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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I am looking for a new washing machine as my old (very old) Hotpoint 95620 is coming to the end, but it has been a wonderful machine, and rinses perfectly. I am wondering where the H E detergent can be purchased as i feel I will need it when l,hear all the complaints of non-rinsing machines. I wonder if the name of stockists could be published somewhere. Hopefully margaret Rutland
The HE article is refering to American style top loading washers, so unless you are in the US using a HE top loader and still using the high sudsing traditional top loader detergent it’s not something to be concerned about. It’s also dated 2005.
It refers to a change in the top loaders that traditionally had large central agitators and washed like the old twin tubs we had in the UK. As such they used high sudsing detergents – as did we in our twin tubs.
Back in 2005 a new type of top loader had started to become popular which had replaced the agitator with paddles similar to those used in front loading washing machines and used less water. This article says “traditional” detergent is no longer suitable for such machines and low sudsing (front loader) detergent is needed.
The automatic detergents in the UK are designed to be used in cold fill front loading washing machines and should work perfectly well if used correctly.
Poor rinsing has to be down to using less water on rinses as far as I can see. However, it must be remembered that detergent is designed to leave laundry smelling of it (usually a pleasant smell) and that suds-like foam in the final rinsing water is not necessarily evidence of poor rinsing as the strangely named “sorry to be a party pooper” mentioned in an earlier comment.
I, too, am having trouble finding a washing machine that rinses well and am concerned that our government (United States) is going to make the energy star standards mandatory. After wearing clothing washed in “energy efficient” machines, I have to seek medical help for medication to counter my skin reaction.
Fewer machines are available that allow consumers to choose the water level they desire. We need to begin writing manufacturers about this problem–there must be many people who are itching and don’t know it is caused from poor rinsing in their washing machine.
Most people I have spoken to (moaned at) about powder stains agree that the rinsing on their modern machine is terrible. Powder stains seem almost inevitable and so I switched to liquid to avoid them.
Unfortunately this doesn’t mean they have been rinsed any better you just can’t see it any more!
A (somewhat inconvenient) possible solution that occurs to me is to hang around (or use rinse hold?) for the final rinse and use a large jug/kettle/hose to add more water (obviously don’t over fill it) to the rinse cycle(s) via the powder draw.
PS Liquids gives other problems (bad smells & scum) for which I had previously done 95C washes but I wonder following reading your article if I might be able to achieve a better outcome with Soda Crystals (possibly at a cheaper lower temperature). How much Soda crystals should I add ?
Hello Steve: sorry I missed your question. You are right in that liquids do give other problems which I highlight on Washerhelp. Anyone using liquids should definitely do a high temperature maintenance wash once a month to prevent a buildup of grease and slime and even black mould because these detergents don’t contain any bleaching agent.
Soda crystals are good at dissolving grease. I used to pour half a packet in and put my washing machine on a boil wash. However, this could be a good idea every three or four months, but I would use an ordinary detergent powder that contains bleaching agents for the regular monthly maintenance wash. Usually any non biological detergent, or any detergent not claiming to be kind on coloureds should contain bleaching agents.
Thanks for that Washerhelp – in particular with regards to the soda crystals which on the packet I bought only mentions what you would do with block sinks and drains. No mention of cleaning washing machines at all.
Do you think adding water to the final rinse would make a significant difference to the rinsing?
I believe my smell problems are worse due to the idiot who refitted my kitchen. I came home to have him proudly announce he had “rationalised” my drainage. Instead of a fairly standard and immediate U-trap with the hose connected to a 50cm drop it now trails 2m across the floor and up into the sink cupboard where it joins just above the kitchen sink trap. I have managed to raise the pipe around 4-6 inches behind the washer to form some sort of water trap, however the current arrangement where the trap as a long run before a 40cm rise seems to make water seeping back from the waste pipe into the machine inevitable. This adds stagnant water to the problem if the machine is not used very regularly.
I would have put the old waste route back but he had cut off the old waste pipe and concreted it up.
The problem is now compounded as I now have a dishwasher joining the sink outlet. The only solution to water seeping back that I see is to put a join for both dish and clothes washer just at the combined waste pipe’s exit point from the house.
Steve: To be honest I think adding water to the final rinse isn’t likely to make a significant difference although it may help a little. The idea of having to do that on each wash, trying to catch it before it’s finished the last rinse is depressing. If things are that bad, a new machine may be preferable although as discussed, most machines are not very good at rinsing. The Indesit Moon was above average at rinsing according to Which? but Indesit make budget machines and aren’t renowned for reliability.
If your washing machine doesn’t pump out into something fitted with a u-bend you can get smells, that’s the main purpose of a u-bend. Having said that the smells are likely to enter the kitchen rather than come directly from the washing machine as there is always water inside the sump hose which acts like a trap where smells shouldn’t get past.
I bought a Hotpoint Aquarius WF530T washing machine when I was 17 and moved out on my own, since moving back with my parents late 2008 just before my 20th birthday I have had this machine plumbed in on the 3rd storey of our house. Having done this the computer has gone wrong, but the main point is poor rinsing even with extra rinse pressed. I have had dermatitis and eczema for many years and had virtually no problems with it when we had an old Servis when I was a young child, this machine put water HALF way up the door to rinse and did this three times un like the terrible machines of today which only do two. How on earth can two 10 litre rinses be as good as three 29 litre rinses on the Servis? My mum and dads whirlpool is no better it fills for each rinse and the clothes soak up all the water and ends up rinsing with an inch of water in each rinse.
I am so fed up with my Hotoint I am getting a new machine one that lasts more than two ans a half years and rinses properly.
Could you please help advise me which machine rinses to a proper standard or do I have to get a second hand machine dating from before my self to get rid of this horrible skin irritation!
PS. Its marvellous to find some like minded people who know the truth about our new race of ecoliogically sound rinse compromising washing machines!
Oliver.
My old front-load washer (a Maytag Neptune) used about 25 gallons of water per load and rinsed 3 times with an extra rinse possible for a total of 4 times and I loved it. I replaced it with 2 different front-loaders and had skin issues wearing clothing washed in both of them–due to inadequate rinsing. After much discussion with representatives from Maytag and Whirlpool, I discovered the water standards are extremely tight on the new front-loaders. So, I purchased a top-load Maytag Centennial washer. You can choose the water level you want; and you can also choose extra rinse for every load. The top-loaders don’t have as many features and aren’t as “pretty” but at least they rinse my clothing well–using about 40 gallons per load. There are other brands that do the same, but be careful because some of the top-loaders are energy efficient and don’t allow you to choose your water level. Best wishes to you!
Cindy
Hello Oliver Shaw: I haven’t done personal research into the rinsing capabilities of washing machines other than to find out that most of them don’t appear to rinse too well. According to Which? research, most washing machines were poor and almost none were better than satisfactory, which inspired this topic.
I could of course read all Which? reports and put the results on my sites but it’s very unethical to steal other people’s content. One thing I can say though is that I was surprised to see Which said the Indesit Moon was above average at rinsing and I included that information on my article here – Indesit Moon
If Indesit made high-quality washing machines with an above-average reliability reputation I’d gladly recommend it for you. As it happens they are made by the same company that makes Hotpoint and of similar build quality. If you were happy to buy another washing machine of similar build quality to the Hotpoint with a pre-requisite of being above average rinsing you may be interested in it. Other than that I can only really suggest that you research Which? and take advantage of their trial offer.