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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Re #503
Yes, unrinsed laundry power, dried, and then subsequently turned into dust is a rather extreme respiratory allergen even for people who don’t think they have allergies “but their noses are congested all the time”… It can come out of clothes, pyjamas, sheets, towels, basically ANYTHING that gets washed…
It IS peculiar that it’s only very rarely (maybe once a decade) rinsing performance isn’t measured by Which? or Comsumer Reports…
I would go further than Mike would suggest the possibility that laundry powder from unrinsed clothes may actually be a major factor in the inexplicable steep increase in the incidence of asthma. In other words although it may trigger an attack, the powder could also cause the asthma in the first place by breaking down the lining of the lungs and allowing the inappropriate allergic reactions to develop.
I agree big time with Nikki re poor rinsing and the huge increase in asthma and asthma-related problems in recent years – the Government should pay for research into a possible/probable connection between poorly rinsed clothes and asthma problems.
I have watched various comments on this blog for a couple of years or more now and note you will soon be closing down this particular blog after 500+ comments. I have had 5 washing m/cs in 5 years, all because rinsing was a major problem – coughing, sneezing, breathing problems AND loads of dust on kitchen surfaces made me realise there was a big problem with the rinsing on the first 3-4 m/cs.
I have had a Hotpoint Acqualitis 9Kg 1400 A Class m/c for a little over a year now and it certainly rinses SO much better than all the others. I use Marks & Spencer’s washing powder (‘for coloureds’) and add a little Napisan with the washing powder – great results EVERY time! Without the Napisan, clothes are not rinsed quite as well so I will then add an extra rinse cycle or two. From my experience, the M&S powder is the best powder on the market to enable reasonable/good rinsing of clothes – and I’ve tried a dozen or more brands – Daz is the one of the worst. So, try M&S powder with Napisan – and see how the rinsing goes. And, M&S, please keep selling this great product at a reasonable price – and I’ll keep buying and promoting it! Occasionally I use soap nuts as these are good for freshening up clothes – do not for removing stains though. PS: My friends thought I was neurotic about the rinsing capability of my various m/cs … when I found this blog a couple of years ago, it was very reasuring there were others in the UK who also had rinsing problems – thank you for setting it up and continuing it for this long, Washerhelp!
Yes, this is growing very long – will this be the last comment? I think it’s very clear that lack of water and the constant changes to laundry detergents are responsible for skin allergies and other health problems.
Here are 6 things I’ve learnt, which can help anyone who suffers from allergies related to laundry chemicals:
1) Cotton items – especially towels – are harder to rinse and need the most water.
2) Warm or hot water rinses MUCH better than cold water (thanks Nikki for that tip in your earlier comments :)) and warm or hot water rinses the detergent’s perfumes out, which cold water will NOT, no matter how much cold water is used.
3) Interim spins between rinses are very important at forcing out the soap, so this may be affected by the chosen wash programme or settings chosen, such as a setting to reduce ironing.
4) Modern detergents create too much foam, so be careful about dosage and if you have to under-dose, use 1 tablespoon of soda crystals to avoid limescale damage and grease build up.
5) If you like really soft clothes, Surcare is the only fabric conditioner I know of which has no perfumes, as the perfumes in conditioners and detergents are often the cause of skin allergies; the softener is always added to the final rinse.
6) Here’s the most obvious one – plenty of water is needed per rinse. If you add extra water, I suggest keeping it well below half way, otherwise the washing machine’s bearings will be worn out much quicker.
I’m sure there are many more tips, but I’ve kept it down to 6 tips for everyone reading. Thanks for creating this blog Washerhelp/Andy and I hope it’s been helpful to everyone. It’s sure helped me and I no longer get “mystery” red marks on my skin. :)
is there any possibility that hot and cold fill machines with a good intake of water will come back onto the market ?
I am on my second washing machine in 4 weeks ,my old Miele broke down so bought another and it will be returned this Wednesday as I will not rinse the clothes and I can’t afford to run it, my water bill will be double the amount , I have bought a cheaper model while I try seek a model 12 -15 years old .
I have weighed my washing, worked out the detergent per kg to see if this helped ,I have even stood and added more water to the rinse to clear as last resort I add white vinegar i ,so I have had to rinse by hand.
I have never been so screwed in all my life , putting one load on means 3hrs standing trying to rinse .
I have many questions like getting on to the soap companies and asking them how much do they advise because if I were to use their amounts i might as well thrown the clothes out and the answer well every one is different.
With these new water saving washing machine has anyone tested the amount of powder to water and why for the love of god does your washing swish around for 15 minutes in the same water what logic .
If you are having the same problem are you willing to send me your problem as if I can get enough people I will approach dispatches etc and see if they will investigates this problem someone has too
GEMMA
Gemma, I agree 100% about modern washing machines! They are absolutely useless at rinsing and take too long to do a wash. My clothes were far cleaner in the Hoover Electron i used to have. By the way i do think modern detergents do not rinse well compared to the older versions. So with low water use and newer detergents rinsing is extremely difficult.
I have contacted BBC Watchdog and await to hear from them. I have also contacted Bosch which is my current machine and basically they are not interested and i just ended up rowing with them!
Like you i am after more efficient washer that doesn’t take ages to wash. If anyone knows where i can get hold of a Hotpoint 95 series washing machine that will wash and rinse properly please let me know.
Ben
Hi Gemma,
From personal experience i have found Persil and all the other top brands full of inactive ingredients like Sodium Sulphate that are a nightmare to rinse out though the older machines did do an excellent job but then the formulations were different back then.
I am using SA8 by Amway at the moment and that is much better no fillers but there is plenty of builders and anti scale agents all made in the USA. Ecover, Method and Simply all rinse a lot easier. Funnily enough the tablets rinse well but i put this down to anti foaming agents! There are none in Persil Small and Mighty (take a look on the Unilever website). The shop bought detergents are not value for money in my opinion as they are not full of active ingredients.
I did mention this web site to BBC Watchdog and i have moaned at the likes of Currys, Bennetts and Comet. Not one of them was interested and i just got so fed up and annoyed and left it.
I’ll try Guy’s Domestics but ill keep a look out on Ebay too. I am hopefully viewing a Hotpoint First Edition Saturday the one with a mechanical timer and made before the WM51/52 range.
Let me know how you get on. I think judging by the people’s comments on here you won’t have any trouble getting plenty of support.
All the Best
Ben
Andy
I have spent all day and managed to get through all the comments, have you ever thought of passing this blog on (if thats the right word) to WHICH who tells us machines don’t rinse properly and still gives it a best buy.
we joined Which for a pound and ask them have they ever did a trial on the right amount of detergent apart from what it says on the box their answer look at the page on detergent was not impressed at so won’t be joining ,I got more help here ,so thanks everyone its nice to know am not going mad .
And was it you that had a ISE10 in his garage to review ,and have you . One comment that scared me was the spanish one that said water could be reduced to 8L . I have to tell you that scares me.
I know I sound thick but when people say comment 334 ,where are these numbers ?
Thank you
Gemma
Gemma:
You are a lady after my own heart! I started this whole argument off years ago – if you wade back, you will find them.
I have found one washing power that rinses a better than any others, and that is Ecover Biological – it is brilliant, it rinses out pretty well, although thick towels need running through the wash cycle again with no soap added.
The problem is that modern washing machines only bring in a tiny amount of water, and in addition to that only rinse in cold water. The scientific facts of rinsing are that you need bags of warm/hot water to rinse properly, you CANNOT RINSE IN COLD WATER EFFECTIVELY.
Well done you!