How long do you set the time on the clothes washing machine?

I’ve recently started to put it on the lowest (shortest) setting. I find that my clothes take an unacceptable amount of wear just from the washing process. Now, they still come out nice and clean, they’ll last longer, and I’m using less water and energy. Full of win.

I tend to wear clothes until they are covered in pizza sauce. So I go with the longest wash.

I have a brand new electronic model (LG) that determines the minimum amount of water required for the weight and size of the load. It uses much less water than my previous mechanical model.

I base it on the type of clothes and/or dirtiness of the load. Husband’s work clothes = “heavy duty” cycle (longest time/hardest agitation). My clothes = “regular” cycle (medium time/gentler agitation). Delicates = “delicates” cycle (short time/minimal agitation). In all cases, I run an extra spin cycle at the end, to wring out as much water as possible. Saves time in the dryer (and energy).

The shortest for ecological reasons. No one has complained that I stink.

The shortest time, for economical and environmental reasons. My laundry gets perfectly clean, which makes me think that any additional time would be wasteful.

Experiment and see how it works out for you. I have had machines that need a longer time to get the clothes clean, but that is usually the public machines in apartment buildings.

I also use way less soap than the package recommends – about ⅓ less.

I have to use more detergent than called for, because my detergent kind of sucks. It’s the only one I can use, though, that doesn’t give me hives all over my body.

Usually the shortest amount of time. If I hand washed, the clothes would be lucky to be in the water 5 minutes. LOL.

I read this question in a Martha Stewart Q&A a few years ago. Martha said that if your clothes are very dirty, for example ground in dirt like if you are a professional landscaper or construction worker, then you need to have the clothes on the longest setting. For “regular” wear, like for driving around, shopping, visiting, working, etc., she recommends using the shortest setting, “short wash” or “permanent press.” That’s the one I use – the shortest wash which still takes about ½ hour total between agitation, soaking and rinsing and spinning.

Mine has many many different settings depending on what needs to be done so I adjust it to what ever I need it to clean. If I need it to sanitize something I set it on that which takes about 2 hours but typically I keep it on the basic was where its less than an hour for a wash. If its something not really dirty then I do a quick was which is about 25 minutes. So again depending on the use I set it accordingly but it is the new foaming washer.

I am assuming this is not a front load. My front load LG I hate and I feel like items don’t “soak” enough if they are very sweaty. Many many of my friends complain about the same thing. So if you have a HE front load, then you might want to soak a few garments so the load weighs more to trick the washer into releasing more water. I have a girlfriend who says she often washes her husband’s work out clothes twice, it’s ridiculous. Anyway, that’s my trick the extra water, and still I keep it on a short or normal wash.

Right now I am using a top load in an apartment and that is what I based my first answer on. I never feel like my clothes didn’t get clean enough, the top loads in apartments just tear up delicates.

@JLeslie: For delicates, I put them in a mesh bag and they stay pretty safe.

There was a piece on a news show a few weeks ago about front loading washers getting moldy. They said it’s a problem because the moist air does not go out of the machine like it does for machines that have the lid open to the top. Made it sound not too appealing to have a front loader. My mom has one and what I don’t like is how you can’t throw in clothes once you start the cycle.

@jca The LG absolutely gets moldy. Some people say the German ones don’t. I use lingerie bags also and I agree it works pretty well. The side load definitely is gentler though and it still gets out stains well. My front load I can pause it and add more items. At least I know I could the first few minutes, I never tried well into the cycle. Many years ago I had a front load that was the old fashioned kind that still had lots of water and that one you could not open. Interestingly, we never had a mold problem with it.

Edit: another negative is the bleach does not wash out of the dispenser and lines well, and you have to do white washes back to back to make sure you don’t ruin a dark wash. I have friends who report the same problem even with other brands besides LG.

Yes, this is a top loading washer.

The longest, because the energy used in agitation is minuscule. The bigger savings for me is using a cold / cold cycle. I almost never run a hot water wash.

I don’t put any real thought into it. I always go with the longest setting just to be sure my clothes get clean. I’m not what you would call “environmentally friendly”.

Its not particular because its depends on my clothes. Generally, 15 minutes.

My washing machine doesn’t have a time setting. It’s an Eco-friendly model that only has settings like “whites,” “colors,” “jeans,” and “towels.” You can set a few of them to “light,” “medium,” or “heavy.” I usually set mine to heavy because we combine our clothes into two large loads (whites and colors/jeans) once per week.