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 have a Miele washer that I bought in 2004 and have no problem with rinses at all. Everything comes out sparkling clean. May be mine is one of the older one that has “power” rinse….I dont know. But what I do know is that I never use the amount of detergent that they (the detergent box or whatever) recommend. Right now I am using Tide HE (form my colors)and Persil white (for my whites). And I only use about 1/8 cup. (Mind you we have soft water in Vancouver.) I think over all we use too much detergent/soap/shampoo/toothpaste than needed. For those that has rinse problem, try using less detergent. You need to find the right amount for the water(hardness) in your area. Experiment!!! and use the least needed. Save money and the planet.
Hello Soon Loo: I think we all suspect manufacturers want us to use too much of everything and don’t trust their recommendations. After all the more we use the more we have to buy again.
Not using enough detergent could cause problems though, especially in harder water areas. I would advise against using a lot less than recommended for the level of soiling and the hardness of water although using a bit less may well prove economical.
Another problem with not using enough detergent can be whites coming out grey (though that’s not the only possible cause), or white streaks left on laundry after washing. Here’s the explanation –
Related: Whites coming out of washing machine looking grey, coloureds losing their colour | White streaks or residual washing powder on laundry after washing
The comment from Soon Loo sounds right. All too often the “recommended” dosage results in over-foaming, even WITHOUT the use of soda crystals (washing soda). Therefore, I now use 2/3 of the recommended detergent for full loads along with soda crystals to soften the hard water. For small loads, you only need 1/3 of the MINIMUM recommended detergent to avoid excessive foam, provided you also use something to soften the water if you live in a “hard water” area (using soda crystals is the cheapest way to soften the main wash water and it also helps to remove stains and grease with the detergent). As you know from my earlier comments, I use “Shout” fabric stain remover to pre-treat stains – this is all tried and tested and I hope it helps others reading.
I think the only time you need to use the “recommended” dose of detergent (or maybe a small bit extra) is for very dirty items, such as muddy clothes, but certainly never the maximum amount recommended on the pack! I believe manufacturers want us to use more than necessary so we buy from them more often.
I’m sure people would be happy to have a washing machine that washes properly AND rinses properly. As much as I dislike my Zanussi-Electrolux for not rinsing properly due to so little water being used on short rinse cycles, it does clean very well and I have no complaints about its washing performance. By the time anyone reading this from the start has got this far, I’m sure they will have a pretty good idea on how to get their washing rinsed properly. :)
I hope other people can also comment if they perform extra rinses in warm water. I know it works extremely well.
@brenda hughes, I have some suggestions for you:
I’m tempted to try the home-made stuff one day as it’s said to be much cheaper and just as effective as branded detergents. Please read comment #443 – I’m keen to find out if the home-made stuff is both cheaper and more effective than shop-bought detergent before I go making it myself. As I already have plenty of Ariel, which I stocked up on when it was on offer, I want to use it all before I think about making the home-made stuff.
Pour in a few jugs of hot and lukewarm water into the soap drawer when your washing machine stops filling for the main wash, just enough so the water covers the bottom of the door seal by roughly a finger’s width only. This seems to enhance cleaning and the rinses later on and it stops things like socks being caught on the door seal below the door glass. Make sure you are not overloading the drum as this will prevent the clothes from being rinsed properly.
With the exception of foaming, it’s not the fault of the detergent itself for bad rinsing – it’s caused by too little water and shorter rinses. I suggest you re-rinse and when you do, please pour in extra water or fit a hose to a tap and fill the washing machine with extra water to 1/3 up the door for at least 2 of the rinses, preferably warm water on all rinses. If your machine has a start/pause button, you can pause it when it stops filling for each rinse, add the water then start it again when you’ve added the extra water.
If you use fabric conditioner, add it second time round when re-rinsing, otherwise it will be wasted before you perform the rinses again.
I hope that helps. I know it sounds like a lot of hassle, but having manually re-rinsed and added extra water many times myself, it’s something I’ve got used to doing and my skin allergies have completely disappeared. Please post again to let us know how you get on. :)
@ wmuser i don’t buy the branded detergents for ethical reasons i.e. animal testing hence why i ask do you know of any other brands that are just as good. Many Thanks
I recently started using the Persil non bio small and mighty liquid after using the Persil non bio tablets for years. It was on offer so I bought loads of it thinking it would be the same as the tablets. After a couple of weeks of using it (I only actually use half the recommended dose) we have all started itching, mainly in the areas that the clothing is in constant contact to the skin. I also noticed that the clothes smell really strong of the wash liquid when they come out the washer, even though I use comfort pure fabric softener. I sometimes noticed white residue with the tablets but not this itching. Surely this non bio liquid could cause this reaction? I even use intense wash programme and never wash in a temperature less than 40. Can someone give me some advice please as I have bought bottles of the stuff!
@Gina Clarke
Liquid, tablet and powder detergents will stay in the fabrics unless extra rinsing is performed manually.
The comfort pure fabric softener will only hide the soap bubbles – it will NOT help to remove detergent.
I suggest you follow the rinsing advice in comment #460 above – it’s mentioned in there after the first paragraph. Please post again if your situation improves.
Hi Gina,
The only option is additional rinse cycles. Liquids by nature smell stronger and retain the smell much better than powder or the hard pressed tablets. Can you not take it back to the shop or at least swap it for tablets?
It will be the perfume causing the itching opposed to anything else.
HTH,
Oliver.
Hi WMUser,
In this case it is different.
If before the powdered tablet would leave a little residue and not irritate Gina and her family, it is not the detergent. It is the perfume, all liquids make laundry much more perfumed than their tablet/powdered equivilent.
It will take many many rinses to clear the perfume from any liquid as it is so tennacious!
Oliver.
@ Oliver thanks for that helpful info about laundry liquids smelling stronger. In the past i used Persil silk and wool and even after many rinses it would still smell strongly of the stuff. Detergents in the 1980’s early 90’s were never difficult to rinse out or smelt too bad either. Another case of manufacturers trying to ‘improve’ something when it didn’t need improving. Modern technology and life don’t you just love it LOL