2 1/2 hour washing machine program

[Duckeggbluesy]

All the machines I've ever had have a 1 hour easy care program that I use for general washing that can be adjusted to 30/40/60 degrees wash. I've always used this cycle for my clothes and the kids clothes unless something is extra dirty or has special washing instructions and the clothes always come out clean, smell nice and last as long I would expect them to.

DP insists on using a 2 1/2 hour cotton wash for all clothes (yep, plenty of people say I should be grateful DP does his share of the washing) and the 1 hour wash isn't good enough. With school uniform, muddy sports kits and general laundry 2 1/2 hour washes it means the washing machine is in use for most of the weekend and still needs using during the week to catch up.

Aibu using the 1 hour easy care wash as standard or am I being lazy and the 2 1/2 hour washes are something that most people use? Wondering if I've been using the washing machine wrong for most of my adult life!

I don't use the 30 min, but I use the 1 hour anti stain turbo for everything - sometimes on 40 and sometimes on 30. I don't buy white bedding anymore, so I never use my very hot wash. All other whites get an hour on 40 and are white. I do worry that using the same programme all the time is bad for the washer though.

Always use the long eco wash unless something needs urgently washing. Just put it in and set it on a timer so it finishes at a convenient time for you to hang it.

But what are you waiting for?!

Unless you want to do loads of washes back to back (and that doesn't make sense because who has space to dry several loads?) then just put it on and get on with your day/life. Or put it on to finish when you get up if you want a full day to dry it outdoors.

If he's doing the washing I'd leave it up to him to decide which program.yabu

The long cycles are cheaper to run because for a lot of the time the water isn’t heating up: the clothes, or bedding are soaking, letting the enzymes in the detergent do their job of getting the stains out.

Whatdo you mean by isn't required?

The different programmes have different features and use different amounts of water and electricity and so cost different
Washing machines dont have randon unnecessary options just to fill up the dial.

I've got a not-very-posh LG and it weighs the washing. I thought a lot of newer ones did that? So it has a 30 min cycle that does 20 or 40, but the "Cotton" at 20 or 40 spins a bit then flashes a time up. Anywhere from 1hr38 to 3h38.

@seratoninmoonbeams

You need to consult the manual for each machine, they aren't all the same.

@Duckeggbluesy

i use my Cotton Wash on 800rpm & 40° for nearly all my washing. It takes about 1:40

I occasionally chuck the bath mats (actually old huge thick ikea towels,in on the 30 min fast wash or rinse & spin if they're essentially clean but soaking. (long boring story behind it)

the Eco wash doesn't use much less electricity and takes about 3 --weeks- hours, and as I line dry, it just doesn't fit in my schedule!

I can fiddle with the temperature & spin on the 30 min wash, ends up about 45 minutes, but I don't feel it's a good enough wash when I use it.

I think you & DH won't convince each other your washes are the best way, so each to their own, but you need to decide how to make access to the machine reasonable for you both.

You'd hate it here.

Bedding and towels are 'boiled' on a 90* cotton wash for 2.5 hours. It's the easiest way to rove the paraffin that's in my eczema lotions from the sheets.

Everything else gets 40* anti allergen wash that takes over 3 hours.

In my defense, since I got this machine with the allergen settings my skin reactions have drastically reduced. Best thing ever!

@WhoNeedsSleepNotISaidMyBody 🤔 exactly my point.

As others have said, we use the 2.5 hr eco option the most - uses less water and less electricity.

We wash once per day, so the length of time it takes is a bit irrelevant to me - I’m not standing over it waiting, I just stick it on early evening and hang before bed, or whatever.

If we really just need something doing quickly, there’s a 20 min option, but we don’t use it much.

I have a cheap (7.5p kWh) rate from 00.30 - 04.30 for my EV so I also use the delay start/finish options on my WM and DW to take advantage of it. It doesn’t matter how long it takes, so I do tend to use the ‘eco’ programmes which I feel are more gentle on clothing anyway.
I love being able to get the laundry on the line as soon as I get up, weather permitting obviously.

Nice to see I'm not the only one who uses the daily/easy care cycle.
I actually didn't realise the ecowash was so much more efficient and using it over night with time delay sounds like a really good idea.
DP uses the cotton cycle which isn't an ecowash so doesn't have the environment and cost savings. I don't think he realises this either so will definitely show him that page in the instructions.

