If you own a top-loading washing machine, you can probably add in extra clothes after the wash cycle has started. Those of us with a front loading clothes spinner never enjoyed that modern convenience; until now. At its IFA 2015 conference, Samsung announced its new WW8500 AddWash washing machine, which makes it possible to add in more clothes during a cycle -- from the front.
According to Samsung's research -- cited by Samsung -- around 90 percent of people in Europe wish they could add more clothes to a cycle while it's ongoing, but considering most people use a front-loading style there, it's not possible. For those few machines that do allow it, there are only certain times when it can happen and even then, most consumers don't know how or when.
So Samsung created the AddWash, which has a second door located on the top-section of the main door. This allows owners to add more washing during a cycle, or even top up fabric conditioner and washing power if they want to get their clothes extra clean.
Working the new door seems easy. You simply press the pause button to halt the current cycle -- temporarily -- and the little door pops open. They can then shove in whatever it is extra that needs cleaning and restart it, or even wait until certain points in the cycle, like during the rinse, adding more fragile items that might otherwise not survive the vigorous main wash.
For concerned parents, there is a child safety feature to prevent them opening the second door.
As you might expect from a washing machine in 2015, secondary doors are not all the AddWash offers. Samsung has also built in smart controls and monitoring, so you keep an eye on what the machine is doing while you're out and about. It also supports Samsung's SuperSpeed, sub one-hour wash cycles, its 'ecobubble' tech that pre-mixes detergent with air and water quicker than traditional machines, and it even comes fitted with a Digital Inverter motor, which is more efficient than ever before.