wanted a white washing machine as everything else is white in my kitchen, I checked out a few websites and decided upon the Indesit WIXE 167 front loading washing machine. I had decided upon buying from Curry's as they were selling it for £249 + an £8 installation and collection service, which means they will collect your old machine and take away any packaging too (Free delivery for orders over £150) I chose to buy it in store rather than online though as I do prefer talking face to face with someone when making a large purchase, they did try to charge me a further £20 for delivery though but after haggling with the salesman got the free delivery. I notice now that Curry's online have this machine at £279.99 so I bought at the right time. Worth shopping around for though as you may find it cheaper elsewhere.

What initially drew me to this machine was the LCD digital display which tells you how long is left to go on your cycle. My old machine wasn't half as clever as this.
There are 12 different named cycles which are all quite well explained in the manual, although I don't use them all.

==Standard==
1. White pre-wash @ 90 degrees this takes approximately 2hrs and 35mins. Never used in my house.
2. White cotton @ 90 degrees takes approximately 2hrs and 30mins, again never used.
3. Colour cotton @ 40 degrees takes approximately 1hr and 25mins. I only used this setting once and found the quick wash function performed just as well in half the time!
4. Easy care @ 50 degrees this one takes about 1hr and 12mins.I use this setting occasionally when washing my duvet cover which has embellishments on it.
5. Wool @ 40 degrees This is only a 50mins cycle, it does a good job of keeping woollen items fresh and clean without spinning too much so that they keep their shape.
6. Silk/curtains @ 30 degrees. I use this one for some delicates. It takes about 45mins to complete the cycle and I haven't had any problems with clothes or delicates being ruined.

==Time 4 You==
7. Flash clean. This setting takes an hour to complete the cycle, it cleans clothes well and I think it is set to 40 degrees as standard. Perfect for getting whites nice and clean. I use this regularly.
8. Flash colours. This one takes only 50mins and is the one I use on a regular basis for cleaning my dark clothes and bright colours.
9. Flash nylon. 40mins is all it takes for this quick wash, cleans nylons well, but is one I rarely use to be honest.
10. Daily. My most used wash, ideal for washing through school uniforms, work clothes on a daily basis. It only takes 30mins so is economic as well; it uses less water and less electricity so is the one I will choose most of the time. My clothes come out nice and fresh and clean, although it doesn't do well with stains, unless I pre-treat them. I think this is also a 30 degrees temperature too.

==Sports==
11. Special Shoes. A 50mins cycle especially designed for popping stinky old trainers in for a wash. I use this on a regular basis with two mucky children to contend with. The trainers generally come out a good bit cleaner than when they went in, I usually scrape off any excess muck before putting them in though, and I don't want to clog up my machine!
12. Special Sport - 1hr cycle, designed for sportswear, ideal for getting sweaty gym, football kits clean.

There is the usual rinse, spin and drain buttons if you require an extra rinse at the end and then you just press the spin and drain to empty the machine again.
On top of all this it also has an easy iron function which when pressed will spin gently for a few minutes every 10-15mins or so which enables the clothes to move around reducing the likelihood of creasing.
It also has an extra rinse button that you can press which adds the extra rinse on automatically, I've never felt the need to use this button though so cannot really comment on it. There is also a stain removal button which when pressed will enable you to add your stain removal detergent to the first drawer, again not something I use as I usually pre-treat stains or add my detergent along with my usual powder in the middle drawer.

There is an innovative memory inside which allows you to programme your machine to your own specifications, perhaps there's a temperature you want to use most often, and have your machine spin at certain intervals throughout the wash, you can also set the timer for your machine to come on at a certain time if you should wish to do so. I haven't felt the need as yet to use this function as the settings already included are enough for what I need. The timer button could prove invaluable though but I have to stress it's not advised to have your washing machine turned on when your in bed or not home, if you've seen the advertisement about the fire you'd see why. I generally do my washings after 6pm as it's cheaper rate then, and then it's all washed ready to be hung on the line in the morning or popped into the tumble dryer.

The machine is extremely simple to use, press the on button - a large oval button above the dial, which looks like it has a picture of an eye on it...turn the dial to the required wash, (paying attention to the wash instructions on your labels of course....again something I learnt to guess most of the time lol) and press the button at the left side of the dial to start the cycle. A red light comes on in the LCD display to let you know there's a cycle running, this light stays lit until it is safe to open the washing machine door. So no need for guessing the 2mins is up! Like with most machines it has a 2min delay and the door won't open until the time is up. The digital display will count down in minutes how long is left to go of the cycle, the only problem I've had with this is that when you get down to the last minute, it seems to take at least another 5mins to actually stop! Small grumble but it's a pain in the behind all the same.

I've had my machine now about 6 months and it has performed well on every wash, it's not as noisy as my old machine, especially in full spin. You can hear it from the living room, next door but it doesn't rattle. One other grumble is that there isn't an option for a half load which means I usually wait until I have a full load to save on electricity. I had the half load function on my old machine which was great for washing through my work clothes.

==Cleaning the machine==
To clean it I simply run a damp cloth over the top and front to remove any marks etc, and I take the drawer on the front out once a week to remove any clogged powder. I simply run this under the hot water tap in my sink for a few minutes, and then using a wet cloth clean the area where the drawer goes, removing any clogged powder from there too...I usually use a small jug and run some hot water down the channel to make sure it is cleaning inside too. then simply press the empty machine button to ensure it is completely empty again. A damp cloth wipe inside the drum after every wash ensures no build up too. I use a calgon tablet once a month to keep the inside of my machine nice and clean too.

==Specifications==
* Wash load capacity - 6kg
* Ratings - A Energy A Wash A Spin
* Wash controls - Variable spin & temperature
* Dimensions - H:850mm W:595mm D:535mm
* Time to end of programme
* 53 litre water consumption - 46 litre drum
* Energy consumption - 0.95 kwh (the lower this number is the less electricity it uses)
* 1600rpm - the higher this number the faster the speed, which means less drying time.
The door hinge is to the left and is quite a large door. With the 6kg load capacity you're going to need a big space for your load to go in. I can easily fit a single duvet in the machine and even my summer double duvet too. Although I think I would struggle to get a winter double duvet in it. It may fit but wouldn't have much room for spinning etc.
I can't comment on how easy this was to fit as my delivery driver connected mine and took my old one away but it does use cold water to fill it as does all new machines nowadays so I believe.

==Summary==
All in all this is a nice looking machine in a crisp bright white colour which does a great job of keeping my clothes fresh and clean, and isn't too noisy. It's not quite all singing all dancing but compared to my last machine is a definitely a tad more entertaining. I love the time to end feature especially, all machines should have this! Shame it doesn't have the half load or even a handwash function but apart from that I've really no complaints.
I got a good deal as it was £30 cheaper than it is now, plus it's always worth haggling with these big stores to get a reduction, or a freebie. They want your business, especially at the moment with the credit crunch...now is probably the best time to get the price you want to pay on household goods.

I hope this review has been of some help. Apologies that it doesn't contain loads of technical stuff but I am a normal user and giving an honest opinion on how this machine works for me personally.

Thanks for reading
Michelle April09
also appearing on other review sites under same name.

Summary: Time to upgrade that old washing machine!

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