My attention was drawn to rinsing efficiency after noticing that out of dozens of washing machines reviewed by Which? most of them had a poor rating for rinsing. Even those singled out as Best Buys were “poor” at rinsing. Believe it or not, at least one Best Buy was “very poor”. I found that pretty shocking.
From studying the figures it is clear that if “good”, or “very good” rinsing was one of the prerequisites for a Best Buy there would be no Best Buy washing machines or washer dryers at all – not a single one. It appears that Which? have decided to allow the poor rinsing results to be a caveat instead of a best buy killer. Please note however that several Which? best buys are “satisfactory” at rinsing which is something at least.
Out of 125 washing machines and washer dryers tested, a remarkable 75 of them (60%) were rated either “poor” or “very poor” at rinsing with only 3 getting the rating we should expect for all washing machines which is “good”.
The rest were a mere “satisfactory”. To summarise, just less than 3 % of the 125 washers & dryers are “good” at rinsing according to Which?
Since writing this article I’ve discovered Which? no longer give the majority of washing machines 1 or 2 star ratings for rinsing ability, and the majority appear to get 3 or 4 stars. Which? tell me they’ve readjusted their rinse marks to more accurately reflect the degrees of abilities between even poor rinsing machines. However, they are still critical of many of their rinsing abilities in the comments and the pros and cons.
What does this mean?
Well for a start it doesn’t mean that we can settle for one of the three washing machines that are “good” at rinsing because they unfortunately let themselves down in other areas such as with “noisy spin, and poor brand reliability”. However, if you really need a washing machine that rinses better than any other – maybe because of allergies – then at least Which? have identified three candidates out of the 125 they’ve tested so far.
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Why aren’t they rinsing properly and does it really matter?
Surely all washing machines should rinse well? It’s surely quite simple, you just use enough water to rinse them properly. It’s astounding that we have reached the situation where the majority of washing machines and washer dryers on sale in the UK are apparently poor at rinsing.
This has probably come about because people have been focussing on other aspects, which has left rinsing as a low priority. Two explanations spring to mind. Firstly, the focus on using less and less water is clearly impacting on our washing machine’s ability to rinse effectively. Whereas modern detergents can facilitate efficient and effective washing results at lower temperatures and with less water, no such product is currently allowing effective rinsing with much less water.
Good rinsing needs plenty of water which is in direct opposition to the current environmental concerns and clamour to be the washing machine using the least amount of water.
Eco LabelsThe second explanation I can think of is that the eco-labelling system which awards ratings for energy efficiency, spin efficiency and wash efficiency do not appear to take into account rinse efficiency.
As such, manufacturers aren’t being judged on how well their washing machines rinse, only on how well they wash and how well they extract water on spin. I’m speculating at this stage, but I can’t see how so many washing machines could be awarded an “A” wash efficiency rating if the tests took into account how well the clothes were rinsed. Presumably, as long as all stains are removed and laundry looks “clean” no one bothers about how much soap detergent residue is left.
It might be a good idea to create a fourth category, “rinse efficiency” on the eco labels, or at least include the rinse efficiency as part of the wash efficiency test.
Ultimately if customers don’t notice an issue then it could be argued that it doesn’t really matter.
Maybe it doesn’t for most people, but it surely does to anyone sensitive to wash detergents and with allergies and a lot of people are. There were 581 comments added on this topic from such people before I had to close comments to prevent it being endless.
The current situation is that to anyone keen to buy a washing machine with good rinsing I have no washing machine to recommend because none of the companies producing the best, and the most reliable washing machines currently supply one that rinses above average according to Which? although this could easily change and you would need to check out the latest to be sure.
Are Which? being too critical? Are Which? applying too stringent a rinse test? I must admit I’ve not had many complaints from people saying their washing machine isn’t rinsing properly and my own Miele washing machine, which although a Which? Best Buy, didn’t receive a “good” rating for rinsing yet it appears to rinse perfectly well as far as we can see.
In fact I remarked to my wife that my clothes don’t smell of detergent like they used to in the old washing machine and deduced that it rinsed much better. However, neither of us have any reactions to washing machine detergent. The thing about Which? is that they are totally independent.
They work only for their subscribers interests and are actually a registered charity. They don’t make any money directly by recommending any product (even though they could) because they want to be seen as 100% unbiased. They are highly respected and I expect they test products fairly. However, my understanding is that the do charge for companies to display their “Best Buy” logo!
