Quick wash cycle - should we use it all the time?

Should we use the quick wash cycle all the time in our washing machines? Let’s take a look at that. I’m using a Samsung washing machine integrated with a 100% dryer which I will use as an example in this video. It’s linked to in the description.

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In general, in a washing machine - the cycles available are a combination of heat - water - time.

In a quick wash cycle - it uses lower heat, lower water, lower time - ideal for less soiled or delicate clothes.

In an eco or auto (daily use) cycle - it uses higher heat, higher water, higher time - ideal for daily use clothes / kids clothes that require extra level of sanitization or for heavily soiled clothes.

Let’s start with the time - this is the key reason many people use the quick wash setting. Like the name suggests - the quick wash setting takes the shortest amount of time, ranging from 15 min to 1 hour. The reason the quick wash cycle is able to wash this quickly is because it reduces time from the spin cycle (or sometimes completely skips it). When there is a spin cycle - it also reduces the spin speed. So your clothes will be wetter than what it would have been if it would have been in the full cycle or eco cycle - which means your drying time will then be longer as clothes are wetter, which kind of loses out the benefit of using a quick wash cycle. For best results from a quick wash cycle - attempt to fill the load at less than half so that drying will be a bit more effective.

Next is the temperature - since the quick wash needs to wash faster - the washing temperature is lower at about 20 degrees or in the case of my Samsung washer dryer - does not use heat at all. In the normal case - in eco or auto mode, the temperatures could be around 40 degrees. So a quick wash cycle is ideal for emergency wash of clothes rather than deep cleaning of clothes. If your clothes are heavily soiled - quick wash cycle do not do justice to the wash quality. Since it does use a lower temperature and runs for a shorter amount of time - the energy consumption in a quick wash cycle is lower. It can be used for dark colored clothes or delicate clothes however.

Next is the water - a quick wash cycle uses less water than a regular / eco cycle. So if you stay in an area with water supply issues, a quick wash cycle may be ideal. As per EU Ecodesign requirements, the quick wash cycle uses 30% less water than a regular / eco cycle (source). It also requires less detergent.

So now you may ask me - Saumya - it looks like a quick wash cycle seems to save on energy, water and time. Should I use it all the time?! Well - the answer is a typical MBA answer - it depends.

A quick wash cycle typically skips or has a shorter rinse cycles and uses zero or lower heat settings. So it is not ideal if you want your clothes to be deep cleaned esp. if you frequently wash baby / kids clothes which require more deep cleaning. It is also not ideal for cotton fabrics, bed sheets, towels and undergarments. It will also take longer to dry as it skips or has a shorter spin cycle with a lower spin speed. The wash quality is also not good when you put a full load of clothes in the washing machine in the quick wash cycle.

You can use a quick wash cycle regularly if:

1. You are almost always putting less soiled clothes in your washing machine.

2. You generally have a smaller load of clothes that don’t need deep cleaning but you want to wash them frequently

3. You wash delicate clothes/ dark colored clothes often that require less spinning and temperature

4. You are short on time - e.g., power supply issues or emergency use

Things to keep in mind if you do decide to use the quick load:

1. washing quality and drying quality in a quick wash cycle is not as good as it would be in a regular cycle - like daily wash / eco cycle.

2. You should not put a full load of clothes - it’s ideal for fewer clothes

3. You need to put less detergent than normal - otherwise detergent is not washed out properly and your clothes will be soapy

I hope this was useful in helping you decide which cycle you should choose. Thank you for watching and see you in the next video.