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 people. I do still have that nagging feeling that ISE was the way to go but the Miele is on it’s way now and I ‘m sure it will be fine. We were rather taken by the whole water saving side of things but as you quite rightly point out that may well be at the cost of clothes not being rinsed properly. Suck it and see I guess. We use liquid tabs as well as power tablets so will have to review that for the benefit of our washing machine.
Cheers WMuser: My Miele W3740 has three programmable options regarding the Water Plus setting you mention.
Water + is set by default, where “the water level is increased in the wash and rinse stages”.
This can be altered to “Extra Rinse”, where an extra rinse is introduced on cottons and minimum iron – but presumable this option would result in reduced water being used in wash and rinses.
The third option is to have both – “Water + & Extra Rinse”. Personally we have not needed to experiment with these options as the rinsing (as stated previously) is perfectly adequate for us but it’s great to have such options if rinsing is a critical issue as it is for some as clearly defined in these comments ;-)
Thank you Oliver for your great input albeit it’s made me regret buying the Miele W5740 even more now and wishing I had bought the ISE10!! The biggest trouble with ISE10 is the lack of info bar forums generally (I’ve yet to find one friend, family member, etc that has ever heard of them let alone used them) and also the lack of cover. 3 engineers in 25 mile proximity refused to cover my area as a general rule although one said he might be able to complete the purchase/sale. The last one that could have done both which was County dometic Supplies was so masiively busy it took me nbearly a week to get any response from him at all. As you can imagine this didn’t instill much confidence in my wife at all. Sad that what seems to be a bombproof machine is not marketed or backed up particularly well imho.
Oliver I would ask what you regard as rinse properly? What test is there to say it’s been rinsed properly. I am assuming you suffer from extremely sensitive skin which fortunately the majority of us don’t therefore the not 100% rinse capability of a machine might not be as much of an issue.
However my hope insanely was to get the backing of buying the Miele and not further regretting not buying an ISE10 sadly this is not the case.
The Miele W3740 and indeed the John Lewis washer dryer I’ve just tested rinse “properly” for us as they will for most people Oliver. We have absolutely no complaints about the rinsing quality because we are fortunate to not have any sensitivity to detergents. Rinsing “properly” is likely to be essential only for people with sensitivity to detergents.
Hi WMUser,
All Miele domestic have Water Plus, however even selected with an extra rinse the machine will only perform 3 rinses. I can inform everybody that a domestic Miele will not rinse properly even with all the options selected.
The statement I made above about my Mums new Miele doesn’t apply. You must remember Mums machine is Commercial, so has water plus, but has variable rinses between 2 and 5. Also it has options in re-programme mode to add water to the wash in 10mm increments. Water use on a Commercial machine is not regulated by stupid A ratings, so by nature it rinses properly.
All the best,
Oliver.
Damian,
Don’t worry about your new Miele, it will most probably be perfectly fine for you. I have the water plus option on my model set for water plus and extra rinse, but have to say I only use this for maybe 25% of loads – mainly towels or heavier loads of clothes with hoodies jeans etc, the standard rinsing is just fine for me, and my skin is sensitive… my hands will react badly to washing up liquid, I will break out if I don’t use a sensitive shower gel, deoderant, shaving foam etc – and I use run of the mill Ariel or Persil bio/colour. Just to point out, mine is also one of the less water thirsty models that were sold about 6 years ago, only does 2 rinses as standard though the level will vary with the type of load, the newer ones such as my mum’s will do 3 deeper rinses if you select a temperature below 60*C. Remember your Miele will also adapt the rinse cycle to the load, if it’s a smaller load it won’t rinse for as long, and the larger a load is the longer the time it will spend in the rinses as well as more water – and unlike a lot of washers sold today pressing Short will only shorten the length of the mainwash cycle, it won’t affect the rinse cycles.
Both of the latest formulas of Ariel and Persil rinse out fine for me, providing the right amount is dosed i.e. not 2 tonnes of powder per wash… I’d be the first to complain if it didn’t wash/rinse to satisfaction.
Jon
Hi Andy,
Yes, washing machines rinse well enough for the masses, there is no question of that.
When I say rinse properly I don’t mean, rinse to anyones standard. I mean when rinsed in hot water in the sink, no soap is removed or indeed dirt. Both the Asko and Miele achieve this and pass with flying colours. The final rinse in both machines is indeed free from soap and the water is crystal clear, so the dirt has gone too. Both myself and my Mum do alot of very heavily soiled laundry due to mucky jobs so the machines get a good test.
All the best Andy,
Oliver.
Hi Damian,
The machine you have chosen is a super machine and you have no need to regret buying it.
My Mum has a domestic Miele condenser dryer and the build is superb, it drys quicker than any other condenser and the results are perfect everytime. I cannot compare her washer with yours, as Mums is a fully commercial model.
The rinse properly bit is not being able to remove detergent residue in a sink full of hot water and the final rinse in the machine been free from detergent and the water be crystal clear. As I say above both the ISE10 (which I have set to 7 rinses) and the Miele (set to 5 rinses) achieve perfectly everytime. Also my skin tells me what rinses well and what doesn’t!
In my opinion Miele make better products than Asko, Asko are not far short, but I do not think they are a direct comparison.
All the best,
Oliver.
Re Comment #500. You’re right, though “rinse well enough for the masses” is kind of relative. SOME people think it’s quite odd to rinse the toothpaste out of one’s mouth with water (“you mean, you don’t just leave it in?”), and others probably WOULD be satisfied by shampooing their hair, towelling it off, and dunking one’s head ONCE into a bucket of rinse water…
One question to all readers: if you are NOT sensitive to laundry detergent and nobody else in your household are sensitive, do you still want your skin to be in contact with clothes, bedding and towels that have unrinsed detergent residue? From the moment you put your clothes on in the morning to sleeping in bedding at night, your skin rubs against fabrics for many hours everyday.
I sometimes wonder if it’s only the skin that reacts to unrinsed detergent? If unrinsed powder residue becomes airborne, that can surely be a trigger to sensitive people e.g. asthmatics?
It always surprises me in our “health and safety” obsessed society that poor rinsing is not being taken into account! Do the environmentalists – who somehow believe we will “run out” of water – have priority over a genuine case of health and safety i.e. allergic reactions to chemicals?