Hotpoint ActiveCare 10kg NM11 1045 WC A Washing Machine Review

A review of Hotpoint's latest ActiveCare 10kg NM11 1045 WC A washing machine.

AD: The machine was gifted from Hotpoint. All opinions and thoughts are completely honest and my own.

I'm pretty sure we wash more clothes than your average couple with a dog. So much so that I recently (and have almost finished) installing this utility kitchen area.

But how do we create so many wash loads, I hear you ask? Well, if we're not dog walking in the mud, I'm getting dirty doing DIY, or we've gone camping in our camper van.

And for the purpose of this review, the latter was the perfect to explore the ins and outs of its capabilities. You see, we've just got back from a two week Christmas adventure in France and Spain and this is just a fraction of the dreaded loads we had to face. Isn't unpacking the worst?!

So, here we have pillows, coats, a double sleeping bag, woollen blankets, hiking clothes and of course, let's not forget the more delicate undies.

But firstly, if you'd like to know how to install a washing machine yourself, then I'll be sharing a step to step guide on that very soon.

I think it's a very useful skill everyone should know, which I didn't until about 2 years ago.

LOAD SIZE

The very first thing we noticed about the Hotpoint ActiveCare 10kg NM11 WC A, (apart from it looking incredibly sleek), was its capacity.

Despite it being the same width and height of our old machine (W59.5cm x H85cm), it has a bigger load at 10kg. This meant we were able to reduce the amount of loads compared to what we'd normally been doing.

However, it does mean it's a tad deeper at 60.5cm if you need to take in to consideration any protruding pipes you may have against the wall.

BUT FIRSTLY, WHAT IS ACTIVE CARE?

ActiveCare is Hotpoint's innovative technology that claims to care for our clothes while actively removing more than 100 stains at 20 degrees, such as pizza, ink, coffee, mud etc.

After a trial run of this while washing our memory foam pillows which had unexplained grey and orange yellow stains, they thankfully came out mark free.

Note, I'd previously washed them in our old machine to no avail.

NO MEASURING REQUIRED

One of the immediate benefits I noticed was this handy tray dispenser. If you're like me, when I pour liquid detergent, I normally do this by eye.

I really appreciated all the millimeters marked out for me, because I have no time for measuring. Who's got time for that?!

I was able to pour it up to the 50ml line and away I went. There's also a separate dispenser for the fabric conditioner and a pre rinse section which I use more for quick rinse and spins.

NO MORE GUESSWORK

The other feature we love is the timer. We know exactly how long is left on the machine, so we can work around it and get on with our day. In fact, it's the most informative washing machine we've ever had.

ENERGY EFFICIENT

Surprisingly, with its digital nature, it also has an A+++ energy rating.
Now, while I'm on the topic of energy; during around 98% of its cycle, it's as quiet as a mouse.

However, there's just that 2% (approximate 2 minutes) of spinning which isn't so quiet. But this is a vast improvement compared to what I'm used to.

OTHER FEATURES WE LOVE

• Easy twist dial to change wash settings.
• It feels robust like it's been built to last.
• Steam clean at the end of the wash to help our sweatier clothes.
• Settings can be adjusted mid-cycle in case you forget, such as above.
• It has a timer, which has been ideal for setting the machine start first thing in the morning.
• It has a lock function.
• A rapid function to reduce washing time as well.
• Wool wash cycle to take best care of our fleece blankets and jumper.
• Can remove stains on a 20 degree wash.

WASHING TIPS TO MAKE LIFE EASIER

I am very fussy when it comes to washing my clothes. And this has come from the days I used to manage a clothes shop.

It was imperative we looked after our "staff uniform" so it would last a whole season. So here's a few tips I've picked up along the way:

• Try to have separate laundry baskets for used colours and whites as you go.
• Use laundry bags for your delicates to avoid catching on other garments.
• Never overload your machine to prevent damaging your clothes. *Speaking from experience when I was a student.
• If you're using colder settings, then liquid detergent dissolves much easier.
• Check your labels as for example, it's not worth throwing your woollens in with a regular 30 to 40 degree wash.

THE VERDICT

So finally, how did we get on?

Now I don't know if we've been pouring more detergent in to the machine due to its handy measurer. I may have been stingy while eyeballing it in the past. But our clothes have felt so much softer and we can smell the conditioner more.

Also, the stained pillows came out perfectly. And we're very impressed that we were able to put a halved double sleeping bag or duvet in the drum with ease. Before with our smaller machine, it really was a struggle.

So we would thoroughly recommend and it looks really cool.