What is rinse in washing machine

Washing machines are one of the most essential electronic devices in a home. You cannot find a home with a washing machine or washer of any kind. Although to date many opt to hand wash, at least the delicates and heavily soiled clothes; hand washing is not done by a majority of the people.

Washing machines have made laundry so much easier for everyone. The modern-day washing machines come with different advanced settings, including temperature control and wash cycles to suit the fabric material.

The washing machine spins with the help of centrifugal force. This spinning action is what helps the washer to remove tough stains. Each wash cycle is different and the drum washes accordingly to suit the cycle.

In this article let us look at the rinse cycle in the washing machine. Let us learn how this rinse cycle works in a washing machine, does it soak, its speed, how it handles the fabric, its temperature settings for fabrics, and more.

What is rinsing and its role?

As the word suggests, we can know that rinse means to wash. In a washing machine, the rinse cycle comes after the wash cycle. This cycle also happens using the centrifugal force of the washing machine.

Based on the settings in the washer, it can last either longer or for just a few minutes if a high-speed wash cycle has been selected. Some washing machines allow the clothes to be washed with a ‘Simply rinse’ option as well. This might come in handy if the clothes are not heavily soiled and there are fewer stains that need to be washed from the fabric. Very dirty cannot be cleaned with just rinse, they have to go through a proper wash and spin cycle (even if it just speed wash to cut down on drying time).

Here is what the washing machine does during a rinse. The excess water from the previous wash cycles will be drained completely through the drain hose. The water is drained along with the detergent solution, fabric softener, or any other solution that was added to remove dirt from heavily soiled clothes. This dirty water cannot be used further for washing clothes so it must be replaced with clean water.

Once the excess water is drained completely, clean water enters the washer drum. Some washer settings might permit the rinse water to be cold water or warm water, but it is never soapy water.

Clothes in the machine are washed with clean water alone until all the excess detergent solution and remaining dirt from the clothes are released. All the water is drained again before the next spin cycle starts in the washing machine.

No matter how big the load size is, how much heavy-duty laundry is present; rinse is done with only water without adding any excess detergent.

What is difference between rinse and wash?

Here is a quick look at the basic steps that take place within a washing machine during the wash and rinse.

In wash cycles, the washing machine spins using centrifugal force to create an agitation mimicking hand washing. Machine wash cycles are hoping to have created equal tension on heavy-duty clothes as a hand wash does.

Once the cycle starts, soapy water enters the drum. This can be cold water or water-based on the setting selected. It is for the wash cycle you add a detergent solution. Remember not to add too much detergent to soak the clothes, assuming that this is essential to remove dirt from heavily soiled clothes or a load size that is big. The wash cycle can go on for a period of time, even up to 50 minutes depending on the setting again.

Wash cycles in some washers have the speed wash option. This can last for a few minutes. Delicate items and laundry with small load size can be washed with a high-speed setting to prevent damage to the clothes from the intense agitation and washing that does for a long time.

The dirty water or excess water is drained through the drain hose at the end of the day. It must be drained completely before the next cycle begins.

During the rinse cycle, the fabric softener that you added will be used to maintain the quality of the fabrics. It will anyway be washed out at the end of the cycle. Clean water is used for the cycle where it removes all dirt still remaining from the previous cycle. The water is drained with the residual detergent solution along with the softeners.

A thorough wash might need more water and hence rinse uses as much water needed to wash the clothes well.

How long does it take for a washing machine to rinse?

Normal wash cycles starting from wash to spin cycle usually take around 50 minutes, sometimes even over an hour if you specifically want to get rid of dirt thoroughly and if the load size is large.

Rinsing however can take from 15 minutes to 30 minutes. Some machines use warm water, while others use cold water. It is important to give rinsing action sufficient time to get rid of all the detergent and all the water from the previous cycle; especially if the load size is big and a high-speed cycle is on.

Detergent residue is never good for the clothes and therefore a complete washing is required.

When should you use the second rinse on my washing machine?

A second rinse is sometimes recommended to be opted to ensure the detergent and all the water from the previous cycle are washed out fully. If you suspect that you had used too much detergent solution, it is highly recommended that you opt to rinse again to remove dirt and detergent suds fully.

A prewash cycle on the other hand happens prior to washing cycles where there is extra time to soak the clothes to loosen the stains and dirt.

What happens if you don’t rinse clothes?

Improper rinsing and spinning damage the fabrics and cause problems to health and skin.

Dirt accumulated in the drum and laundry when not washed out completely will trap lint and moisture easily, which will help bacteria and other microbes to breed. Sometimes we make the mistake of setting certain cycles for lesser times to preserve the quality of fabrics, especially the delicates. The action of more water will solve this.

Give as much water as essential, at the right temperature for the fabrics to be cleaned thoroughly in the washer and be free from any remaining detergent suds. One of the basic steps to remember in all types of washing is to use as much water as needed to get the clothes clean.

How do you just rinse a washing machine?

A just rinse spin cycle will help to clean the insides of the washing machine. You can run this with plain water, without any detergent. Running this option on your machine once a week is recommended, based on how often you do laundry and the size of the load your washing machine deals with on a regular basis.