New Bosch washing machine | 3 hours and 50 minutes cotton cycle | WTF?

Great for one wash but what about the 3 others I’m trying to get done on a weekend and hung out? We generally have one sports kit wash, one school uniform wash, a grown up was or two, plus a house hold wash (towels/bedding) a week. We generally only have the weekend to get it all done.

I had an old Miele at the last house which did a load in hour (RIP MIELE) on the “auto” setting and moved house to anew Bosch. When we first moved we used the “mixed load” 58 minute wash but the cotton cycle is a revelation. The clothes are super clean and nearly bone dry. Socks are so white!!

we also have a Bosch heat pump dryer which is miraculous because every thing goes in it!

Mine is about 3.5hrs, Doesn't bother me as I'm not sat watching it. Chuck washing in, go out/ to bed/ do something and then come back and empty. I have 3 kids 5 and under so do plenty of laundry, honestly have never understood people complaining about cycle length.

The fast washes are only supposed to be for like 3 shorts not a full wash. Your clothes won't be getting clean, the fabrics will have detergent build up on them. Plus they'll wear out quicker if you're using lots of agitation vs soaking.

I used the mixed cycle. It takes 1 hour

Mines is the same. Pretty much everything goes on a fast (55 min) wash. I’m not convinced by the 15 min one. Then an extra spin (11min) at this time of year as drying indoors. I don’t bother if putting it on the line.

And it’s the energy and water its using, more to the point

Yes I have a Bosch too. I just use the 55 min 40c cycle . Everything is very clean. I occasionally use the 60c but it’s 2hrs so try to avoid .

My washing machine has some crazy long cycles...I never use them

Most stuff gets put on the 30 minute wash option...

Our new Bosch is around the same. But I can shorten the cycle to 1.5 hours if it’s 5kg or less. The long cycle is for up to 10kg. You can possibly do the same if your load isint too big.

I understand the frustration with washing machine cycle lengths, but it blows my mind how few people seem to know how perilous our water availability it in the UK. Yes, it rains a lot (not as much as it used to!) but huge swathes of the country get drinking water from groundwater aquifers, not collected rainwater. Climate change has meant more rain is coming in shorter but heavier events, which run off rather than soak in, meaning those aquifers are running dangerously low in multiple regions (there are other reasons, but that is a big one).

Quite simply, we've done what we've done for things like fishing - "oh but there's loads of fish, so why do we need any control on fishing", and now we have significantly depleted fish stocks. We culturally think water is so abundant that it has no value, so we don't value it, and are now starting to reap the results.

There's a lot the industry needs to do (and are slowing now being forced to, but it is slow), but if every end user in the UK was more conscious of usage - be that not watering the lawn in summer, not washing clothes after one use, getting leaks fixed promptly, not running the shower for ages, or choosing the eco cycle for washing - it would make a difference.

Have you checked all the options? My bosch manine offers 75. 45 and 20 mins as well as the long cycles.

Does it have the ‘speed perfect’ button to take the time right down?

I love the 3hr cycle on mine.

Load it before bed, set the timer to come on at 4am and it’s ready to hang out when I get up. Housework whilst I’m asleep? Yes please!

What is your first sentence meant to mean?

No one is watching it, its about the time taken to finish all the washing every week. We do ours over the weekend and usually have around 4 or 5 loads, if it was 3 hours a cycle thats 15 hours in total, takes forever.

When I use my little 32 minute cycle, even if I had an extra spin of 8 mins, thats just over 3 hours give or take.

One of the great things about an automatic washing machine is that you don't have to sit and watch it throughout the whole cycle.

I haven't timed it, but I don't think the eco cycle (which I use all the time as it's environmentally friendly...) on my Bosch actually takes as long as the duration that initially flashes up.

That is long, but I know in the case of an Eco setting it can do that. And that Cotton cycles can be like that.
I have a Hoover washing machine, the Synthetics cycle is good, which I still put some cottons in. It measures at the beginning, and it will cut down quite a bit once it has done its thing, and knows how much is in the drum, so that can be used for so many clothes, and I go between that and where I can, I use the rapid wash, but will usually go with 30 mins or 45, because I don’t feel 14/15 as most offer, is enough.

What’s ridiculous about it? Do you sit watching the machine for the whole time? I put mine on a long cycle when I don’t need to do several loads at once. So for example before I leave for work - then it’s harming no one. 😂

We shove everything on the 1h 'mixed load' cycle. And push the temperature up if we want more of a cottons wash.
Tbf, that 1 hr cycle can take anything from about 40 to 90 mins. The times aren't acurate!!

These long cycles, added to the 'don't run overnight or while asleep" messages make life pretty impossible!

Yep totally agree

OH does the washing here and insists on using the proper cycle which takes an age. I use the xpress which takes 32 mins, it doesnt spin properly and doesnt take all the soap out which infuriates him but Im not using the longer cycle

Give the ECO setting a try for sports kit.

I use Eco cycle all the time now. My teenagers clothes come out with no sweaty smell at all. With shorter washes the armpits always retained a little ‘whiff’.

It weighs at the start so never takes the full time but yes it is longer.

Yes, my Bosch has a mixed load cycle that takes around an hour. I use that for practically everything. I do the towels at 60 degrees, everything else at the default 40, except when I’m washing woollens on 30.

30 minute, 30°, bish bash Bosch 👍

I have Miele, it has a button to press which shortens the cycke. I also have a dishwasher with a short cycle

We might have the same machine. I use the easy care cycle for most things. Says 4kg but I wash more than that on it. 2.5 hours. I do use the cottons 50 setting for towels though

Press "Speed Perfect" and it goes down to 1hr and 17 minutes.