best washing machine programme?

purply

hi,
was wondering if anyone can help me? just moved in with my partner and when he puts the washing on, he puts it on a quick wash (and its a lower temp). i dont feel that the clothes are being washed thoroughly enough, and i have always used the higher temperature washes (which do tend to be longer). My partner complains that its not economical to do this and we're using more water and more electricity.

economically, which is the best programme for washing clothes?

thanks in advance

tawnyowls

Depends on how dirty your clothes are. Most people overestimate this - if you're in a sedentary job (office, sales, shop), all that's likely to be on your clothes is sweat and dust, and maybe the odd food stain, so 30 or 40 degrees on the easycare (or synthetics whatever it's called on your machine) cycle will be fine. For really lightly soiled stuff, even a rinse cycle is likely to be enough. For towels and underwear, 60 degrees is probably better. You'll probably find if you look at your clothes, that most of them don't recommend washing above 40 degrees anyway, and all a longer wash cycle will do is add on a bit more rinsing time and possibly spin at higher revs.

In general, I tend to agree with your partner - you're probably overdoing it on the washing front. Washing powder manufacturers play on our fears about being thought unhygienic and encourage everyone to use loads of product and wash at ridiculously high temperatures. In general, I find that my clothes smell fresh and are perfectly clean after a short 40 degree wash with about half the recommended amount of washing liquid (I use a washing ball so I know all the product is in with the clothes and not wasted in the pipes). I changed from the cotton cycle (65 min) to the easycare cycle (47 min) months ago and have noticed no difference in the quality of the cleaning. If it's stuff that has only been worn once (eg OH's shirts) or outer layers (eg jumper over a top), 30 degrees is usually enough.

tanith

I do use the quick cycle fairly often but if I have towels and sheets , they go on 60* along with light coloured shirts and underwear.... everything else goes on a full 40* every so often as I feel there might be a build up of dirt if I don't wash them properly every now and then......