Why your next washing machine should be smart

Samsung smart washing machine
SponsoredSamsung

In today’s world, where work and home are sometimes closer than you’d like, you don’t have time for doing laundry the old way. Washing machines need to be smarter, and so Samsung’s smart washers are ready to rise (and rinse) to the challenge.

Washing machines have changed since the last time you bought one. A smart washer is able to anticipate your needs, and learn your laundry habits.

Advanced sensors

It’s not just about how heavy your load is, in kilos, but also how dirty it is. A smart washing machine can detect dirt, remember your preferences and usage, and communicate with your dryer to set up a dry cycle too.

And because set-and-forget isn’t enough (it’s the forget part that’s the problem!), a Samsung smart washer can communicate with a compatible mobile device via the SmartThings App. Rather that peering at complicated dials and buttons on the machine itself, you can use the app to control it from the couch. When the load is done, you’ll receive an alert, and you’ll also get reminders for when it’s time to do the next load – so the school uniforms will always be ready for Monday morning!

Quicker laundry, done more easily

Naturally, this new generation of Samsung smart washing machine is easier to use, faster to complete a cycle, quieter in operation, and more efficient in its use of power and water – so it doesn’t just save you time, it can also save you money.

And every machine in the smart washer and dryer range benefits from Samsung’s new styling, which combines familiar laundry-room ideas like a central control dial, with a sleek, minimalist design available in white, or platinum silver and even black.

What is a smart washing machine?

Washer phone notifications
Smart washers can remind you to empty the drum so your laundry doesn’t get smelly.

When you combine a suite of sensors inside the washing machine, with external communication and control via an app, and top it off with some machine learning, you get a smart washing machine.

A sensor that detects a load’s weight is pretty standard, but Samsung smart washers can also analyse how dirty your clothes are. By doing this, the smart washing machine can recommend which cycle is best for you to choose.

Did you know, while washing machines have up to a dozen different cycles to choose (or more) most of us use just four (or less) out of the whole set? A Samsung smart washer will take note of this and adjust the controls to put your favourite cycles up front, making it easier to select them. No more clonking the dial all the way around just to get to ‘Quick 30’!

Washer-dryer communication

Once a load is done, you used to have to remember exactly what it was you just washed, and then ‘translate’ that up to your dryer. A load of cotton dainties goes on… mild? Or is it hot but not for too long?

A Samsung smart washer can communicate with a compatible dryer, and send information about the load, so the dryer sets itself up with the correct cycle for what you just washed. It means pulling the laundry out of the washer, shoving in the dryer, and hitting the start button. It couldn’t be easier!

Speaking of knowing what each load is, your Samsung smart washer knows that you tend to do the same washes each week. The washer can remember when these loads are done, and set up accordingly. Approach the washer on Wednesday, it remembers you’re doing the bed linens.

Clean user experience, in more ways than one!

Remotely wash
Remotely select and schedule wash and dry cycles on a Samsung smart washer, and receive alerts via the SmartThings app.

All of this clever control is now accessed through a simpler, cleaner UX that combines the familiar ‘big washing machine dial’ in the middle, with a display that shows just the information you need right now, instead of a huge ‘control board’ of baffling options.

As mentioned, you can link your Samsung smart washing machine to the SmartThings app on your compatible phone (or even Samsung TV!) and receive notifications about when the next load of laundry is due – as well as when the current one has finished.

How a smart washing machine adds real value

We all know that every piece of clothing and linen has a ‘proper’ way to be laundered, as indicated on its tag. When a fabric is laundered properly, it looks better, works better, and lasts longer.

A Samsung smart washing machine can use its array of sensors plus a few other key features, to launder your clothes the way they should be laundered. For example, the BubbleWash system pre-mixes detergent so it can penetrate fabrics more effectively. This has an added benefit of needing less water to get a better clean.

A Samsung smart washer isn’t just more thorough, it’s also faster. And because it can communicate with a compatible dryer, you can be confident that fabrics are not being damaged or excessively worn during the drying process.

Combine all of these and a smart washing machine offers efficiencies that can save you real dollars, by using less water and less power, to get better results than an older machine.

How to use a smart washing machine (and how it’s different)

When all these things – sensors, water and detergent systems, communication with a dryer, app control – come together, you get Samsung’s AI Wash. Here’s how it looks in action.

Monday routine

Let’s imagine a typical household. It’s Monday afternoon, and you’re just getting back from your run, as you always do. You receive a notification on your phone – it’s the washing machine checking to see if it’s time to do an active-wear cycle. You jump out of your running gear and add it to the rest of the gym and sports stuff from the family. Then you bundle all this into the washing machine.

The AI Wash cycle is already set to Active Wear, which combines temperatures, soak time, spin time, and more, so the mostly synthetic fibres of active wear are cleaning in a way that’s thorough, but not damaging. You don’t need to flip through cycle options looking for the right one, or set temp, or spin, or anything. You just hit Start!

(Washing) machine learning

How did the washing machine learn to do this? Well, for the first few weeks after buying it, you used the machine’s control dial and touch controls to select an Active Wear cycle, every Monday. You also connected it to the SmartThings app on your Android phone to get notifications about when the wash was finished.

The washing machine learned your habits, not just the Monday afternoon Active Wash, but your Saturday morning school and work clothes wash, as well as a couple of others – so much washing for a growing family!

Now, instead of having to remember to get that wash on, you get a notification on your phone via the SmartThings app, reminding you it’s time to get those grotty school shorts in the machine.

Next on your washing machine’s self-taught schedule: The bed linens!

How smart washing machines are quieter and save space in the laundry

AI Wash and all the smarts that come with your smart washing machine are amazing and make life easier, but really at the end of the day it’s all about the laundry. You want cleaner clothes, done quicker, with less water. And while we’re asking – it would be great if the machine could be quiet as well!

Samsung’s smart washers do indeed utilise quiet motor tech, while water injection systems push bubbles deeper into fabric for a more thorough clean. Samsung’s pre-foaming systems mean you can do this using less water and detergent, making the machine more efficient overall.

Washer dryer combos

For the ultimate in convenience, you can also choose one of Samsung’s smart combined washer-dryers, which do it all. Dirty clothes go in, clean and dry clothes come out. It’s the laundry Holy Grail!

You can choose a Samsung smart washer in traditional white, but many models now come in black or platinum silver for a sleek modern look. 

Finally, there’s that clever control layout. The traditional washing machine dial in the middle, so you know where to start. And then a row of touch controls flanking the intelligent display. It makes the washing machine look cleaner, and it makes it less fiddly to use, too. You can still access all the more-complicated options, but only when you need them, instead of having to battle a huge control panel every time you wash.