Hotpoint BWD129 > Reviews (13)

I must admit that this is the first washing machine I have ever bought so I didn't really know in the beginning what I was looking for. As we had just moved into a new house with built in cupboards we needed a washing machine that would be small enough to fit behind a cupboard as we wanted the kitchen to look nice and uncluttered. As this Hotpoint BWD129 1200 spin was the only one there that fit behind cupboard we bought it! (Unfortunately, we have still not fitted the cupboard door to the outside to cover the washing machine but that is another story!.........men and DIY and all that)

I cannot remember how much exactly we paid but I think it was in the region of £500, not too sure if this is good or bad but it's still going strong, no need to replace yet or for the foreseeable future.

Anyway, we were pleasantly surprised to find that it also came with a dryer built in as well so we solved the problem of finding space for a dryer. The washing machine is front loading which is handy and holds up to 5kg. This size is ideal for a family of two, not too big, not too small. I find I can fit about 6 big sized towels in there without filling up the machine to capacity.

The machine has been given the Woolmark platinum care sign which I think shows it is of good quality. It's extremely easy to use. All the buttons push in and out so you just choose the cycle you want by turning the button, then press the on button and the start button and away you go. The door locks once the on button has been pushed so you cannot open it by mistake and risk all the water flowing out.

The best thing I like about this machine is that it has a variable temperature button. Most people have seen the adverts on television urging people to turn their machine down to 30 degrees, well the nice thing is that this machine lets me do just that. It makes me feel that I am doing my bit towards the environment. Turning it down I find does not affect the quality of the washing process as my stains all still come out and come out smelling fresh and clean. In fact we have had this for nearly a year and a half now and I believe the washing quality is still as good as when we first bought it as I know some lose their power with time.

One problem we had in the beginning was I think overestimating the strength of the dryer. My husband put his work shirts in to dry and they came out a bit smaller than when they had gone it. I really only dry my towels and underwear in there now but I think that has a bit more to do with the environment than the fact that I think it might still shrink stuff.

The washing machine/dryer is described as super silent and I have found it really is. Sometimes you don't even realise the washing cycle is on. The dryer is a bit noisier but if you shut the kitchen door you cannot hear it in the rest of the house which is nice.

There are also quite a lot of washing cycles to choose from which is handy such as colourfast cotton, acrylics, delicates and machine wash wool.

If you are looking for a washing machine I would definitely recommend this Hotpoint!