7 ms·

Nowadays the default eco cycle that is used to rate European dishwashers typically takes about 3 hours or more, and drying could indeed be better, but other tha

Nowadays the default eco cycle that is used to rate European dishwashers typically takes about 3 hours or more, and drying could indeed be better, but other than that, I can't really complain. You can still select a 1-hour 70° heavy duty cycle if needed. Same with washing machines. My wife gets annoyed, but as far as I'm concerned, I don't really care whether the default cycle takes 1h30 or 5h.

mikequinlan 3y ago
If you are doing 3 loads (whites, colors, towels) it means 15 hours vs 4.5 hours.
- marcus0x62 3y ago
  You separate your dishes by color when washing them?
  - mikequinlan 3y ago
    Ouch… Now I feel dumb.
  - grawlinson 3y ago
    Well yeah, how else do you stop color bleeding out and staining your other dishes?
    - deleted 3y ago
      [deleted]
- dragonwriter 3y ago
  I suspect (both because of the color separation and the reference to towels) you have confused laundry machines with dishwashers. One doesn't usually separate dishes by color before washing them in a dishwasher, and even if for some reason one did, one still wouldn't usually wash towels in a dishwasher.
  - Macha 3y ago
    the second half of the GP comments changes topics to laundry, which is what I assume the parent comment was replying to
- freddie_mercury 3y ago
  You don't need to separate any of those things when doing laundry. You're just making more work for yourself. Modern laundry washing machines also have a "finish at" timer. I set mine to finish at 8am so after breakfast I empty it out. If we really need to do 2 loads a day (it happens sometimes with a family) then the second one is done around lunch time.
- hocuspocus 3y ago
  Without kids, we have no need to wash several loads on the same day. We separate colors, whites (mostly bed sheets) and towels, but they don't amount to a full load at the same time and get washed on their own periodic schedule, which never overlap.
ComputerGuru 3y ago
I do the dishes one load at a time (wait for the dishwasher to fill up so I’m not running it empty) and let my European-make dishwasher run overnight when electricity is cheapest and cleanest. But laundry requires being hung or transferred to the dryer immediately after to avoid things getting stinky - and I usually have multiple sorted loads (whites, colors, delicates) that I can’t just throw all together so I actually do get annoyed at how slow my front-loading washing machine is.
- lathiat 3y ago
  While you obviously don't want to leave washing wet for many hours all the time, if they are getting stinky within a few hours you likely have notable bacteria and scud build up in your machine that could be resolved. That has been my experience. Do you do a semi-regular hot cleaning cycle? (My washer has one built in and prompts you to run it every 40 cycles) but you can just do a hot, empty load as a substitute. Possibly ideally with some washing machine cleaner though I don't use that often. There is also the option of pulling it apart for a deep clean. It doesn't work with every laundry layout (luckily does for me) but I have found leaving the door open so it can dry out is very helpful to prevent mould built up on the doors etc at least. Not sure how much it effects the bacteria/scud/etc - could even make scud worse to some degree since deposits dry out I guess. Another tip that I only recently learnt is that you can dry washing with a dehumifier at a rate not that much slower than a clothes dryer (6-ish hours). Also at a rate cheaper or comparable to a heat pump dryer. That may be a good option for your staged washing if you're happy to hang the clothes out. On my washer at least the hour cycle does a pretty good job of things though in theory you're supposed to only wash like 3-4KG instead of 8-11 like in the 2-3 hour cycles. Two things I am reasonably sure matter but have not looked into the research and need to get around to doing is: - I have to wonder about the impact of long washing loads on clothes longevity and wearing out of the fabric, especially with fuller loads.. that's a lot of rubbing. - The washing powder I currently like the most definitely gets caught and leaves residue.. in particular it builds up -inside- the detergent drawer and becomes so glued on even a pressure washer and screwdriver takes a lot of effort to get it off (clearly needs CLR or some such). I am sure some detergents are much better at not building up SCUD compared to others but this seems to be a not well discussed/reviewed fact.
dredmorbius 3y ago
If you need the dish or garment now (or quickly), it's an issue. If you're not going to be in, or need to process multiple loads (more likely for laundry than dishes) then long cycles turn the process into an all-day, or multi-day, function. I still prefer hand-washing dishes in most cases as it occurs in parallel with meal prep and eating (fill sink, soak cooking and prep pots and utensils whilst eating, finish and wash table dishes afterward, pop onto a drying rack. Ten minutes. Can be a conversation / bonding time with a partner, or a good time to listen to audiobooks, podcasts, music, etc., if solo. With a dishwasher, I'm constantly fishing out, and hand-washing, pots, utensils, or dishes that I need either before or during the wash cycle (which takes > 1 hour). Hand-washing that item alone? 1 minute tops. If you have a large family, there's potential time savings. Solo or couple? Not so much. As for efficiency: for dishwashers vs. fill sink / soak / scrub, there's little effective difference in water or energy, and the cycle time is far shorter.
- philwelch 3y ago
  > With a dishwasher, I'm constantly fishing out, and hand-washing, pots, utensils, or dishes that I need either before or during the wash cycle (which takes > 1 hour). You could also just buy more dishes.
  - dredmorbius 3y ago
    That typically takes longer than a single dishwasher cycle. And costs more.
    - philwelch 3y ago
      It doesn’t have to take any extra time at all. Just buy more dishes next time you go to the store and you’ll stop running out of dishes during the day, then you can run the dishwasher once at night and never have to hand wash dishes again.
  - askvictor 3y ago
    Not always an option; particularly if you live in an apartment or are otherwise constrained for storage space.
_zoltan_ 3y ago
It's so horrible that I can't get a washing machine that's fast. I don't care about the other metrics, just get it done perfectly. That's the most important.