I suspect Which? are right and that modern washing machines don’t generally rinse very well because of the reasons I speculate about above. Whether it matters or whether it will change depends on whether enough of the public are bothered, or even notice. The 581 comments added to this article below show that many people do find this a big issue.
Which? research
NOTE: Which? do rate some washing machines as satisfactory for rinsing and even a couple are rated as good, although unfortunately the few rated good (so far) are not so good on reliability.
Which? are constantly reviewing washing machines so if rinsing is particularly important to you it makes sense to become a member and see all the buying advice. I can’t print their advice for copyright reasons.
Here’s how they describe their reviews –
We are of course well known for our traditional product testing. And when we test something like the proverbial washing machine, we will ask the laboratory not only to measure how clean the clothes get, but how much water and energy is used? How easy is it to work out the programmes? What is the machine like on specialist cycles? How long does it take? All these things feed into our best buy criteria.
We will devise the testing schedule by looking at things from the ordinary user’s point of view: and if standard industry methods are not good enough we will devise our own methods ”
Causes of poor rinsing
There are some common causes of poor rinsing even in washing machines that do rinse well that it might be useful to point out. Anyone experiencing poor rinsing problems where washing comes out with detergent residues or white powder streaks should read this – White streaks or residual washing powder after washing
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Oliver
My washing machine is a Zanussi/Electrolux, not sure of the exact model number. Like all newer washers, it won’t rinse properly unless YOU force it to rinse properly. Just pressing the “extra rinse” does NOT make it rinse properly. With extra rinse selected on the cottons cycle, it performs 2 extra rinses – 5 total – don’t get excited… there’s barely any water in each rinse and the stupid machine only starts spinning very slowly AFTER the 3rd rinse has drained (but no suds-locking occurs). Rinse 4 is followed by a very slow spin, rinse 5 has the softener added, followed by the final spin of 1600 rpm, unless you chose a lower speed.
I now follow my method on comment #106 every time. The rinse-hold option uses lots more water and pauses the machine, so that extra water probably helps enormously? Re-rinsing (without the extra-rinse option) gives me a total of SIX rinses with faster spinning between ALL the rinses. It doesn’t take that much longer to finish and most of today’s washing machines are larger capacity anyway, so you can get more washing done each time.
The synthetics cycle sudslocks on the rinses: for some unknown reason, it will spin briefly and the pump will stop before it’s had chance to pump away all the soapy water, then it refills and the soapy water gets transferred over to the next rinses!!!!! Another good reason to re-rinse.
One very important point I forgot to mention earlier… overloading the drum will prevent proper rinsing and impair cleaning performance. I doubt re-running the rinses will help if you put in too much washing. Bulkier items (e.g. washable coats) need lots more room to move about.
I believe the washing machine manufacturers will NEVER make washing machines rinse properly any more. The eco-friendly people would not allow them to use lots of water for rinses. If you require proper rinsing, it’s a do-it-yourself job unfortunately. Does anyone like the idea of wearing clothes saturated with left-over detergent chemicals, even if you’re not allergic?
Hi Whatmatters,
I agree about the “Extra Rinse” option making little difference, when I had the modern Hotpoint, it added one rinse so it did 3 in total and as it suslocked and as you say carries all the soapy water through the rinse cycle, it was pointless. I used to manually re-run the rinses as you do, letting it do 3 on the main cycle and then doing another 2 or 3 (depending what was in there) to clear the soap. And the damn thing STILL did not rinse properly. I also did half loads to help rinsing even with all the extra ones it still didn’t rinse properly. My skin was so bad the doctors wanted to put me in Hospital.
Thankfully it packed up and decided to buy the Reconditioned Bosch WFF2000. I guessed buying a new machine would be a daft idea so I took a punt on the Bosch and I have had it a few months and all seems well. It does rinse properly.
I also agree about washing machines never using sufficient amounts of water again. I know they say “what goes around comes around” but I fear this will not be the case with all these environmental do gooders, for which I have NO time for. Thanks to these idiots there is all the people here with SERVERE skin complaints. Its just not fair, there is no choice anymore, we are forced in to these stupid modern machines whether we like it or not. This is by far the biggest amount of sh1te I have come across in almost 21 years on this planet.
