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 for the link to that comment Washerhelp I found it very helpful and it does make a lot of sense as this is what was happening ,the more i rinsed the worse it became.
I will go to Tesco to get their liquid bio let hope they are still the same as that comment was some time ago.
I also rang the water board today to have it confirmed my water is very hard as when ever I used calgon or soda crystals to reduce powder it was impossible to rinse the soap out ,they are getting back to me.
Ben I got a small tub of persil small and mighty to try .
Ben does it say 30-50% soap on the packets or am I looking for something else , sorry to sound thick but would you let me know .
Oh and just to round the day off my 3 week washing machine has stopped spinning .
Gemma on the Persil small and mighty capsules it says ’15-30% anionic surfactants, soap, non-anionic surfactants’. It works for me and have no foaming issues. There is some soap bubbles but this is how older detergents were. I do also think the spins between the rinses need altering on modern machines as the soap isn’t forced out. I think slower spin speeds seem to force more soap out for some strange reason, you used to be able to see the soap being spun out down the door glass on the older 95 series hotpoints and by rinse 4 the water was clear and you just had clear water droplets on the door glass on the final spin.
Gemma are you in East Anglia? Because my water is hard as i live in Colchester, Essex and the water round here is very hard. I had a water softner professionaly installed because i was getting through 2 or 3 kettles a year!
Lastly do you think Guys second hand shop would sell older 95 series hotpoints? You know the ones i mean? Brown doors, brown fascia panels and had distribution draining?
Hope you get your machine sorted.
hi Ben
Why don’t you ring Guys Domestic ,he really is a lovely man, am on the list for a old WFF2000( i’ll be lucky } and he did say he gets hotpoints ,why not give him a ring 01502 565474 .
I live in milton keynes and water is very hard indeed, Anglian Water did call me today but i missed the call, or there is the Washer shop too , I contacted them too and many more ,still no luck.
I never thought for one moment that a dam washing machine/powder could cause so much stress , am going to buy a spin dryer so that I can wash by hand what I can and use the spinner, you would not believe what these now cost ,Asda does have one for 80.00 pounds that is the cheapest I have found.
Gemma
Hi Gemma a word of warning the ones in Asda are probably made in China and won’t last five minutes. I was going to get a Creda out of Currys they are £129.00 or near there but made in the UK and look very bust. Oh and get one with a drain hose so you can hook it over the sink otherwise you have to stick a bucket underneath the drainage spout which is more hassle. I know what you mean i find it even more stressful when sales people or engineers or members of the public think your loosing the plot becuase they don’t believe you.
Ben
Sorry guys I should have said Anglian Water in my last post [edited now] and did speak today with a nice chap whom did go on to this site and surprised at how long the comments were .
I explained that with weighing washing and using the approx amount of powder per kg am still filling up with extra rinses, a simple wash cycle can go on for hours
He did confirm that we do here in Milton Keynes live in a very hard water area and that he will take my issues regarding the rinse problem to a meeting of colleagues .
I also went to the miele centre to test the 5740 and again the lack of water makes me wary again ,am thinking of getting the ISE10 ,am waiting for the answers to some questions and as it happened the chap from Sweden is there too ,so hoping to hear Monday from them .
I have been using Miele washing powder and with it baking soda and the rinsing has been good and using vinegar as softener but found a tear in one of my new tops and am wondering if it’s the baking soda or vinegar cause it ,still the washing is lovely and soft .
Gemma
@ Washerhelp Do liquid detergents leave a film of residue after every wash cycle round the outer drum? I ask this because when i would run my machine on empty i would get a few suds, is this left over liquid detergent sunk to the bottom of the drum? I don’t get this one i used powder or tablets. And in terms of rinsing what rinses best powder or liquid? Its tempting to say liquid but what you think?
You always get suds or foam when you run the washer without laundry in, always have as far back as I remember no matter which detergent you use. I personally don’t like liquid detergents much, they tend to cause or make worse the gunge and black mould problem.
As I do not have the problem of excess soap suds, I am wondering if this is because my machine is not taking in enough water to lather the powder ? I know cold water fill machines ( to my horror ) do not use much water but i am wondering if mine is using less than normal and that is why (sorry to repeat this again ) my washing is grubby and not fresh smelling despite fabric conditioner. If I do not add 3 jugs of water there is no water visible . I loath these “STRESS MACHINES”.
I have just read a blog from December . that states ,the water consumption for washing machines is going to get reduced from 12 to 8 liters of water. O dear.!!!
I am glad I’m NOT the only person who has experienced ongoing problems re very poor rinse function in modern washing machines. It has driven me to distraction, because not only do I suffer from a severe skin disorder that requires a lot of oily cream, but I suffer from Asthma as well.
Most washing powders do not dissolve the cream, even on the hottest wash, unless I add more powder. But then I find the low water consumption machines do not rinse the powder out, not even after three extra rinses, hence the laundry smell hideous which then effects my Asthma. I have tried all brands of washing powder, liquids and echo balls, but to no avail. I tried reducing the washing load, but still no joy. I tried a short wash, followed by a boil main wash, plus two additional rinses at the end, but still my clothes are not as clean as they use to be! When on a rinse cycle the water level does not even reach the lower silver rim inside the door, it can’t even be seen and it certainly never soaks or covers my washing! I called a plumber to check my mains water pressure level and that was OK, so the problem is definitely due to a ridiculously low water allocation feature, built in the washing machine
I eventually tried adding Soda Crystals to the main wash and that has helped a little. But the point is, I’m still having to run:
a short wash with powder, followed by
a main wash at 95 with powder and soda crystals + extra rinse, followed by
an addition 2 complete rinse cycles
So in order to get one half load of washing done, my Hotpoint Aquarius TW540 is on for nearly 4 hours and I’m sure the number of programs I have to run, uses far more water than the older models (pre 1990). Still with all that palaver the results are very poor compared to the old type washing machines.
I have even considered buying a twin tub, but all the old machines are now obsolete and non of the new twin tubs have heaters in them, so that’s no good either as they won’t dissolve my cream
By the way, regarding washing powder I have found the most clean smelling (more like traditional powders) is Asda’s Eco-friendly, or Wilkingson’s, the rest smell synthetic and absolutely hideous.
I have had my skin disorder all my life, yet I never had laundry problems like this years ago. That tells me, that modern machines do not work as efficiently as the old ones, because they do not use enough water in the rinse cycles. No matter how the manufacturers try to explain or justify their product, the end result is far from satisfactory for the consumers with health problems! It seems as if our health needs are being overlooked by the manufacturers, who even fail to give us choice. And it is NOT good enough!
Conclusion: the echo label may be a selling point in theory, but in practice, low water consumption washing machines are not fit for purpose (re cleanliness), they also exasperate our health problems. Because it is unanimously agreed that modern washers do not rinse well enough, due to ridiculously low water allocation. So the Echo call in practice is false economy, and I’m fed-up with the dribble.
Solution: going by the number of posts on this message board from people experiencing the same problem, it seems the problem is sufficiently widespread. Thus indicating that there is clear need for manufacturers to reconsider the design of their machines, to start meeting special health criteria. There would be a market for a special health needs type washing machine, one that can wash at high temperature and which uses a lot more water to rinse. In such a health machine, the water level needs to cover all the laundry and it needs to rinse at least three times!
I shall send a copy of this posting to Hotpoint, and I advise that other people do likewise to their manufacturer. I’ve certainly had enough of the health hazard dribble machines’
best wishes to you all,
From Judy