New washing machine takes 4-5 hours to wash a full load, is this normal?

[Shopaholic100]

My old Bosch washing machine died after 15 years, so I bought a new Samsung 9 kg add wash one, after lots of positive reviews both on line and from family and friends. I tried my friends one which was 9kg and had a daily wash cycle and was really impressed. So we bought the latest model thinking thinking they would just have improved on the older model. How wrong we were. After it finally arrived (a whole other story), it has lots of different cycles but only 2 where you can use it for a 9kg load and they take 4-5+ hours and it doesn’t have the daily wash function. It does have a 15 minute one but you can only put in 2kg and it does a cold wash.

I’m not sure how it has a A+++ rating it takes hours to wash a normal family load. I’m not sure why they have a 9kg drum when most of the settings have a maximum of 4kg load. My old machine washed a load in about one hour. Is this normal in new machines?

I’m so disappointed it was quite expensive so I can’t even replace it. I only wanted a machine which would wash my clothes in a reasonable amount of time. I’ve only had it just over a week and wish I’d gone for the older model with less options but a one hour daily wash.

To top it off the new Bosch dryer has decided it only want to dry shirts etc and anything like T-shirt’s come out damp no matter how many times you put them back in😬.

I want my old appliances back at least they washed everything in an hour and dried everything you put in there. Are new appliances just not as good?

[PleasantVille]

My Bosch takes over 4 hours for some programmes as it's very energy efficient but I can choose to do it less economically on each one.

It's not a problem for me, I use the timer function a lot. Do you need your things more quickly?

[CottonSock]

I just got a Samsung washer. Adding bubble wash a long spin etc add lots of time. I find the timer not always accurate and it sometimes ends much quicker. But the full on wash does take all day..also my small kids socks get stuck in the door rim. Bit disappointed overall too.

[Megan2018]

It’s water efficiency that gives it the rating.
The new machines use much less water on long cycles.

Fortunately my AEG has options for shorter, less efficient cycles too but it’s a shame you are stuck with it.
Did you buy online? You might be able to reject it if badly described within the 14 days.

[GreyishDays]

We have one of those and I didn’t realise the daily wash isn’t meant to take the full 9kg. I use that all the time, pretty full, not absolutely rammed. It’s 1 hr 2 mins on ours.

[TazMac]

Is it on the eco wash? Mine takes 4.5 hours on the eco wash but just over 1 hour in the daily wash.

[CamillasHardHat]

This is the reason I avoided buying an A+++ rated machine due to the ridiculous length of the wash cycle.

I watched someone review my machine on YouTube and they went through all the cycle settings and there is a reduce time setting.

My friend has one that takes 4 hours so now after the children have stripped off for their evening bath she puts the washing into the machine then, deals with it in the morning.

It is the same with the very eco tumble dryers they take hours and hours.

[ememem84]

depending on the setting mine can take up to 4 hours on the eco setting.

less than an hour on speed setting for most temperatures.

[EerilyDeleted]

When we replaced ours recently cycle time was one of the top priorities for us as we are out a lot (daytime and evening) and won't leave it on then or overnight, so we filtered the reviews on that. It does depend a lot on what cycle you choose so it's worth trying all the options, we do most of ours on a 40° cotton cycle which takes about 75 mins but the time does go up if you fully load it.

[RepeatSwan]

Yes mine has slow washes and fast washes, but the fast washes have lower weight limits.

[HardAsSnails]

This is pretty standard for newer washing machines. It is typically only the cottons cycle which takes a full load, but most people don't read the instructions and overload on shorter cycles which will shorten the life of the machine.

My Bosch is about 2h40m for a cottons cycle but it does reduce the time of it's not a full load. I generally do smaller loads/shorter cycles though so it's not a problem, and stuff gets less creased if the machine isn't packed.

The wash time will also extend if the machine senses too much detergent so make sure you aren't putting too much in.

[Shopaholic100]

Laundry used to take me about 4 hours to wash and dry 2 full loads (usually 1 hour to wash and 1 hour to dry), 4-5 hours just to wash 1 load is just so inconvenient and laundry now seems to take the full day! Plus I never leave appliances on when we’re not at home so we are stuck at home. The eco function I haven’t tried yet as I expect that to take even longer. The bubble wash adds time so I’ve only used that once.

The machine has a sensor so it tells you it’s going to take 1 hour 27 mins then changes it to 4 hours, the first time I blamed my husband for pressing something, oops. On the plus side the clothes come out smelling very clean, but after 4 hours that’s to be expected.

I did buy it online but when it said the capacity was 9kg that was what I was expecting it to wash in a reasonable time frame.

