A QUICK wash is convenient and easy, but many of us also choose the cycle as it's cheaper - and greener when it comes to the environment.
However, a new study by Which? has debunked this theory, and suggests that a quick wash will actually cost you MORE money.
A study of 10 washing machines by the consumer watchdog found the average washing cycle cost 18p. Quick cycles were valued at 9p.
While this is initially cheaper, the poor cleaning, rinsing and spinning cycle of shorter washes means people will need to re-wash or use tumble dryers for longer.
The study explained: “As quick washes don’t spin your clothes as thoroughly as a full wash, it will take longer for them to dry.
“If you use a tumble dryer to do this, it will consume more energy, which will cost you more.”
The study also rates the different types of washing variations. It gives a normal wash four stars for cleaning, three for rinsing and five for spinning.
However, the quick wash fared significantly lower. It received just two stars out of five for cleaning and rinsing, and three stars for spinning.
“Quick washes are only really suited to laundry that doesn’t have any tough stains or lingering smells, such as a few shirts that you’ve worn to the office for only a day,” the report said.
The report from Which? also surveyed 1,199 washing machine owners to see how many users used quick wash.
It reported 55 per cent of people used quick wash only “sometimes” or “often”. This is believed to be because of standard washing times increasing.
Washing times, despite the need to be greener and ecologically friendly, have actually increased over the years.
In 2011, the average washing time was less than two-and-a-half hours. In 2018, this time had increased to more than three hours.
The reason for this increase, according to Which?, is manufactures "decreasing the temperature to cut down on energy consumption, but increasing the duration of the wash to get the same cleaning results".
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