"My maid up and quit yesterday and now the house in is chaos! I don't mind cleaning the house, but washing and ironing every one's clothes is too much of a burden."

Are you familiar with this? If so, then you might be among the 88 percent of households in Indonesia that struggle with household chores, especially when it comes to washing by hand. These households primarily depend on maids to do the laundry and have not considered a washing machine to ease the burden.

Many people traditionally believe that a washing machine could not possibly clean clothes properly but just tangles them up and inflates a household's electricity bill. When compared to a maid, who can do lots of other chores, people think that overall a washing machine costs more. However, washing machine manufactures have taken measures to change these perceptions

GfK, which has tracked retail sales of home appliances since the early 1990s, recorded that up to 2000, an average of 320,000 washing machines were sold per year. By 2008, about one million washing machines were being sold per year, which represents a more than 200 percent sales growth, at least 16 percent increase per year.

Refrigerator sales grew around 155 percent in the same period. Indonesia's washing machine penetration rate is 13 to 15 percent, meaning less than half of every household with a refrigerator has a washing machine.

This indicates that perceptions about washing machines are changing. Manufacturers are introducing washing machines with numerous features to help consumers get maximum benefit from spending between Rp 1 million (about US$ 83) and Rp 7 million depending on the model type: twin tub (semi-automatic), single tub (fully automatic) or drum front loader.

Currently, twin tubs account for up to 65 percent of the market, single tubs 27 percent and front loaders 5 percent. The popularity of the twin tub can be accounted for by its price. For around Rp 1.2 million, a person can buy a twin tub and spend more time removing clothes from the washer to the spinner. A smaller capacity machine or Chinese brand cost even less.

However, for about Rp 1.9 million more, a fully automatic washing machine can be purchased and the hassle of moving clothes from the washing tub to the spinner can be avoided. A fully automatic machine also takes up less space.

The price of a front loader is between Rp 3.2 million and Rp 7 million, depending on the brand. This type of machine consumes less water and results in cleaner clothes and less tangling. Front loaders are popular in developed countries with four seasons because it spins clothes drier or is paired with a dryer.

In the Asia Pacific, the fully automatic single tub is more common.

In developing countries with low penetration rates and a relatively high percentage of the population living in rural areas, where water may not be connected to households or water pressure may be low, the twin tub is more common. Changes in lifestyle, urban spread and changing purchasing patterns tend to lead to growth in these markets, with consumers upgrading to fully automatic machines.

The front loader segment recorded the strongest growth of all washing machine types in 2008. Even though Indonesia's front loader market is small at 5 percent of the washing machine market, it outstrips Malaysia's 3 percent, Thailand's 4 percent and the Philippines' almost zero.

Exceptions in the region include Hong Kong, Korea and Taiwan:

Hong Kongers prefer drum top loaders due to limited living space;

Taiwanese prefer high capacity (over 14kg) single tub machines due to lifestyle preferences;

Koreans buy the highest proportion of front load washer/dryers (front loaders with integrated dryer). Very high-end washers cost more than US$1,000;

Australia has the highest proportion of front loaders in the region. Note that the Australian government has mandatory water labels in place due to drought conditions. The Australian government also provides consumers rebates if they chose water saving washing machines with a high water star rating.

Judging from the market in these countries, we see the future choices for Indonesian customers. Clearly, what customers want is a washing machine that uses less water and electricity with a compact design, is easy to operate and with functions that save time, offer safety and satisfying results.

So how about that maid? It's true that we often complain about the quality of their work, of not doing the work properly or of spending too much time on their mobile phone, but sometimes we forget they not only help us but also do everything for us.

So, how about helping them work more efficiently by getting a washing machine for your house?

Good luck with your choice and choose wisely!

The writer is a market analyst at GfK Retail and Technology Indonesia

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