How many towels do you wash at once ?

[imgoingtoregretthis]

I've just got my washing machine repaired. The bearings had gone and considering it was only a year old I think it must be the towels and bath mats that damaged it so quickly.

I'm a bit scared to put them in. Also because the full load programmes take 3 hours. So I generally wash on the 1 hour mixed which is only 3.5 kg so half the full load of 7kg. Mines a small machine compared to a lot.

I wash my towels and bath mats once a week generally. Maybe I should only put in one big bath sheet and a hand towel, but will take me a week to get everything done.

I’m interested in this too.

I also have a 7kg machine. Re bedding, I wash a double duvet cover and sheet and 4 pillow cases, plus an extra single duvet cover in one load. Is that too much?

I would do 2 bath sheets and a hand towel. Bath mats are very heavy so I think it’s them that cause the problems, unless they are t cotton but some kind of poly stuff that is light and dries fast.

It's actually is tricky as too little in it and and it doesn't spin properly.. although that was pre repair.

2 bath sheet size towels only in our 7kg mashine. They get v heavy when wet

9kg machine. Fits 4 bath towels And 4 hand towels at once. Or super king duvet, sheet, 4 pillow cases and cot bed sheet.

We swim every day so there are always towels in my machine. I say two large and one medium is a good enough load

2 bath sheets and a hand towel in a 7kg machine.
Zannusi machine that takes 1 hour and 3 minutes.

I think your washing machine was substandard and you should get a part or full refund. Breaking after 1 year is pathetic unless it's truly been abused or you were running a launderette.

The rule of thumb is if you can fit your hand vertically between the load and the top of the drum it's not overloaded. Of course you can weigh if you like.

I normally put 4-6 bath towels in and that's way under that guideline, I would do more but I want a load small enough to dry (washer-dryer) without splitting it.

Baths mats can get very heavy and might want the spin speed reduced. I'll probably put just 2 or 3 in. Too few items and the washing machine can't balance itself so I don't put anything in by itself, I'll find some other stuff for balance if I need to.

(Edit: Misread "repaired" as "replaced". Still, I hope you weren't charged for that repair.)

Instead of the half-load cycle, is there a way to reduce the cotton (7kg) cycle, eg an Eco wash button? That's what I do and it takes an hour. I think it spends less time sitting for long periods and might only do one rinse.

Eco wash cycles usually take longer. They wash at lower temp and also heat the water more slowly.

Using speed cycles which reduce time to around an hour often mean you can’t do a full load. Isn’t the key to put the towels on over night on the timer delay so they are done in morning. It’s also cheaper to run these longer cycles despite that feeling working....the water heats more slowly and more of the cleaning is done from sitting in water and less from furious turning.

To save money and the environment I try to do most cycles overnight on the slower wash, which can also be the full wash. Then when I need something done in an hour or using one of those 15/30 min speedy washes which are very expensive and energy inefficient to run (and only take about 3kg) I don’t feel so bad. But I think we need to accept that today’s machines take 2-3 hours for a full load and find ways to use that length of wash more often. Nighttime with time delay seems a good way.

I got rid of all of my big standard towels and bought a load of thin micro super quick dry towels
They are really thin but they dry incredibly quickly and you can fit loads in a washing machine and they take about 30 -40 mins to dry

Oh and I wash mine on 60 degrees on a 58 min cycle I can wash and dry a load if towels in around 90 mins

as many as I can ram in.

Mine went after a year as well, and it was a Bosch! I was really unimpressed. I've got an 8kg machine, and put a bath sheet, a bath towel and two hand towels in a load. I don't think that is too much at all.

I did read something that it's having one disproportionately heavy thing in with the rest of the load can unbalance it so I've been washing things like towels together, but it's starting to look like it's going again, so I'm suspicious it's just a crap machine.

I have an 11kg machine (love it sooo much) and put 6 bath sheets and sometimes two hair towels in at once.

Three hours is a huge amount of time. What program are you using? Is it the economy one, or are you Basically boiling them?

@minipie

I have an 11kg machine (love it sooo much) and put 6 bath sheets and sometimes two hair towels in at once.

That’s great, I’m sure she’s delighted for you..

Our wm has kept going for several years - I can't remember when we got it but could be ten years ago. I regularly wash a double duvet cover and sheet, two pillowcases and some underwear in one go.

Jeez, snarky much Bluntness100? I was simply answering the OP’s question. I appreciate it doesn’t help her with how many she can get in her current machine but if she or any other reader is considering a new w/m it may be helpful.

we mainly use hand towels.
about 10 in one got get washed together.
bath sheets on the very rare occassion we use them (beach use) get washed one by one.

Is there still a gap above the towels when you put them in the machine? You need to leave room for them to be able to move so don't overfill. I use a cotton cycle as that one uses more water and takes the largest load. My machine has that as 3 hours unless you increase temperature to 60⁰C and then it reduces to 2 hours.

There is a shorter 60⁰C wash but it takes a smaller load so won't be as effective at cleaning the towels as it uses less water

2 bath sheets, a hair towel and 2 hand towels is about my limit for a towel load

I've got a 10kg machine and currently have 3 bath sheets, 2 bath towels, 2 hand towels and bathmat in the wash.

6kg machine. One bath sheet plus 2 hand towels (hair and hand towels). I might throw in some pillowcases if needed but anything else is too heavy.

Bath mats get done on their own (2 of them), they can get very heavy.

In terms of bedding I can do a queen size duvet cover plus bottom sheet and pillowcases. Couple of tea towels are added to either towel or bedding load (I’m not a typical MN who does a separate tea towel wash).

Mines 8kg (I think) and I put four bath sheets in.
I do the bath mats on their own.

Blimey, it never occurred to me there was a weight limit. I mean, I know they put this stuff in instructions, but 7kg or whatever means fuck all to me.

I just fill the machine with a wash load. Probably 6 or 7 bath towels. Leaving a bit of space on top for water to swirl round.

I have lived as a grown up since 1983, clearly without ever really understanding how to work domestic appliances correctly.