All the best,
Oliver.
Oliver, I’m sorry you nearly ended up in hospital because your previous washing machine was so useless at rinsing. I’m horrified that modern washing machines can be so appalling at rinsing the result is havoc for allergy sufferers like yourself. Even re-rinsing made no difference in your case! Maybe you could have sued Hotpoint?
I would have hoped that a rinse-hold followed by re-rinsing would be a “universal” solution to everyone reading these comments, but unfortunately it seems there is no “universal” solution! What else can be done? Legal action maybe? If enough people did go down the legal action route, it could be the turning point for the better?
I can think of one more thing only: wash a load as normal and use rinse-hold (if possible). Then you could run another wash programme (on the same wash load) that you know uses more water (e.g. a wool programme, if it uses more water) – run it WITHOUT detergent and that could work? Its final spin may be slower and the washing would need a faster spin again if you’re using a tumble dryer. Obviously that’s a *lot* of hassle and it would take a long time just to get one wash load done, but if it rinses better, it may be your only option, sadly!
About the “extra rinse” button (or whatever each manufacturer calls it), when they added this option it’s obvious the washing machine manufacturers knew their washing machines weren’t up to par on rinsing using the default options, so they came up with this “extra rinse” option. How long have they known about poor rinsing?
Just a note. Anyone experiencing “suds lock” where the water doesn’t pump out fully leaving soapy water inside for the next rinse should check the pump filter isn’t partially blocked, or that there isn’t a partial blockage inside the drain hose (small button or coin) or a partial blockage in the u-bend connector that the drain hose pumps into.
There shouldn’t be any water left in the drum after draining at the end of a rinse, and if there is, the number one suspect is that the pump just isn’t pumping out the water fast enough.
This was extremely common on Hotpoint washing machines where they had a stupid filter inside the sump hose which customers were unaware of and most couldn’t deal with even if they knew, which commonly got caked in lint reducing the pump flow rate adversely.
Another common cause of this is when a small button or a small piece of broken up bra underwire gets pumped through the drain hose but lodges in the end of the hose or in the tapered connector spiggot that it connects to at the u-bend (if connected to the sink). This traps lint and causes a partial blockage which reduces the water flow from the machine enough to just about cope without causing an error code but severely reducing the rinse efficiency.
I’m not saying these things account for poor rinsing, but someone experiencing poor rinsing, particularly if observing soapy water still left in the drum when it starts to fill up for another rinse could have this issue, which could be fixed.
Hi Whatmatters,
That was the doctors idea not mine, my felling it was a OTT (I refused to go). When they don’t know what they are talking about they will always come out with some bullsh1t!! At the time I also used non-biological powder (Fairy) and they ruled out that would be affecting my skin, luckily I am the suspicious type and did suspect it, that is why I re-ran the rinse cycle, which helped a bit, but still wasn’t curing the problem.
Whether I use bio or non-bio I am just as badly affected, as it happens I use either Ariel bio or Persil bio and am now not adversley affected, as it is rinsed out properly in the Bosch.
Re-rinsing should help most people as in my case there were other factors affecting me, particullaly hand soap etc. I now use special products and have “fairly” normal skin. But as soon as I use something I shouldn’t I will pay the price. It was by far the washing machine that was affecting me most though.
Regarding Hotpoint I did speak to the useless call centre giving them a piece of my mind, they were useless and did not give a damn about me as I am the minority and no-one has ever complained about rinsing before. See post 54 above for more info. I never thought of legal action, but its too late now and I am greatful to be feeling alot better.
Yes you are right about the “Extra Rinse”, “Super Rinse”, “Sensitive Care”, “Pure Rinse”, “Intensive Rinse”, “Deep Rinse”, “Medic Rinse”, “Rinse++” and “Aqua/Water Plus” options being evedence of manufactureres know their machines do not even come close to rinsing properly. They won’t admit it though. These options sound great, and they all deliver the same level of nothing, its amazing how many words can mean the same thing. Not one of those options can make a machine rinse as well as they used to, not even half as well. Pathetic isn’t it.
Like you say the hassle of getting a modern washer to rinse properly is unbelieveable, these are supposed to be labour saving devices. Its harder than getting out the dolly tub, rubbing board and soap (still have a rubbing board and posser knocking around in the loft!). At least you can rinse properly with that method!
