Washing Machines
Get more from the machine you have, or choose your next one well. This hub covers cycle selection, capacity, maintenance and buying advice for washers.
Key takeaways
- Match the cycle to the load — synthetics and delicate cycles use reduced action for a reason.
- Run an occasional hot maintenance wash to clear limescale and detergent build-up.
- Do not overload: clothes need room to move for the wash and spin to work.
Tools for this topic
- What size washing machine? Two questions, one sourced capacity in kg and lb.
- Washing machine weight Unpacked weight by machine type, from the makers’ spec sheets.
- Laundry weight calculator Add the load up item by item for its estimated dry weight.
- Laundry cost calculator A year of water and energy, priced at your own rates.
Use this hub as a decision path
Start with the page that matches the fabric, stain, product or machine problem in front of you. Then use the neighbouring guides to adjust temperature, detergent, drying method and damage limits before you wash.
- If a care label conflicts with a general method, the care label wins.
- If a guide names a downside, treat it as a stop condition, not fine print.
- If a page includes products, read the method first and treat the product as optional.
In this guide
Laundry Tips
- How-to How Much Laundry Detergent to Use (and Why Less Wins) Dose to the cap line and load size, not by eye. Many people use more than they need — how much liquid, powder and pods to use, and how to adjust.
- How-to Laundry Temperature Guide: 30, 40 and 60 °C Explained What to wash at 30, 40 and 60 °C, by fabric: cold for wool, silk and brights, 40 for cotton and linen, 60 for bedding and light towels, with trade-offs.
- How-to Laundry Weight Calculator: How Much Does Laundry Weigh? Add clothes to estimate dry laundry weight in kg or lb, see the machine size you need, and check sourced per-item weights for clothes and linen.
- How-to Prewash vs Soak: When to Use Each, and for How Long Prewash vs soak, or neither? A decision table by soil and fabric, with the time and temperature limits washer makers and extension guides give.
- How-to Washing Clothes After a Fungal Infection: Items and Temperatures Athlete's foot, ringworm or jock itch: what to wash, how hot the care label allows, and what studies found at 30, 40 and 60 °C and in the dryer.
- How-to Washing Machine Cycles Explained: Which Setting to Use What Normal, Delicate, Heavy Duty, Quick, Bulky and Rinse+Spin change, and which cycle to use by fabric and soil.
How To Wash
- How-to How to Clean a Smelly Washing Machine (and Stop It Returning) Washers smell from residue and trapped moisture. Run a clean cycle, clean the seal, drawer and filter, keep the door ajar — and never mix cleaners.
- How-to How to Wash a Bra Without Ruining It Hand wash bras cold with a mild detergent, or machine wash on delicate in a mesh bag with hooks fastened. Avoid the dryer: heat degrades elastane.
- How-to How to Wash a Duvet or Comforter at Home A duvet needs room to move, not just a big enough machine. Match the drum to the size, wash gentle, and dry it fully — damp filling is what ruins it.
- How-to How to Wash Bed Sheets: Temperature, Frequency & Hygiene Real wash temperatures by fabric, how often to wash, and when 60 °C matters for dust mites — the hygiene-vs-energy trade-off, named honestly.
- How-to How to Wash Gym Clothes Without the Stink Wash activewear cool and inside out, skip the fabric softener, and air-dry it. Here's the sourced routine — and what the science says about the stink.
- How-to Laundry Basics: A Simple Starter Guide Sort, pre-treat, dose, wash, dry, fold — a plain-English starter guide to doing laundry right, with real temperatures, detergent formats and care symbols.
- How-to Washing Machine Won't Drain or Spin? How to Fix It Washer won't drain or spin? Unplug it first, then take the sourced checks for your symptom, in order.
Fabric Care
- How-to How to Wash Cotton Without Shrinking or Fading It Cotton can shrink in the washer and the dryer; heat and agitation are the biggest offenders. Wash colours cool, dry low, sort by colour, follow the label.
- How-to How to Wash Polyester Without Damaging It Polyester is durable but heat-sensitive and odour-prone. Wash cool, skip softener on performance synthetics, dry low or air-dry.