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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Thanks WMUser. Which? have a trial offer available (and I’m one of their affiliates) which means anyone can trial their service for 1 month trial offer –
Hello Oliver Shaw:
Thanks for the info about the Thermostatic Mixing Valve. I will mention it to hubby and see if he can fix one. He has just restored my Miele washing machine to full working order, with a new bearing, and it is working as good as ever … but still rinsing as bad as ever. I have just accepted that this is a fact of life about which I cannot do much until we rig up a Thermostatic Mixing Valve so that we can do hot water rinses.
One thing I have noticed is that actually by running each load for a couple of extra woolens washes on 30 degrees with no soap, this does rinse all the non “thick” items. This works satisfactorily on my egyptian cotton sheets, cotton underwear, nylon tights, anything that is not too thick. But my egyptian towels are thick with soap, as are denim jeans. These need to be rinsed by hand in the bath, and then run on a couple of 30 degree washes without soap to at least get rid of some of the soap. All extra expense and time, neither of which I have a surfeit of.
Now all I have to do is to nag hubby sufficiently to fit that valve !!
Thanks for the links guys. The spare parts site is easier to use than the one I was looking at.
I have yet to ask a Bosch engineer to look at my machine, which I suppose I should do before giving up with it. I’ve been putting it off because I’m worried they won’t take my concerns very seriously. However I read somewhere recently that Bosch are going to use induction motors in their new washers, so maybe other customers have objected to the whistling noise as well. I don’t know if any manufacturers are re-thinking their attitude to rinsing yet though.
I’ve realised that I can live with any replacement washer having a brushed motor as long as it also has a timer so I can run it overnight. I run this one overnight and I don’t hear it. I would prefer to be able to use it anytime, but I can manage with just running it overnight. As long as it rinses better, it will still be an improvement, and at the end of the day it’s the quality of the washing and rinsing that matters most.
Michelle
I’m STILL having problems with excess foaming when washing towels or small loads and it’s driving me mad!! Even adding the detergent to the pre-wash only (no extra detergent added for the main wash) DOESN’T solve the problem. It’s a nightmare to rinse off the foam!!
From now on, when I have to wash small loads or towels, I will be using just under HALF the recommended amount of detergent, contrary to the advice about less detergent being bad for washing machines. I will only use the recommended amount for full loads. Any stains I will pre-treat with a stain remover spray.
I’ve tried several detergents and I can now conclude that modern laundry detergents create too much foam, even when the correct measure is used. As mentioned further up on comment #59, dishwasher detergents don’t create excessive foam (or if they do, it’s very rare and I’ve never had that problem), so why don’t they use the same anti-foaming ingredients in laundry detergent?
I know that net curtains are a pain for creating too much foam. I think I will use something else when washing the nets next time, not any kind of laundry detergent. Maybe soak them in a bucket of lukewarm water with a few denture cleaning tablets, at least there won’t be masses of foam to deal with.
Hi. There are no problems with detergent being taken in during the rinses.
The problem with too much foam always happens if I’m washing towels alone or if I must wash a small load of other items. It can sometimes happen if the items are so-called “lightly soiled”.
Washing a FULL load of mixed items is fine, with no excess foam created.
I believe you must use just under half the recommended amount of detergent if washing a small load or about half a drum of towels. I could wash a full drum of towels, but the washing machine has trouble rinsing them all, as the water gets absorbed by the towels and the stupid thing won’t add any more water, even if I run cycles without detergent.
Today’s “eco friendly” and “water saving” washing machines don’t compensate for “real world” conditions. For example, wash a full load of towels and the washing machine still uses the bare minimum amount of water during washing and rinsing cycles. Towels need more water in order to rinse properly, not just soak it all up until you have barely an inch of rinsing water in the drum. I’ve seen it myself – a few drum rotations and the water disappears into the towels!
The other problem is about today’s laundry detergents. They don’t use enough foam inhibiting ingredients. If they invented a laundry detergent that was “suds free” and it was marketed as non-foaming, I’m sure the public would be happier never too see masses of white foam again!
Does anyone else have this excessive foaming problem that hampers rinsing? Does this happen more often in areas of the UK where the water is soft?
