One thing is certain when you grow your family from two to three kids. (Well besides the fact that you are officially out-numbered and on the fast-track to losing you sanity. JOKES!) Your washing drastically increases and your laundry basket is often overflowing with grubby clothes, towels, bibs, burb cloths and just about everything else that is used daily with active kids.  And as much as I’m trying to save water and re-use clothes, with kids it’s sometimes impossible to ensure they keep their clothes clean long enough to wear two days in a row.

Hunter, as small as she is, goes through clothing at an alarming rate and now that she is on solids she is adding dirty bibs to the pile which, moms will know, are usually covered in bright orange butternut stains. Oh the joys of baby weaning!

You can imagine my delight when I was approached by LG to put their NEW Sapience Top Loader with Smart Inverter to the test. I was so used to having to squeeze a load into our 7kg front loader and was eager to know how much washing we could fit into this impressive machine. I chose the 13kg option which made sense for us.

 

I wanted to test something significantly bigger that would enable me to do ONE load a week (instead of the usual three or four that we normally do), but also something that was going to make sense as a family living though one of our Province’s worst droughts. Before all my Cape Town readers think the worst, I have tested the machine and want to share some amazing water saving tips and how using a machine like this, doesn’t necessarily mean using more water AND could in fact save you water in the long run. If you think smart.

So let’s unpack these first and then I can tell you about my experience using the Sapience Top Loader with Smart Inverter and it’s special features.

WATER SAVING TIPS WHEN USING A TOP LOADER (& general laundry etiquette) 

  1. Make sure you re-use clothes as much as possible and throw things in the wash ONLY when absolutely necessary. As hard as it can be with kids, if they aren’t going anywhere fancy, let them wear a t-shirt with a few marks on it again. Chances of them keeping a fresh t-shirt clean for longer than 5 minutes is slim anyway.
  2. Invest in a few big packs of wet wipes! This not only saves water when it come to washing hands, but for wiping small spots of dirt off clothes! I’ve always sworn by these little life-savers but even more so now. They are amazing for wiping dirt off just about any surface, clothes included!
  3. Make sure your loads are full. The fact that you can put three times the amount of washing in the 13 kg top loader means you do far fewer loads. What would normally take me three loads, now takes me one. This means that of I’m diligent and selective about what I wash and when I wash it, I only end up doing one big load a week. I’m pretty sure that amounts to less water in the long run?
  4. Grey Water Grey Water Grey water!! There is an outlet pipe at the back that allows you to store and use all excess grey water. This can be used for flushing toilets, cleaning bath mats, floors, windows, cars etc….
  5. Use the correct WATER LEVEL option. The fact that this machine has a WATER LEVEL function button means you can select the proper amount of water in relation to the weight and type of laundry. So often machines use more than they need to so this is a great one to use in our water crisis.

So there you have it. Not all bad new now is it? Now let me tell you about my experience using this Energy Saving Top Loader with Smart Inverter. 

My first time using it I wanted try something that I wouldn’t ordinarily be able to wash in a normal front loader. I wanted to really put the size aspect to the test and so I did what I’ve been needing to do for a very long time. I threw in the boy’s Lorena Canals cactus rug (which in machine washable), but far too big and heavy for a normal front loader. Not before I took some pictures to show you exactly how grubby it was though…

BEFORE….

And I have to say I was a little bit unsure how it would get out some of the marks I have tried my best to remove with a scourer on several occasions. I thought it would do an OKAY job, but I had reservations about the stains I won’t lie.

I think this “After” Picture speaks for itself… I was so blown away by the difference it made! You must know how much stuff like this excites me.

AFTER….

I was so amazed to see how something so heavy and so big could be washed so thoroughly and that even sticky gooey dirt that I couldn’t pick of with my finger nails was removed! In the name of transparency, I learnt afterwards that washing things like this does use more water and so Cape Town mamas, best you stick to the essentials. Again, please note that all grey water can be used so make sure you don’t let that water go to waste.

So It’s pretty obvious I was impressed from our very first experience There was not a single mark left on the rug, which was dirty from all sorts of messy play and food since we got it just over a year ago – play doh, glue, juice-spills, stickers, chips and who knows what else my kids have snuck into their room to eat over time.

I can honestly say that it came out as good as new. And I didn’t have to pay the for a professional carpet cleaner to do it for me which could have cost anywhere between R350 and R500. Maybe more! So we saved big time on that too.

 

I tested a few loads of clothing to put their lighter load options to the test and again was impressed with the easy to follow function buttons and different options that are available for specific cycle washes. Choosing the correct water level is certainly a feature that stood out to me and one that most people should consider using, whether in a water-crisis or not.

Here are the really great features of the Smart Inverter Top-loader that stand out and set it apart from the rest: 

Energy Saving with Smart Inverter Control → Smart Inverter Technology eliminates wasted operation by efficiently controlling energy use. It claims to save 30% of energy used which let’s face it, is no laughing matter when it comes to our electricity bill. I love products that find solutions to these factors and optimise your washing time without it depleting electricity for your monthly budget.

Smart Motion → Smart Motion is 3 kinds of motions created by Smart Inverter for optimized washing by fabric type.

Turbo Drum™ → TurboDrum™ enables the most powerful wash and removes even the toughest dirt through strong water stream of rotating drum and pulsator in the opposite direction. I saw this feature in action with something as big as our rug (140cm x 200cm) and I can testify for the power of it. It’s super impressive the way the drum moves in different directions, all the while squeezing out dirt and penetrating deep into the materials surface.

Besides all these impressive features, it is beautiful and compact, as well as safe and convenient (despite it’s 13kg allowance) and I dunno about you, but I’m a sucker for pretty alliances that actually look good in your kitchen or laundry room. This one comes in two different colour options – silver and white and in different capacities – 9kg, 13kg, 15kg and 17kg.

 

If you want to find out more information about the  #LGSmartInverter, click here for the 15kg option and here for the 17kg option. Please note the 13kg option has the exact same specs as these, however offers 13kg capacity. Please also not that LG offer you a 10 year warranty which only speaks volumes about their faith in the product as well as in their customer service, ensuring they want customers to be 100% happy with their purchases.

HAPPY WASHING GUYS! Please don’t forget to make use of the tips above when it comes to saving water. With Day Zero fast approaching let’s be water conscious and use our washing machines wisely and when only absolutely necessary.

*Disclaimer – I was sent the LG Smart Inverter Top Loader for review purposes. While I didn’t pay for the product, all thoughts and opinions are honest and my own.

 

 

Hi I’m Leigh! Did you enjoy reading this post? I really hope so and would love you to stick around a little longer! Please feel free to browse my blog for other articles or to keep up with all the latest news and to be the first to hear about some great competitions, come and find me me on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. You can also email me directly at leeloobaggins@hotmail.com or simply subscribe below and never worry about missing out!