Why are washing machine cycles so long? If you've ever found yourself frustrated at waiting hours for your clothes to finish washing, you've probably wondered why washing machines take so long these days. Put simply, it's down to water efficiency – modern machines, particularly front loaders, are very water efficient.
Programmes will take longer to finish when an additional function such as extra rinse or pre-wash is selected. You may be using too much detergent or an inappropriate type for your appliance. Read the instructions on the detergent packaging to find out if it's the right type for your washing machine.
A normal wash cycle usually takes between 50 minutes to an hour to complete. However, this time could be faster or slower depending on load size and the cycles or options you choose.
If your wash cycle is taking a long time to complete, or if there is an error message, it may be because the washer is off balance or overloaded. Wait until the cycle has completed before attempting to open the door. Try rearranging items inside the machine, or removing bulky items, and manually re-centering the tub.
As a rule, modern wash cycle times generally increase with load weight, or vice versa. So don't be concerned if your 7 kg wash takes 3 hours for example.
Cycle times for front loaders are getting longer as water efficiency improves. One machine we tested even took a whopping 4 hours 38 minutes to complete a cycle! In fairness, your patience is rewarded with great wash performance and it does have a quick wash option (albeit suitable only for a small, 2kg load).
A washer that continuously takes too long to wash may have a malfunctioning load sense system, or greater problems with its control panel. There may also be issues with your water inlet valve, which pulls water into the appliance for each cycle.
Wash with a cold cycle
Washing with a cold cycle can save you more than 80% of your energy consumption and cost. This is because most of the energy is used just to heat up the water in warm washes. Cold washes are just as clean as warm washes in most situation.
Use quick wash to care for your washing machine and clothes
Quick washes are better for your washing machine, reducing their running time and helping to care for them for longer. Quick washes are also better for your clothes.
A Delicate wash cycle (or “delicates”) is the washing machine equivalent to handwashing. This cycle uses warm or cold water with low or no spin and is the shortest and most gentle cleaning cycle. We recommend using this cycle to wash silk, wool, and the more delicate synthetic items you may have.
The reason that modern clothes washers (and dish washers) have such long cycles is an effort to wash using less water. This conserves both water and energy (because less energy is used to heat less water).
Microfibre release was significantly greater for the 40 °C, 85 minute cycle in comparison with the cold-quick cycle, and this effect continued with further washes." In other words, a colder, shorter wash cycle was found to reduce any color loss, dye stains, or microfiber loss.
A good rule of thumb is to avoid leaving clothes in the washer for more than 8 to 12 hours. However, Murphy says there's more to think about than just timing to prevent your clothes from smelling and mildewing, especially if you're prone to letting your laundry sit for hours at a time.
Also, 15 minutes isn't long enough to clean a full load of washing, even if it isn't stained.
Some of the most common faults that will make your washer stop mid cycle include thermostat failure, problems filling up with water for the rinse cycle, or even pump problems that prevent your washer from draining. One thing that you can check yourself is the lid switch.
A quick wash cycle should only be used to clean lightly soiled items of clothing. If you have very dirty clothes, or items that are stained, they should be washed on a normal wash setting, whereby the cycle length is longer and the water is warmer.
By using less energy, a quick wash will also save you money, too. But a quick wash isn't the best option if you need to wash stained clothes. The temperature is too low to lift a stain properly, so always use a full wash for this.
Quick/Speed Wash
As the name suggests, this setting is for quickly cleaning lightly soiled items. It is best to use this setting for small loads that need to be cleaned in a hurry. This cycle has a quicker wash time of typically 15 to 40 minutes, and a more powerful spin speed to extract more moisture.
Typically, it is okay to use washing machines every day as long as you give them time to rest after using them for an hour. Washing machines need rest to handle heat resistance inside them. When used once or twice, they work well and show no signs of damage.
High-Efficiency Washer
Cycle times are much longer partly due to the low water use—it takes longer to get clothes clean.
According to The Mirror's interview with fabric science expert Lucinda Ottusch, leaving your clothing in the washing machine is okay sometimes, but not for more than 8 to 12 hours. However, leaving clothes overnight won't ruin them.
CEO of Laundryheap Deyan Dimitrov also agrees with this advice. Dimitrov previously told HuffPost UK that when it comes to tumble drying or washing clothes for less, make sure to avoid using the appliances any time between 4pm and 7pm, as this is the most popular and expensive period.
At a minimum, a washing machine can complete washing clothes in about 15 minutes for a small amount of clothes or single items. However, the average wash time for a regular full load is about an hour.