Do washing machines really clean your clothes well?

The fact that washing machines clean clothes, and the fact that they’ve been cleaning clothes for decades is not really in question. The bigger question is whether washing machines are more effective than hand-washing and other types of cleaning. Are we just using washing machines because they’re convenient, or because they’re so much better than every other mode of washing?

Long story short, while it may have been the case decades ago that washing machines were inefficient in terms of both cleaning and water consumption, today’s machines are incredibly efficient and very capable of properly cleaning clothes. They use less water than hand washing, the style of washing does less damage to clothes, and unless you’re using them wrong, are just as effective, if not more effective, than any form of hand wash.

Cleaning patterns

Washing machines don’t just randomly shake clothes in water to wash them – though that can work in some circumstances – they agitate clothes in a precise pattern determined by engineers and experts to maximise cleaning potential while minimising water use.

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Modern washing machines also include different wash cycles based on the types of clothes you’re washing, can wash at a very high temperature to remove especially stubborn stains, work with stronger chemicals that might damage our hands during hand-washing them, and more. 

Point being, washing machines are complex engineering contraptions that have been refined over many decades to do just one thing: wash clothes. And they’re very good at it. There are exceptions in that certain delicate fabrics, for example, need to be hand washed to avoid damaging them, or you might need to send other fabrics for dry cleaning as water is harmful. But these are, again, exceptions, and would need special treatment regardless of whether you have access to a washing machine.

Washing machines are very efficient

A modern washing machine typically consumes about 40-50 litres of water per wash. That might seem like a lot, but bear in mind that handwashing the same number of clothes is expected to consume a lot more water. Of course, running the washing machine nearly empty or with very few clothes will result in wastage.

In addition, if you factor in the cost of running a washing machine vs the amount of time and effort it saves you in a day, using a washing machine is typically a no-brainer.

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Washing machines are one of the true, modern conveniences of our times for they go a long way towards reducing our workload by taking mundane tasks off our hands. While some people might still prefer hand-washed clothes, that process isn’t necessarily cleaner or more efficient.