Bigger isn’t always better. Especially when you have a tiny kitchen or utility room and every centimetre counts.
Sometimes you’ll have a countertop that’s just too low for most washing machines, in which case a shorter unit will be needed. Either that or you end up with a washing machine awkwardly stuck out by itself, while the spot you had in mind for it gets filled with random gubbins.
Thankfully, the consumerist society in which we live has thrown up the answer. Yes, there are options that will satisfy the most bijou of berths. Let’s take a look at some.
What Height Are Washing Machines Usually?
Although there are in fact other sizes available, the vast majority of freestanding washing machines conform to the standard size, which is 85 cm high, 60 cm wide and 50-60 cm deep. Integrated machines are slightly smaller, usually measuring 82 cm high, 59.5-60 cm wide and 54-55 cm deep.
This is quite handy if you’re designing a kitchen and want to leave a good space for a washing machine before the exact model has been chosen.
However, you might have a space that’s crying out for a washing machine, being in lots of ways perfect, but just a bit lacking in the height department. It might have plumbing and electricity points nearby, lots of access room at the front, and close to the back door so you can get out to hang out your washing with as much speed as you like, but regrettably seems to have been designed for Lilliputian laundry.
In which case, what do you do? Buy a doll’s house washing machine? No, you explore the wonderful world of slightly shorter-than-standard washing machines.
Which Washing Machines Are Under 85 cm High?
There’s a pretty decent selection out there. We’ll cover a few here, but it’s well worth taking a trawl through the online world to see what else is available.
Integrated washing machines
Integrated washing machines, as you might expect, do tend to be slightly smaller than freestanding ones. That way, they can fit nicely into a cupboard space.
You can of course put a freestanding machine in a cupboard, but integrated models are designed especially for the job.
Here are a couple of 82 cm specimens (this is the standard height for an integrated washer).
1. Bosch Series 8 WIW28502GB
This 1400 rpm spinner handles up to 8 kg of washing and comes with a ‘SpeedPerfect’ feature that can make cycles as much as 65% faster—perfect for the impatient among you.
2. Beko WTIK76151F
This 7kg washer can whizz things about with a bit more gusto – 1600 rpm to be exact. It’s an affordable machine that can handle a full load of laundry in just 28 minutes on its Quick Wash setting. It’s another short one, at 82 cm.
Freestanding washing machines
Unfortunately, we couldn’t find any ‘real’ freestanding washing machines with a height less than 84 cm when researching this article.
If you’re really desperate for something small, you could use a portable washing machine. Portable machines tend to be about 60 cm in height, which might sound appealing, but they don’t offer the performance and convenience of a ‘proper’ washing machine. However, they can be a good solution for places where it would be impossible to install a standard machine.
There are a few freestanding machines that measure 84 cm high, though this is only a few millimetres shorter than the average. Here’s one in case these few millimetres matter to you!
Beko WTL92151W
This 9 kg washing machine is reasonably priced, and measures just 84 cm high. It has a handy choice of quick wash settings, including one that takes just 14 minutes.
The 1200 rpm spin speed isn’t the fastest, but should be fine for most households.
Another Option: Reducing the Height of Your Machine
If you can’t find a shorter machine to suit, or you just don’t want to say “sud off” to your old one, don’t despair. You can actually reduce the height of most machines with a modicum of ease.
Kits are available to assist with this, and height reductions of up to 3 cm are possible. Some of the height savings are produced by replacing the feet or wheels.
Some might suggest removing the lid, which is a less elegant approach altogether. It gives you a height saving of a few precious millimetres, however, it’s not to be recommended as noise will increase and there’s the potential for tiny hands to get inside the machine. So, don’t do it.
Martin’s life revolves around films, dogs and food, but rarely all at the same time. At least two out of these three like to give clothes and furniture a hard time, and Martin enjoys discovering and writing about new ways to stop them doing their worst.
