Because I am ignorant. Why is a 4 hour Eco wash better than a 1 hr wash?

[Unreasonabubble]

I saw a thread tonight about washing machine times and it made me think. I normally do a 1 hour 40 degree wash for most of my washing. Should I be doing an Eco wash which takes 3 times longer? Does it save me money? Does it clean better? I like to wash and go if that makes sense. I do not understand why I would clog up the washing machine for hours and hours. I would not be able to get all my washing done in a day if that was the case.

Genuinely unaware here so would appreciate your guidance.

I looked this up when I got my washer

It’s because the 1 hour does more ‘agitation’ which uses more energy. Whereas the 4 hour does more ‘soaking’ which doesn’t use as much electric but takes longer.

Watching with interest. I don’t get it either. Surely uses more electricity?

I guess it uses far less water so it dingles the washing around for longer to compensate.
Ours has an eco cycle that threatens 4:44😲 at the beginning but then weighs the washing🤷 and let's you off with 3:55 or something.

May be eco for the clothes but surely not for ya leccy bill?

I have no idea but if my washing took 4 hours I'd only ever get one load done. Everything goes in on a 1 hour wash here.

4 hours is ridiculous. People need to get stuff done. Mine all on 1hr.

It uses both less electricity and less water. Our eco setting is 3 hours and I tend to use it for most stuff unless I need to wash something desperately, like duvet to get it back on the bed or something.

www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/techtalk/what-is-eco-mode-and-how-does-it-work/

Try 1 hour at 30 degrees OP, especially if you use Bio deterg (works best at about 32 degrees).

Temp matters a lot.

Yeah. I have wondered this too. And we have an open plan kitchen so 4 hours of noise would drive me nuts.

My manual has a grid showing exactly how much electricity and water is used on each setting.

The eco setting saves A LOT of water and turning the temp down saves a lot of electricity.

DH puts ours on eco overnight then hangs out in the morning.

Just use the quick wash. 30 mins does most things

It's all to do with the way the water is heated, and how the water is used.
Eco settings heat the water more slowly and use less water (reusing the same water several times in some cases). Your manual should show the water and power consumption on each cycle, but eco programmes will save you money on electricity and water.

I never understand why so many people want their washing done in an hour - just put it on and let it do it its thing, surely?

I like using more water… lots of sensitive skin/eczema in my house, so we always do an extra rinse. Eco mode is the exact opposite of what I want. I do wash in cold water, so not too wasteful.

The eco setting on mine heats to 40 then switches the heater off, a standard 40 cycle keeps the heater on to maintain the temperature using more electric. It also does less agitation, as said above.

Quick wash tends to be for smaller loads so it's not the wash I would use for a large load.

Ironically, the 30min wash will use the most electricity and water- it's the least eco programme there is.

And yet we're not supposed to leave washers unattended because they can be a fire hazard?

Just encourages people to put it on and bugger off to bed. Not a chance I'm doing that.

I usually just do the same cycle but at 20 or 30 C. But if you want to use the eco setting just use the delay timer, I love the setting and use it all the time so when I get up I can unload the machine.

I think about it like driving a car. If you have a sixty mile journey and tootle along at 60mph, you'll get there in an hour. If you zip up the motorway* at 120mph, you'll only take half an hour but, at that speed, your miles per gallon will be much lower so it will take more fuel, despite the fact that you were driving for half the amount of time.

*Theoretical motorway with a 120mph speed limit.

My eco setting is only 1hr 45. I do everything on it.

Eco wash is:
Low(ish) heat
Less water
Less electricity

So it's cheaper for you and better for the environment.

I have 3 DCs so do a lot of washing, and use eco most of the time. Often I do it with the timer so it starts in the early hours and finishes when we're up so it's efficient and even cheaper, and ready to hang out first thing. Appreciate this wouldn't work in a flat or house with thin walls though - and now I WFH, I do sometimes put it on in the morning and hang out later.

One thing I have found is that eco with non-bio is fine for a lot of stuff, but if it's got stains or is very sweaty then it needs bio detergent or a scoop of vanish.

Ours is 3 hours......I generally do a wash every other day. Its always mixed colours here so we just bung clothes straight in the machine and I put it on at 6 when we get up.

Who says not to leave it unattended?

Eco programmes heat the water slower so use less energy even though they take longer.

However most people don't use eco programmes because they can't be doing with the faff of a 4 hour wash. Manufacturers still claim an A grade eco rating though.

If you're wanting to save energy I stopped using my dryer over the summer and leaving my tv on in the background. I also stopped cooking stews and casseroles in the oven, I use the hob instead. I saved over £100 on our combined bill in 3 months. My last quarterly bill was £150.