To hate the eco wash on washing machines?

[listsandbudgets]

I don't mind them OVER NIGHT... but today it's sunny, I'm at home and I've got a pile of washing that looks close to hitting the ceiling so decided to get a few loads done... out on the line and back in the cupboard

I've accidentally put on the ecowash - at 11am and the damned thing is still going and going. It's a nearly 4 hour cycle so not going to finish for at least another hour.

I understand it's cheaper but not all of us have enough time to wait 4 flipping hours just to get a load done... Watching all the lovely sunshine while my washing keeps spinning about in the wet..

Grumble grumble!!

There’s no transparency about any of it. Apparently some of the ’Eco’ cycles wash at lower temperatures than the names would have you believe, but they don’t tell you that. If they wanted to, there could be a display that showed you what the total energy use was once you’d set the length of the cycle and the temperature - and maybe some kind of rough estimate of ‘cleaning power’. So you could choose whether to save energy or save time.
My washing machine has all sorts of programmes with fancy descriptions that I never use. I wash everything on 2hr 30 degrees unless it’s a small wash or I’m short of time. I chose it specifically because it had a 1hr cycle as an option.

I've used the eco wash twice I think. Once out of love for the planet, once by mistake.

Both times I was enraged at the fact that it took over 4 hours of fucking about. I don't have the time - and if it doesn't get out on the line then I probably have to use the tumble dryer, which I don't want to.

It felt as useful as being told if I took my clothes down to the nearest river and banged them with stones then it was more eco friendly. Not practical.

My machine has a 1-5 scale on it to tell you how eco or not a cycle is - how much energy it is using. So a standard 40c mixed cycle is 4 bars, reduce the temp to 30c is 3 bars, eco wash also takes that to 2 bars. A 60c wash is 5 bars.

I do everything on 60 degrees quick. Takes 45 minutes.

If in any doubt about a garment then I use 40 degrees quick. Takes 30 mins.

I investigated the Eco. It said 4 hours at 30 degrees. No thank you!

@listsandbudgets Hahaha! I've never been called that before 😊 I'm not a genius but thank you, I'm really just a tightwad and very impatient 🤣

I have found that "eco" settings on the vast majority of devices simply means "less effective".

I'd love if they were identify real inefficiencies/energy wastage, as opposed to expecting consumers to accept that you can use less energy by washing things less well. Its like these flow adjusting devices water companies are pushing. They will tout that these don't reduce pressure but the fact is simple, less water will come out of your shower and that is how they lower the bill. So if (for example) you need that volume/flow of water to rinse long hair effectively, a flow reducer on your water system will probably mean you'll be in the shower longer to compensate and wont actually save water.

After a similar thread before actually read my manual and the two hour wash at 40C is the best setting for large loads.

If the most eco friendly wash they can come up with takes four hours then they need to think again. I mean, washing it on a washboard in the river is probably the most eco friendly but there are limits.

I normally put mine on a timer if I want the long wash finished earlier in the morning or I use the 1 hour mixed loads wash. I wouldn't put your washing machine on overnight, I did fire safety training for years for work and it horrified me how many fires these and tumble driers cause at night and a massive risk when you are in bed.

On my machine I would Switch off. Switch on. Select Drain (no spin ), and when drained, select Rinse and Spin. 20 minutes total.

I agree. Ours says it will take 3 hours 55 but it actually takes about 6 hours! Also I did washing at 30 degrees for a bit but it didn’t really clean out clothes… we are a sweaty family! I sweat just walking! And they just never smelt fresh!

Eco wash on washing machine and dishwasher are equally shit . DH accidently put dishwasher on eco . Useless so had to run it again . Not very eco .

I was everything on a 30c or 20c, 30 min wash or 40c for 45 mins.
I never use any programmes which take longer than that. I don’t know why there are so many washes which last for hours I’d never use them!

I’m sure a 4 hour wash cycle uses more leccy than my hour wash programme.

The control buttons on my washer are touch sensitive. I was leaning across to use my microwave and I caught a button. It made the programme 4 hours! Couldn’t reverse it

I have a 15 min 30c cycle which I use on my uniform. One time I had one pair of trousers and a pot of cream leaked. Popped in there with two work tops.

I know I am not the norm amongst those of you with families, (live alone now), but my wash for day to day clothes is 45 minutes at 30d, including rinse and 1400 spin. Nearly dry coming out, and as I don't do any manual or messy stuff my clothes are fine, and seem to last longer than I would have thought - think non designer like Primark, Asos stuff!

Sheets and towels go in for 1h 15 at 60d. Once a week only. I'm afraid I am sceptical about eco claims for a four hour wash. Surely even if there is a saving on water, the amount of electricity needed to agitate clothes for that length of time must be quite high, in comparison to say my timings above.

Anyway, it doesn't matter what anyone says, I won't be convinced, and will use the settings I'm used to and know will do the job in double quick time! I never use a tumble drier so maybe I get some brownie points for that!

Could you not have stopped the wash, done a spin to drain the water out and then chosen a shorter wash instead?

It's not so bad if they actually CLEAN. Numerous times I have done an eco wash on various different washers and my kids clothes never come out clean 😂

But then again I have tried all these fancy expensive and none expensive items that guarantee whites come out white and do they ever? No. Had a stain on a kids shirt for over 7 washes and in the end I gave up and binned it. I spend more money washing items than replacing them which I inevitably end up doing in the end.

Like others, I don’t understand how using electricity for longer is more eco friendly than heating some water for ten minutes!? And it must cost more, surely. I never use it. My machine seems to take forever too so I just use the two quick washes and the ‘hand’ wash.

It's because they work on soaking rather than agitation and heat the water more slowly.

I can't find any data for washing machines but our dishwasher eco cycle takes just under 5 hours but uses half the amount of energy and slightly less water than the standard cycle which takes an hour or two.

The eco setting on my new washing machine is really annoying. Basically, the machine selects the temperature, based on the load you put in. It can be anything from 40 - 60 degrees. I'm too worried to use it in case it opts for the 60, and fucks up my teenagers' clothes. I mean, nearly 4 hours at 60 could cause some serious shrinkage!

Does no one else's washing machine manual give the approximate amounts of a) water and b) electricity used by every single wash cycle!? Ours (Bosch) does!

The eco setting uses less water and electricity than the standard setting and thus needs longer to clean things to the same level. If you wash for longer at a lower temperature the load (theoretically) get as clean whilst using less water and energy.

Quick cycles are only advised for clothes that are pretty clean to start off with and are designed to work by using a higher temperature for a shorter period of time so they are energy hungry. Apparently they also don't rinse as thoroughly. They usually have a smaller load limit too.

This should be my subject on Mastermind...

Quick cycles are only advised for clothes that are pretty clean to start off with

Perfect for the 'wash everything after every wear' Mumsnetter then

Eco washing is a complete piss take. My dm and mil’s washing machines were bought in the 1980’s and still going strong. Modern machines claim to be eco friendly but are designed to break down over time because they use plastic where they would have used steel in the past, and they cannot be repaired.

Factoring manufacturing, shipping, and eventual disposal, I think you’d need an awful lot of cold water washes to offset the carbon footprint.

A good feature! What machine have you got?

Sorry meant that for Misthios