As you say half loads usually require less detergent. You should only need to use the recommended amount according to the size of the load and the soiling and the hardness of your water. Do you use fabric conditioner on towels btw?
I used fabric conditioner on towels in the past, but now I use clear vinegar on towels to be sure any remaining detergent has been neutralised. They don’t come out stinking of vinegar and dry without any smell.
The label on laundry detergents should recommend using half the recommended amount for half loads (obviously taking into account the recommended dosage for water hardness and level of soiling, and using half of that). I try to wash full loads all the time, but sometimes you can’t avoid having to wash less than a full load.
If you can avoid using too much detergent in the first place then there’s less to be rinsed away, however you need to use the right amount to avoid limescale and a whole load of other problems like a smelly washing machine! I wonder if using less water for rinsing is leaving detergent in the outer tub and causing the smells and grease etc. – especially above the drum?
Hi WMUser,
I too have noticed excess foam on towel only loads, but heres the strange bit, only in a modern Hotpoint and My Mums Siltal. In my Bosch, whether it is set to wash at high (touching the door seal) or low water level (2″ in the bottom of the drum)there is hardly any foam at all, in fact nothing foams that much, well not in the wash phase anyway. Rinses 1 and 2 are usually very soapy, but by 3 it is nearly clear and 4 is as close as you get to propely rinsed. The Bosch still does not sudslock. However in the Siltal the wash phase is very soapy, all 3 rinses are still soapy and it sudslocks thorugh both intermediate spins, The Hotpoint was the same.
However in a couple of weeks we are replacing the bearings, brushes and belt on the Siltal, so at the same time I am going to adjust the pressure switch so the rinse water goes from 3-4″ in the bottom of the drum to about 2″ up the door glass on the rinse phase of the cycle, also this will inadvertantly increase the wool cycle to the same level as it washes at the same level as rinses. I shall be leaving the cotton and synthetic wash level where it is, thats fine. This should increase rinsing efficiency and reduce sudslocking drastically, hopefully.
Up here in West Yorkshire the water is softish, Ariel is quite soapy, but Persil is not as bad. Liquids don’t foam so much, but they don’t clean clothing properly either, so we won’t use them. I still do think that all laundry detergents are getting soapier, when I were a lad I don’t remember them foaming to the excess level they do now. This will reduce rinse efficiency only if it causes the machine to sudslock, from what I gather it is quite a common thing for them to do this now, but NONE of the old machines used to do it. Even with modern powders, so it shows its down to machine design and initial spin speeds.
Spot on about modern machines not compensating for “real world” situstions, the Siltal will not refill if the load soaks up all the water, it will on wash but not on the rinses, hence the little adjustment I intend to make.
Fabric conditioner hides detergent residue by killing the foam, if you use it when you look at the rinse water you can think all the detergent has been removed, which is obviuosly not the case at all. I have not used conditioner for some time as it affects my skin and makes a mess of the washer (nicely scented grease, you wouldn’t put motor oil in the washer, so why animal fats etc.?). So a true test is not to use any them observe the rinse water. It also reduces absorbency of towels as they have been coated in fat and oil, which repells water. As you can see I utterly despise the stuff. Ecover is different they use vegitable fats etc. Still not very nice when you know what these products contain!!
All the best,
Oliver.
@WMUser I know exactly what you mean about laundry detergents causing too much foam. It can only be down to very few anti foaming ingredients put in modern laundry products. Ariel Excel is the worst culprit for over foaming even if you do follow the correct dosage. The only liquid that does not over foam is Regular Daz liquid which comes in 1.5 litre bottles, it says 20 washes but you could get more out as I think they recommend too much. I believe the ingredient they use is Diemethicone to stop too much foam forming. You can buy it at Savers, Sainsburys and Waitrose. The concentrated version foams too much so I don’t recommend it. Failing that Simply Active, Surcare?, Ecover or Amway Sa8 (www.amway.com). Hope that helps.
Fabric conditioner reduces the absorbency of towels and is also unnecessary if tumble drying Environmental tip: Save on fabric conditioner