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Should You Use The Quick Wash Cycle? (Washing Machine Edition)
Your washing machine has a “Quick Wash” cycle. Should you use it?
I see a lot of people on social media saying they only use the Quick Wash cycle because the normal cycle takes so long. As a former appliance repair tech, I can tell you why you should and should not use the Quick Wash cycle. Buckle up; we’re about to dive into washing machine technology.
The modern washing machine, virtually any washing machine manufactured in the last 15 years, has several built-in sensors. The first sensor I’ll talk about is the load size sensor. You’ve probably noticed that most washing machines gently agitate and spin the load as they fill with water. This gentle motion is intended to distribute the load evenly and to try to get an idea of the size of the load. By sensing the mass of the load, derived from the force needed to agitate and spin the load, the washing machine can get an idea of how much water it will require to fill and wash the load. It will fill the tub with the corresponding amount of water so it doesn’t use too much or too little to wash the load. This sensor will also try to balance an off-balance load. If the washer detects an off-balance load, it will pause the cycle, add more water, agitate and spin a little to redistribute the load before it resumes the cycle.
