washing machines

Terry nappies always needed a boil wash. Flannels, hankies etc all things not so much in general use now

Skullduggery I also have never boil washed in my life- it is the new machines I am afraid.

What are you all boil washing? I've never boiled any washing in my life and I'm in my fifties.

I've got a Bosch that has a speed button that reduces any temp wash to around an hour, if required. It also has a 15minute refresh wash.

Modern detergents are designed to be used at lower temperatures so the vast majority of my washing including undies is done at 40 degrees with only bedding and towels at 60 and other bits at 30.

I replaced my old Hotpoint with a new one and was shocked by how long the Eco programmes take. I wanted a 1600 option for the spin but didn't realise the programme would take over three hours!

As long as clothes just need a 'freshen up', I now use the half hour programme (spin 800) followed by a ten minute 1600 spin.

Thank goodness to date I have had no need to use the pre-wash programme on my Siemens because it takes around 3 hours and 20 minutes. The ones I use all of the time are the "delicates" or "dark fabrics" and it takes 1 hour and 37 minutes for the first and one hour 22 minutes for the latter although sometimes I think that the washing machine clock is slower than my watch.

My DH spent hours trying to find a machine that would replicate my 28min quick wash it was impossible, in the end we bought a second hand hoover machine. I just dont have the time to wait 2 hours ( some are 5 hours!). Only a man could have decided to change the programmes, half the day would be gone if you had to wait 2 hours to get the washing on the line and dont get me started on the time delay to open the machine when it has finished !

I programme mine to be ready just after breakfast!

I never wait for washing. It waits for me.

My LG has a quick wash, option of 30' or 40' which takes about 40 mins. A white wash is about an hour and 15 mins. Other options in between.

My Hotpoint does a 60' (or a lower temp to suit) fast wash in an hour and 30' in 30 minutes and I mainly use the hour program at either 40 or 30'.
I find the 30 minute wash cycle doesn't do a fast spin so the stuff is wetter so not good when drying indoors during the winter.
Can't see why I'd want to be waiting over 3 hours!

The wash cycles on washing machines are dictated by clothing manufacturers so that they match the standard washing instructions on the clothing labels. The idea is to reduce the number of customers taking clothes back to the shop claiming they were damaged in the wash. If you haven't used the wash programme named on the label the manufacturer/shop is absolved from responsibility. That is why so many apparently washable articles are labelled 'Dry clean only'

For that reason the heat dials on washing machines are a snare and delusion. They do not permit you to raise the temperature of any wash, just reduce it.

I always used to insist of buying the more basic machines that enabled to you to set a limited number of programmes, but use a separate heat dial to decide how hot you wanted each wash. So, for example, I have some quite delicate ribbon lace table clothes and I used to wash these on a delicate wash programme but a high temperature to get stains out without having to bleach them or use other chemicals on the delicate fabric, but no more.

And I thought it was because the energy-saving system involved using less water and heating it more gently, but jigging the stuff around for longer to get it clean. Which is why they use very little water or electricity, but take absolutely ages.

In fact, they seem to use so little water that sometimes some things come out of the machine with dry patches!

I think part of the reason for the longer cycle times may be that washing machines only take in cold water nowadays. Most of the time is probably the time it takes to heat the water. My previous machine (Zanussi, as is the current one) took in hot water as well.

My newish Bosch has a 30 minute freshen up wash, and also a speed perfect button, which means you can reduce the time of any other programme.

Mine (I think it's a Siemens, but most of them are made in the same factory and come out with different labels on) also takes 3 hrs for the economic programme. However, the German equivalent of "Which" tested them and said that the 60° economic wash only heated the water to 27° - 34° at most. That's colder than the water you shower with! So I NEVER press the "eco" button now, although I'm still not convinced that, even then, the water is heating to the 60° or 90° it says on the controls.

The 15-minute programme probably doesn't kill all germs, but I would only be worried about that for underpants and tea towels, which I wouldn't wash at less than 60° anyway. Same applies to all the other programmes. I mainly use the wool wash for outer clothes, with a wool-washing agent, pre-treating stains with a spray-on stain remover. It really doesn't matter if jeans and tee shirts aren't free of germs, as long as they are clean and smell fresh, does it?

My Samsung has an 'everyday wash' that takes 1 hour 3 minutes andhas the added bonus of playing you a very pretty tune when it finishes

My Hotpoint has speed and temp adjustments on all the cycles I mostly use a 45 min quick wash on 40* which is fine for lightly soiled washing. If I have towels or white linen I use a 3hr cotton cycle but use a time saver button which reduces the time to 1hr 25mins It cleans everything fine.

When you start looking you will be astounded at a)how slow and b)how cool all the washes are. My machine is A+++ which means that there is no boil wash, which would have useful. The fastest wash is an hour. So look very carefully! Best of luck.

My Bosch also has the reduced time factor and really at our time of life we don't really have dirty clothes do we,except when you need to do a boil wash and I only really need to do that about once a week now.I've not really noticed the different times on other machines I must take a look next time I'm browsing

My Bosch reduces the 30c wash to an hour as well. Must be a Bosch feature. Ashamed to say I don't know if it shortens any other programmes as this is the one I tend to use all the time!

I have a 5 year old AEG and have a 20 minute wash cycle which is really useful.

I've got a Bosch and I have a button that reduces the 30 degree wash to 1hr.