I initially put it on the the 60c hot cycle but once the water is hot after about 20 mins I then cancel that cycle (which otherwise takes about 2 hours) and switch to the daily quick 20 minute, 30c cycle.
This gives the best of both worlds... an initial soak in hot water but much quicker than letting it run for the full 2 hours.

Another reason I use the 1hr cycle almost all the time is because it's a shirts cycle and leaves clothes less creased. I never iron.

I use economy wash which is 3 hrs + with current model. I normally run is over night with a timer so ready in the morning to hang up.

Mine wash off dirt better with economy wash as it soaks the clothes. Win win for me.

I use a 30'C , 29 min wash for everything and put a capful of Laundry cleanser in every wash. It kills the bacteria and keeps the machine fresh .

I have a Bosch machine with an ‘eco’ button, so can make any cycle into an eco version (always extends the time taken). The only time I use the cotton eco (over 3 hrs!!!) cycle is for bedding, towels & dog things.
Everything else (aside from delicates) gets whacked in on the ‘mixed loads’ cycle with the eco button (about 1hr15min).

I try not to run overnight due to fire hazards. Plus there is no financial incentive for us to do so as we aren’t on a Peak/off peak electricity tariff.

Dh does this too. On the odd occasion it occurs to him to put a load on. ( it doesnt occur to him he needs to check if exisiting washing is dry yet but thats another issue) It drives me nuts. Nothing we wash is 'dirty'. Its been worn a day at the most, so i just want it done and hung up.

I use a 4hr 11 min eco wash most of the time, sometimes use an under 1h 30 wash if I need something sooner (we do have a 20 min wash that had been used occasionally at 6.30 on a Monday morning, followed by tumble dryer on fast-dry cycle when an essential piece of uniform hasn't been washed and is not febreezable).

I set it off in the early evening, to hang out overnight (heated airer) in winter, or set it on a timer to start at about the time I wake up (as above, we don't run it overnight or in an empty house) to go outside in better weather. Generally we do one wash a day/every other day (family of 4). I do WFH so I can put it out mid-morning.

I do not miss the days when I had to run several loads on the weekends, with small sticky babies/toddlers. If you're at that stage I understand the impatience.

We have choice of 1 1/2 hour or 3hour 10
use shorter was it’d stuff just needs a freshen up
but 3 hour wash for dirty stuff found after few quicker washes stuff not properly clean gym stuff towels look clean but smell

use delay start if finishes just as we get up

the older machines were quicker as use more water and energy

I mostly use the 40 degrees easycare cycle, which takes slightly over one hour. Increasingly I also use the 30 cycle as lots of clothes seem to ask for it (eg may say 40, but two lines under which I think means you can't spin) so I use 30 more and more to be on the safe side after too many things shrinking on a 40 wash. These take around 40 mins. The only cycle that takes longer is when we use the 60 degrees for cottons which does take about 2.5 hours - only use this for bedding though. So I agree your DH is unreasonable and surely most clothes aren't made of cotton now?

I have questions!

Is the longer economical wash 'kinder' on clothes than a quick 50 minute cycle? If there's less agitation is this better in terms of longevity of the clothes or does it make no difference?

I feel weird about clothes soaking in dirty water for long periods of time, how does this get them as clean as a quicker wash that drains and refills again?

The clothes don't sit in dirty water for long times. The first long pause is them sitting in warm soapy water. Think of it as the old fashioned soak that some older machines used to have for soiled clothing. Only it's for all clothes.

I know when I have to get muddy grit out of clothes that soaking in water helps get the sediment out, better than straight off washing them. Plus I think of it as getting the most out of the detergent. Shorter washes just swish clothes a bit in the soap for a shorter time. Because the machine is sitting still on an eco setting there's practically no energy being used.

When it does tumble the clothes for a gentle agitation (in the soapy and not dirty water) it's more effective for less machine action.

Same goes for rinses. It allows the soap to be leached from the clothes into the water so that there's more detergent leaving each pump-out. Less water and less energy per cycle than running a fast load because 'time' is the magic ingredient.

Less water, less electricity, more use of the detergent - all of which are beginning to cost more.

You do need to time things. You do need patience sometimes. And sometimes a quick or hot wash is needed instead.

And the kinder is because the clothes aren't being rubbed and bashed about as much. Often you can wash cooler (because of the enhanced soap time) and that causes less damage, particularly to delicate fabrics.

Has anyone else noticed that some modern fabrics go to holes much faster? Little holes where the fabric seems to have just not held together. Sometimes mid-nice brands too.