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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Hi Oliver: This one may be different. I find it hard to believe that 2 extra rinses would add no benefit, especially as the option is designed to rinse more thoroughly specifically for people with allergies or with soft water.
It doesn’t say the spins will be affected either. This machine also has a rinse only programme, which does, “3 rinses with long spin at the max speed”.
I agree with Oliver’s comment #412 based on my experience of the Zanussi-Electrolux. I’m pretty sure the John Lewis is made by Electrolux and will suffer the same problem, as I expect they are all exactly the same inside – just different looks on the outside.
If washing machines rinsed properly in the first place, they would not need an “extra rinse” setting.
If you would like your washing rinsed properly, there are plenty of tips above – which are thoroughly tried and tested. The “extra rinse” alone does NOT rinse more thoroughly. You need to use warm water 1/3 up the door on at least 2 of the re-rinses, so you get the benefit of fast interim spins and more rinses than just the 2 extra – with barely any water – when the “extra rinse” option is enabled.
Washerhelp, please don’t think that the “extra rinse” makes any noticeable difference – trust me, it does NOT.
Hope that helps.
At the risk of starting a semantics argument I disagree that an option giving 2 extra rinses will not rinse-more thoroughly. It might still fall short of certain required standards but 2 extra rinses will definitely rinse more thoroughly than using the same washing machine without the extra rinses employed. :-)
If washing machines rinsed properly in the first place, they would not need an extra rinse setting.
I know what you are saying but not everyone needs extra rinsing. Of course the default rinses need to be to a reasonable standard but it does make sense to have a standard rinse, which the majority of people without any sensitivity to detergents are likely to be content with, and have the ability to use extra rinses if required.
In the old days when no one paid for the actual amount of water they used, and no one was concerned about the environmental issues washing machines used as much water as they wanted. But things are different now so it makes good sense to have 2 levels of rinsing efficiency as long as the base level does a job most people are content with, which is the debatable part of course.
Nikki: Your comment refers to rinsing in hot water, but my comment was about extra standard rinses in cold. You can’t say extra cold rinses won’t make any difference because hot rinses are better, it makes no sense. It’s like saying a motorbike isn’t a better form of transport than bicycle because a car is even better. Just because something might be more efficient it doesn’t mean the thing it’s better than can’t perform better than it previously did.
2 extra rinses in very little water will not magically solve the problem of rinsing out the soapsuds properly. People may think that the extra rinse will rinse “properly” compared to not using extra rinse, but sadly it does not work that way.
I’m sure water meters will become compulsory one day and it’s a trade-off between how much someone is willing to pay to use extra water versus sensitivity to detergents left behind in clothing, bedding, towels etc. Those who are sensitive or have a family member who’s sensitive to detergents will have to pay more for the extra water required, regardless of it being cold or hot.
Nikki, I have you to thank for the hot water rinsing. :) I never knew that warm or hot water would make such a difference, you can really see the soapsuds on the first warm rinse after 3 previous cold rinses in very little water! I’m still only using a maximum of 1/3 up the door when adding jugfuls of hot water to 2 of the re-rinses, I don’t want to go higher and wear-out the bearings prematurely. It only takes a moment to add jugs of hot water to the washing machine and it does rinse PROPERLY, without wasting much valuable time.
Until 21st century science can come up with a way of cleaning fabrics without water, detergent, rinses and the allergy problems, the only way to rinse properly is to use a large volume of water, combined with fast interim spins without sudslocking. Warm or hot water rinses for cotton and linen, lukewarm rinsing for easy care and cold rinsing for very delicate items. Anything less won’t work and an “extra rinse” on a modern washing machine will NOT rinse things much better – only about 8% better.
I jolly well can … and I will say it again !! It doesn’t matter how many times you rinse thick cotton towels in cold water, you willl not remove the soap residue left behind. You need hot water to do that !!
WM User : your thanks are accepted mate, glad I could be of help. It is a real eye opener isn’t it, when you plunge your seemingly well-rinsed towels into a sinkful of hot water, and the water is thick with white detergent!! When those towels are dry, you are then going to rub that dried detergent onto your skin … no wonder so many people suffer from skin allergies, it is hardly surprising!
Niki: My words that you quoted were nothing about the best way to rinse laundry or the pros and cons of cold water verses hot. I simply said that 5 rinses (in cold water) are likely to be more thorough than 3. I didn’t say 5 rinses are thorough – only more thorough.
Even if we accepted that cold water could never rinse to your requirements there still has to be degrees of efficiency that cold water rinsing can achieve. If you can’t accept that point then it’s futile discussing it further.
@Washerhelp: I agree that it sounds like I’m contradicting myself. An extra rinse option does not make any noticeable difference. It wouldn’t surprise me if the difference is only around 8% better with the extra rinse enabled, given how little water is used, how much less time clothes are rinsed (to compensate for much longer wash times) and the lack of fast interim spins.
An “extra rinse” option is actually misleading because it’s easy for people to assume washing is rinsed properly with the extra rinse always enabled. I’ve used the extra rinse on my own washing machine in the past and the washing still comes out smelling strongly of detergent and feels rough when dried.
@Nikki, comment 420. I let the washing machine do the hard work with 2 of the re-rinses in 1/3 drum of warm water (maybe I would be better doing all 3 of the re-rinses in hot water, as it doesn’t take long?). The first of these 2 warm rinses really shows the soapsuds – especially on towels! I forgot to say, I once pressed the extra rinse before re-rinsing in warm water to see if there would be less soapsuds in the warm rinsing water. The result? The amount of foam was the same, not less.
Nikki, do you find rinsing things in a bath or sink of hot water really helps or do you prefer to rinse items by hand in hot water? Do you then put these hand-rinsed items into the washing machine to be rinsed more?
I think I’ve thoroughly explained why the extra rinse option on a modern washing machine will not rinse the clothes “properly”. :)
Hi WMUser: If anything I would assume an extra rinse option implies that the machine will rinse adequately without it, which at least regarding the JLWD1609 I mentioned is definitely the case as far as we are concerned. My wife has been using this washing machine on and off for over 3 months and she’s never once used the extra rinse option because it rinses perfectly adequately for us with the default rinse.
I’m pretty confident it will rinse well enough for the majority of people even without the extra rinse option and using cold water, and that using the extra rinse option that adds 2 more rinses is forced by the laws of physics to improve rinsing efficiency even if not to the very high standards required by yourself :-)
I really want that LG washing machine … when my Miele eventually gives up the ghost, that is what I shall buy, even though it is extremely expensive!
Washerhelp: I don’t think me asking for a reasonable level of removal of detergent from my towels is too much to ask … I am not a fussy woman at all … but I dislike rubbing my body with enzymes, which will digest my skin and leave me sore!! And no, I do NOT have skin allergies before you start off on that one again!! All I ask for is a decent amount of water in my washing machine, and a rinse that is not stone cold. I can have neither, thanks to this ridiculous EEC nonsense.
WMUser: if I have a lot of towels, and a decent amount of hot water in the tank, I will fill up the bath and rinse the towels in the bath, and then just spin them out in the machine. Sometimes though this uses up a whole tank of hot water, and still the towels are soapy, but I am finding that the new biolgical Ecover is very good for rinsing – rinses out much better than anything else I have tried. I usually find now that just putting the towels through twice … once with soap, and then the following night without soap … gets most of the soap out. I am not asking for perfection here, just a reasonable rinsing performance such that my towels are not stiff like boards and my skin is not itching.