It’s got all the bells and whistles , WiFi, steam function and various settings, but it just doesn’t do the thing I need it for on a regular basis which is a full white mixed load and coloured load. Just something to look out for if you’re looking for a new machine.

I wish I could change it for the older model which had the daily wash.

[rorosemary]

Don't use the eco wash. That takes forever. Just use another programme and adjust temperature where necessary.

[Johnny1963]

This is so timely. Our washing machine is on its last legs and I've been looking for a new one. It's so difficult to find out how long the wash cycles are. I only use the full cycle rarely so I rely on the short washes on my current Zanussi machine.

Sorry to hijack the thread but does anyone have a machine they recommend for short washes at a range of temperatures?

[Imicola]

Took me about a year to realise that the eco wash on our Bosch is 60 degrees c. What?! Why?! I dislike it for that and other reasons. Many of the settings are about 3 and a half hours, so not quite as bad as yours, but no matter how many times I tell DH which setting to use to get a 40 degree wash, it usually goes on at 60. Arghhhh. I agree though, the more they develop them the less intuitive they are and the longer they take which is difficult to fit in around a busy life... not so bad when wfh full time mind you!

[RaisinGhost]

How annoying! Is it a front loader? I've found they take an unusually long time to do a load, so I stick with top loaders these days.

[SoupDragon]

I have a different machine - I only ever use the "coloured and synthetics" Cycle which takes about 2 hours (usually under) - the white/cotton one is ridiculously long.

What annoys me is that I chose it for the high spin speed but you can only get this as a separate spin cycle, not as part of a wash cycle. This means I have to put it oN for another spin at the end of the wash.

[BertieBotts]

This is totally normal for newer machines :) what it's doing is incorporating long periods of soaking which allows you to use less agitation, less water, heat the water more slowly and less detergent although I always put in a normal amount. That's how it is energy efficient - I was really confused as well at first.

I set mine to run overnight and finish about an hour after I get up when I hang up the clothes and put more in if I need to, but if you need to do a wash quicker there is normally a time reduction button. I can set mine down to an hour for a full wash (not quick wash) which works fine as well.

[Dontfuckingsaycheese]

Have you actually weighed your washing? I did and it didn't weigh anywhere near what I thought!

[pinkbalconyrailing]

4-5 hours is
my miele does the cotton eco cycle in 3 hours which works great for us timing wise (and stuff comes out clean)

[BarbaraofSeville]

Our AEG takes around 3 to 3.25 hours to do a full 8 kilo load. We generally use the timer so it finishes early in the morning ready to be hung outside.

It can do smaller loads quicker or you can use a time saver button but it does warn that dirtier washing may not be properly clean. We don't generally use that because DP works on a building site so produces quite a bit of properly dirty washing, but may be useful if your washing is only lightly soiled.

WTF does a washing machine need wifi for? To keep it entertained while it takes 4 hours to do a wash?

[pinkbalconyrailing]

careful with that time reduction button, often it just takes away a rinse

[steppemum]

The A+++ rating is to do with how little energy it uses.

Clothes get clean either by agitation, (drum moving) or soaking. Soaking is really energy efficient, agitation is not energy efficient.

So all new machines have stupidly long cycles. Our standard one is 2.5 hours.
But I knew this when buying, so we looked for a machine with a daily wash. The daily wash is 1 hour, you can do it on 40 or 60 (or hotter or colder) so that is pretty much the only cycle I use.

I can also do a quick 15 minute wash which technically is supposed to be less weight, but it is fine with a full load. I do 15 minute wash and then 12 minute spin, as the spin cycle on the 15 minute wash is not full spin.

I would experiment with those 4kg washes. See if they are actually fine with more clothes.

[AuntieJoyce]

I have a candy 8kg with a 45 min 40 degree wash. It also has shorter programs at lower temp and smaller load. Was about £240 a couple of years ago

Has a 1600 spin which cuts drying time down by a third on my old 1200 spin machine

In the usa on holiday I once used a machine that allowed you to select your own time, temp and spin speed then press go. Wonderfully simple if a manufacturer brought it out here they’d do a bomb

[steppemum]

missed out saying soaking takes AGES and agitation is quick, so A+++ machines all rely on soaking.
Quicker cycles add in more agitation

[BarbaraofSeville]

Have you actually weighed your washing? I did and it didn't weigh anywhere near what I thought

I did this years ago and found that the weight of washing that matched the machine capacity was far more than what I was putting in before I thought it might be too full and not wash properly.

Our new one weighs the washing itself and decides on a time to take. If you only fill it half full or so, it only takes about an hour or so.

No idea if it takes more or less energy than a full load, I've read that the longer eco programmes use the least energy because your washing sits for ages in water soaking, whereas quicker programmes spend more time agitating, so more energy.