Thanks for your concern,
All the Best,
Oliver.
Hi Andy,
Sudslocking……..
Both the IAR Siltal and Hotpoint are not blocked, they pumped fine. They just time-out before all the soapy water has had chance to drain. Bad programming and intermediate spinning. The Bosch will not sudslock and cannot due to programming etc.
They cannot be fixed as you put it, unless you fancy reprogramming them for me!!!
HTH,
Oliver.
Hello Oliver. Hopefully the advice may be useful for others as this is a potential issue in some cases of particularly poor rinsing.
Hi Andy,
I agree some machines could be partially blocked, I am as guilty for not cleaning the filter as often as I should too! Yes right about the Hotpoint filter, stupid place, nobody even knows it there as it says self cleaning pump!
All the best,
Oliver.
H. This is a really interesting website and I will try some of the suggestions above! I have just left the following message on thewhitegoodshelp.co.uk (many thanks for your reply,Andy -much appreciated) and it is reassuring to hear that I probably am not totally paranoid about laundry not being rinsed properly and being totally irritated by having to rinse clothes by hand in the sink…
“Hi,I hope you can help with possible suggestions as to why my laundry comes out of my washing m/c unrinsed,despite it going through the rinse cycles and even through ‘extra’ rinse cycles.
Over the last 2 years I have had 5 m/cs, 4 of these being brand new. The brands have been Bosch, Whirlpool, Zanussi and now another brand new m/c – Hotpoint – so all good reputable manufacturers. Each has had the same problem: The m/cs all wash well, but despite water going into the m/cs for rinsing and then expelling the water, I have to take the laundry out of the machine, rinse it in the sink 3-4 times (towels are particularly bad) and put it back into the m/c again to spin. (Just in case there was a problem with a possibly blocked outlet down-pipe, I have even put the outlet hose over the sink and the water that pours into the sink is soapy white with bubbles too. Also, the water valve for the inlet hose has been replaced, just in case that was faulty).
None of the manufacturers’ engineers who have been out to check out the m/cs cant suggest a reason as to why there is this problem. Although I live in a hard water area, there appears to be no furring up of the water pipes in my house, the external water pressure has been measure by my local water company who was if anything the water pressure is above the recommended/average water pressure rather than below.
Any suggestions? I don’t have the energy to return yet another washing m/c … but I can’t continue rinsing the laundry in the sink after every wash.”
My next step, if I have any energy left, is to write a similar message in a letter to all the manufacturers whose washing m/cs I have had to return because of this problem.
Good luck to all of you …
Marion
New discovery I made today (24th October 2009) that will horrify owners of modern washing machines…
I washed some towels and I did NOT use too much detergent. On the rinse-hold, I could see the water was cloudy and there were still soap bubbles. Remember, this is AFTER the washing machine had rinsed the towels. I know I didn’t press “extra rinse” but the DEFAULT setting is NO “extra rinse”. It makes no difference if you press “extra rinse” anyway.
Knowing that re-running the rinses was unlikely to work, I switched off the machine and found the instruction book, had a look at the wash cycles and saw that the “Duvet” cycle uses the most water (75 litres). (It’s a 7kg machine but can only just fit a single duvet!! The marketing rubbish didn’t mention the words “single duvet”, it just makes out it can wash “a” duvet.)
Anyway, after running the “Duvet” cycle (without detergent), followed by a separate “Spin” cycle at 1600 rpm (the duvet cycle won’t spin faster than 700 rpm), I did manage to get the towels rinsed properly and it took over 3 hours in total!!!!
My discovery… towels are very difficult to rinse. If you are trying to force your washing machine to rinse everything properly, washing a drum full of towels is a TRUE test. Don’t worry about overloading – a full drum of towels quickly becomes half full as the towels get wetter.
So my comment #110 is probably the only “universal” solution. If you follow that idea, it takes a long time to get through a wash load, so you probably won’t want to watch the clock. It’s total madness just to get your laundry rinsed properly, a luxury we had until about 15 years ago.
Don’t forget that if your own laundry is being rinsed fine doesn’t mean that when you stay at a friends, bed and breakfast, a hotel etc. that the bed sheets there will be rinsed properly. That alone clearly illustrates the magnitude of this problem!