Eco wash setting

[DragonTrainor]

Is the eco wash setting really more economical and / or better for the environment?

we have an LG machine and the eco wash is 2:30-3hours whereas a turbo wash is just under an hour and I sometimes add a pre wash or rinse plus which would bring it to 1h 30.

Is a turbo wash not a good enough clean? I'm guessing it depends what you wash.

Interested in others' thoughts!

sorry not the most exciting topic

The eco wash cycle uses less water and energy. It relies on agitating the washing for longer to get it clean. The quicker cycles achieve the same result using more water and energy.

Thanks! That makes sense.

I think calling it a turbo wash makes me think it's a "quick" wash as in not a full wash

Theres nothing between quick and eco

We have an LG, and solar panels. DH checked during a 30 cycle and eco, the eco used far more energy. I don't use it anymore,it's 30 minutes cycle, cold wash on most items.

I should probably have put “is meant to” use less energy and water, since it seems @Nannyfannybanny has data that disproves this! Interesting. I wonder if the water use is less.

The eco wash on my machine is four hours! I rarely use it because you're not supposed to leave the washing machine on when you're out/asleep, so that just leaves the evenings and even then, the house is often empty for an hour or two due to DC's activities. I therefore find there's rarely time to run the eco cycle, so I have to use the regular ones. I do try to make it greener in other ways (wait for a full load, use an environmentally friendly detergent etc).

I suspect @Nannyfannybanny results are due to her comparing the eco cycle with a 30 minute cold wash! I think if she were to compare the eco cycle with what most people tend to use (eg a cotton wash lasting 1.5 hours at 40°C), the eco cycle would indeed use less energy.

Are you in the US @Nannyfannybanny ? My American relatives all seem to wash in cold water, but I haven't often come across it in the UK (I don't think my washing machine goes below 30°C).

The eco wash is designed to use less electricity and less water. It's because it relies much more on soaking the clothes for longer to let the detergent work rather than constant mechanical agitation. It also tends to heat the water and then turn off the heater to do more soaking rather than the quick washes where the heater is constantly on and the drum is spinning more to get the same clean in less time.

I almost always use the eco wash as I find it much kinder on my clothes and uses less electricity than the quick washes according to my smart meter. I put it on in the evening after dinner, leave it in the machine overnight and hang it out in the morning. I'll only do a quick wash if I'm just washing a few items or am in a rush but otherwise I stick the eco wash on and let it do its thing.

My eco wash with drying is 9.5 hours so it’s done overnight. Think that assumes a very full drum (it’s 9 or 10kg capacity) so often less.

My quick 30 min wash uses way less water and power than my 4 hour eco wash.

I think the only time I have used it, was to test it out.

I can do 8 loads in that time (if I needed to, that is....)

I wonder if machines from other countries are just made up differently, as most people wash on cold where I live too.

Edited to add that we dry exclusively outside in the sun though. So perhaps this has more of a stain removing/disinfecting type of action that we know of.

My eco wash is 7 hours for a 10kg load, so I've never used it. Maybe I'll give it a go overnight at some stage.

That’s just ridiculous - who has time for that?!

I can get a load of laundry washed and dried in 90 minutes on our machine. Admittedly it has a smaller capacity but 9 hours is just ridiculous.

I’m just living in a place with 2 adults so we never need anything washed RIGHT NOW. Happy to save money and do it on the eco setting overnight (I have economy 7 too) so wake up and bedding or towels all done.

Different countries have different washing machine modes. Interestingly that means that washing powder/liquid formulations are different too. The one I remember, from working for Unilever, is that Japan uses very short cold water washes. In the US they mostly seem to have top loaders that use short cycles and vigorous agitation.

You shouldn’t run machines overnight or while you’re out though, it’s a fire risk.

I detest my washing machine. The eco wash takes 4hrs. A 'normal' wash takes 3hrs. I don't appear to have a quick wash. I have to literally shove the washing in immediately after waking up to stand a chance of getting it out on the line by lunchtime. My parents washing machine takes 2hrs max to do a load.

30 minutes cycle, cold wash on most items

Do you feel 30 mins on cold is sufficient? I'd be worried my towels and sheets are not clean.

you're not supposed to leave the washing machine on when you're out/asleep

Really? I've never heard this. Is it a fire hazard or something?

The eco wash takes 4hrs. A 'normal' wash takes 3hrs. I don't appear to have a quick wash.

That's a shame. 3 hours is too long sometimes.

Echoing this. Household appliances (esp tumble driers) are a huge source of house fires. Please don't run them overnight.

I will set the timer so a wash starts at 6.30am when someone is awake. It's then done by 7.30/8am and can be hung up to dry before I start work.

I never thought of the washing machine as being a fire risk and often run the machine when I'm out. I'll bear this in mind.

I did a fire marshall course at work run by a retired firefighter.

He said the biggest source of house fires was appliances (and to never run overnight), closely followed by unattended tea lights.

I do too. I don't run the tumble dryer when I'm out as I know they are a serious fire risk, but I do pop the washing machine on and then go out to the shops.

The 30 min washes are not proper wash cycles and almost always not for full loads. If you look in the manual, they are usually 4kg or so load at best. They use less energy than the eco wash but you’re comparing apples and pears: a 4kg not full wash with a full load, full wash. You need to compare eco with the equivalent full wash cycle, which is usually 1.5 hours plus

I used to use the eco on my Samsung. The washing never smelt properly clean and the drum would smell quite quickly even though I always left the door open to dry and regularly cleaned the drum. I switched back to my regular settings and now my washing is clean first time and my drum doesn’t smell.

for me it was a false economy because most if not all of it needed re washed which of course uses more electricity and water as well as more washing liquid/pods/powder.

I notice the laundry is still warm after an eco wash whereas on a quick wash it isn't which makes me think it doesn't get the warm even on a 40, unless it rinses with cold water

Yes this definitely seems to be the case.

We do not, and have never been able to get non-bio. People here would not even know what that meant.

We get two types (I just refer to powder now as that is the most widely used), auto and hand wash. Auto is for front loading machines, and hand wash is for everything else. So handwashing, top loader or twin tub machines. The hand wash has more of a foaming agent in it, so getting those the wrong way around can cause a movie like scene from an auto machine.

Oh, we do get a baby Sunlight powder, it is more like flakes but its very expensive compared to the normal detergent. Unless there is a special need, babies clothes are just washed in normal detergent here.