mikequinlan 3y ago

If you are doing 3 loads (whites, colors, towels) it means 15 hours vs 4.5 hours.

marcus0x62 3y ago
You separate your dishes by color when washing them?
- mikequinlan 3y ago
  Ouch… Now I feel dumb.
- grawlinson 3y ago
  Well yeah, how else do you stop color bleeding out and staining your other dishes?
  - deleted 3y ago
    [deleted]
dragonwriter 3y ago
I suspect (both because of the color separation and the reference to towels) you have confused laundry machines with dishwashers. One doesn't usually separate dishes by color before washing them in a dishwasher, and even if for some reason one did, one still wouldn't usually wash towels in a dishwasher.
- Macha 3y ago
  the second half of the GP comments changes topics to laundry, which is what I assume the parent comment was replying to
freddie_mercury 3y ago
You don't need to separate any of those things when doing laundry. You're just making more work for yourself. Modern laundry washing machines also have a "finish at" timer. I set mine to finish at 8am so after breakfast I empty it out. If we really need to do 2 loads a day (it happens sometimes with a family) then the second one is done around lunch time.
hocuspocus 3y ago
Without kids, we have no need to wash several loads on the same day. We separate colors, whites (mostly bed sheets) and towels, but they don't amount to a full load at the same time and get washed on their own periodic schedule, which never overlap.

ComputerGuru 3y ago

I do the dishes one load at a time (wait for the dishwasher to fill up so I’m not running it empty) and let my European-make dishwasher run overnight when electricity is cheapest and cleanest. But laundry requires being hung or transferred to the dryer immediately after to avoid things getting stinky - and I usually have multiple sorted loads (whites, colors, delicates) that I can’t just throw all together so I actually do get annoyed at how slow my front-loading washing machine is.

lathiat 3y ago
While you obviously don't want to leave washing wet for many hours all the time, if they are getting stinky within a few hours you likely have notable bacteria and scud build up in your machine that could be resolved. That has been my experience. Do you do a semi-regular hot cleaning cycle? (My washer has one built in and prompts you to run it every 40 cycles) but you can just do a hot, empty load as a substitute. Possibly ideally with some washing machine cleaner though I don't use that often. There is also the option of pulling it apart for a deep clean. It doesn't work with every laundry layout (luckily does for me) but I have found leaving the door open so it can dry out is very helpful to prevent mould built up on the doors etc at least. Not sure how much it effects the bacteria/scud/etc - could even make scud worse to some degree since deposits dry out I guess. Another tip that I only recently learnt is that you can dry washing with a dehumifier at a rate not that much slower than a clothes dryer (6-ish hours). Also at a rate cheaper or comparable to a heat pump dryer. That may be a good option for your staged washing if you're happy to hang the clothes out. On my washer at least the hour cycle does a pretty good job of things though in theory you're supposed to only wash like 3-4KG instead of 8-11 like in the 2-3 hour cycles. Two things I am reasonably sure matter but have not looked into the research and need to get around to doing is: - I have to wonder about the impact of long washing loads on clothes longevity and wearing out of the fabric, especially with fuller loads.. that's a lot of rubbing. - The washing powder I currently like the most definitely gets caught and leaves residue.. in particular it builds up -inside- the detergent drawer and becomes so glued on even a pressure washer and screwdriver takes a lot of effort to get it off (clearly needs CLR or some such). I am sure some detergents are much better at not building up SCUD compared to others but this seems to be a not well discussed/reviewed fact.

dredmorbius 3y ago

If you need the dish or garment now (or quickly), it's an issue. If you're not going to be in, or need to process multiple loads (more likely for laundry than dishes) then long cycles turn the process into an all-day, or multi-day, function. I still prefer hand-washing dishes in most cases as it occurs in parallel with meal prep and eating (fill sink, soak cooking and prep pots and utensils whilst eating, finish and wash table dishes afterward, pop onto a drying rack. Ten minutes. Can be a conversation / bonding time with a partner, or a good time to listen to audiobooks, podcasts, music, etc., if solo. With a dishwasher, I'm constantly fishing out, and hand-washing, pots, utensils, or dishes that I need either before or during the wash cycle (which takes > 1 hour). Hand-washing that item alone? 1 minute tops. If you have a large family, there's potential time savings. Solo or couple? Not so much. As for efficiency: for dishwashers vs. fill sink / soak / scrub, there's little effective difference in water or energy, and the cycle time is far shorter.

philwelch 3y ago
> With a dishwasher, I'm constantly fishing out, and hand-washing, pots, utensils, or dishes that I need either before or during the wash cycle (which takes > 1 hour). You could also just buy more dishes.
- dredmorbius 3y ago
  That typically takes longer than a single dishwasher cycle. And costs more.
  - philwelch 3y ago
    It doesn’t have to take any extra time at all. Just buy more dishes next time you go to the store and you’ll stop running out of dishes during the day, then you can run the dishwasher once at night and never have to hand wash dishes again.
- askvictor 3y ago
  Not always an option; particularly if you live in an apartment or are otherwise constrained for storage space.

_zoltan_ 3y ago

It's so horrible that I can't get a washing machine that's fast. I don't care about the other metrics, just get it done perfectly. That's the most important.