Washing machines.

Totally agree about the number of programmes ann. We were forced to replace our old machine in January as it had changed into a very efficient floor washing machine. The cycles are in the main longer, although ours does have a 30 minute quick wash. As the new one is better rated we just hope that overall power usage will be much the same. To go back to your question, we also regularly use just three programmes. Having said that I do find the new one easy to use now I’m familiar with it and the spin is blessedly silent, a real bonus with an open kitchen.

I use 4
Really hot wash occasionally for white towels and sheets (more frequently while Paw was alive because of the risk of infection and very dry skin and eczema meant he would sometimes bleed out of cracks in his skin. )
60 for other (light) cottons
50 for coloureds
30 Woolwash for all jumpers or delicates
I always put a “Colourcatcher” in and so far, so good.

My Siemens is a couple of years old now and I agree, the programmes are longer- a pre wash on mine is 3 hours + and amazingly I have never used it.

I use two programmes regularly and soon I will be adding "woollens" to the list if spring ever arrives.

Some programs are ridiculously long, I use 60* for sheets and towels, most used is a quick wash it’s 45 mins for lightly soiled clothes occasionally the delicates but that’s about it.

I use 40 and 60 degree washes.
That's it.

I use quick 30' wash for everything. We are still healthy.
Takes 35 mins

ours conked out when we moved six years ago, and the new one had more - and longer - programmes than the old one. I use a 60 degree wash for sheets and towels, which takes two hours and forty one minutes; a 40 degree mixed load wash for coloured cottons, which takes thirty five minutes, and a 30 degree 15 minute wash which suits most of my woollens. There is a wool wash that uses either cold or thirty degree water, and a silk programme, but i have never used either of them. I would never put silk in a washing machine anyway. It has a ‘speed perfect’ programme which you can use to shorten the time of the longer washes, and various eco programmes that lengthen the time of the longer washes!! It’s all about saving water and electricity with washing machine manufacturers, but I can’t reconcile saving electricity with a programme that takes nearly an hour!

That should read ‘nearly three hours’!

No of course they are not necessary.
I use a fifteen minute 30 degree one for 'refreshing', a 60 minute 40 degree for most things, and a 60 degree x 1 hour for towels and white sheets. I use the speed perfect function; I can't be doing with 2 hour plus washes.
Having ruined a much loved woollen jumper on the special wool cycle I always wash woollens by hand and only spin the water out of them.

I use the quick wash for just about everything, the options of 30 or 40 degrees/800 or 1200 spin speed and takes about 40 minutes. Give the whites an occasional hot wash to brighten them, 60 degrees.

I use the hand wash on my washer!

I have eco cycles on my machine, but they take hours and hours!

I use only the 'quick' wash which takes an hour, and just alter the temperature for different items. Almost all are done at 30 or 40. My clothes don't get heavily soiled, so a quick freshen is all they really need. I leave the spin speed at maximum all the time. Hand wash items are done on the rinse cycle with a small amount of Bold.
3 hours for a wash is ridiculous!

I agree with all of the above. We had to get a new machine and tried to choose the simplest mid-price-range one but it still has more programmes and options than we would ever need and we are mostly sticking to the 40 minute quick wash, having been stuck with a couple of 2 hrs + washes right at the start. We've been told it's because this machine is cold intake only, but we can't see how it works out better or greener because of the extra energy used. The other thing we've noticed is that the sudsy part of the wash is very late kicking in and we are often clearing suds when we open the door. The extra rinse option leaves the washing very wet indeed.

I think most washing machines and dishwashers are now cold feed only - the energy saving is supposedly that you only heat the exact amount of water being used rather than a whole tank.

For everyday washing the quick wash at 30 or 40 degrees. Usually 1200 spin but lower if delicate. Occasionally a hot wash to brighten bedding. Same with tumble dryer, just one, cotton cupboard dry.

Mainly the 30 degree quick wash
Occasionally the woollen hand wash
Once a week or so a 60 degree boil wash for towels and whites.

No idea what the other cycles are for, so dont use them. My washing machine has a built-in tumble drier too but it uses too much electricity and is totally useless. It's the one thing that I regret spending money on.

I found that with a combi washer/ drier - a separate dryer is just so much better.

I use 90c for whites
40c for darks
60 for lights
Woollen wash
Silk wash
30c for underwear and nets on non-iron wash when I wash them

So really quite a few I suppose. I’ve never really thought about it before.

The wool and silk wash cycles are particularly useful and all my cashmere, wool and silk are kept beautifully. I use the specially liquid as well.

Same as storynanny

The best machine I ever had was one I bought from my neighbour who got it discount as he worked for a large company who manufactured them worldwide. The one they sold to their employees was one they produced for Israel which just had the three programmes we all use! My neighbour always said the simpler they are, the less there is to go wrong. I had it for over 20 years till it eventually wore out! It was never repaired.

One....!!! 30degree quick wash and everything is perfectly clean!!!!!!

I agree! I had a wonderful machine (ISE now bust) that you selected the temperature then light, heavy, medium then the spin speed. Simple and it lasted me 9 years!

I refuse to have anything to do with these superfluous programmes. I wash everything at 40 degrees on Synthetics and have done with it. Only once I differed when the previous wash didn't spin too well - so I put that 'Engineer' stuff in it at a high temperature - whatever blockage it had was sorted, thank goodness.
Same with the iron - I keep the temp on medium. It's hot enough to get the creases out but doesn't scorch things. I can't be bothered with all that fiddle-faddle.