The Best Washing Machine Cycle, According to a Laundry Expert

By Barbara Bellesi Zito

Published on Nov. 06, 2024

This washing machine setting is about to become your new best friend

It’s nice to have options, but when it comes to washing machine settings, decision fatigue is real. On my Maytag, there are nine wash cycles, including something called Whitest Whites. And that’s on top of wash temperature, soil level and spin speed options! When my wash temperature button got permanently stuck on warm, I didn’t freak out about how I would do my laundry. Instead, I breathed a sigh of relief that there was one less laundry decision I had to make.

Of course, turning a knob and pressing a few buttons is nothing to complain about, considering what our ancestors had to go through on laundry day. But that doesn’t mean we should stick with a complex laundry process for the heck of it. The fact is, most of us could stand to streamline the laundry process.

To make sense of the many options my washing machine offers—and discover a no-nonsense process for getting my clothes clean—I called Linsey Morgan, the owner of Linsey’s Laundry, a personal laundry service based in St. Louis. Turns out, technology has a tendency to complicate things. Here’s the scoop on how to simplify your laundry routine.

Get Reader’s Digest’s Read Up newsletter for more cleaning, humor, travel, tech and fun facts all week long.

An appliance loaded with fancy features is the answer to a question you may not have realized you were asking: What else can my washing machine do? See, people seem to want high-tech stuff, so companies produce machines to meet that need.

“It’s the [consumer] culture,” says Morgan. “[Consumers want to] push a button that tells you how many minutes you have left. They want all the bells and whistles.”

And that includes a handful of wash cycles for various care needs. Trying to determine the best temperature to wash your clothes? You can now set your washer based on your clothing’s color, fabric type, soil level and more. The way washing machine manufacturers (and many consumers) see it, these options make it easier to tailor your wash to your load’s needs.

Not really. A washing machine with fewer wash cycles will still get your clothes clean. And features-loaded machines pose their own issues. “These machines are going to cost a lot more to fix because you have higher technology to run them,” says Morgan. “So yeah, it’s cool to have a machine sing to you, but you don’t need that to wash your clothes.”

For the record, Morgan owns a Speed Queen. “I don’t have the singing-to-me-when-it’s-done washing machine,” she says. “I just have a regular push/turn.” It suits her growing business just fine.

“My go-to is going to be your ‘normal’ wash because that’s going to take care of all of your regular fabrics,” Morgan says, referring to items like towels, comforters and sheets. “Anything you have [on a] day-to-day basis is going to be your normal cycle.”

Whether you have a dozen settings or just a few, Morgan says “normal” is going to be one of them. And it’s OK to use it often.

Water temperature is key to maximizing the wash cycle. For most machines, selecting the “normal” setting means washing in warm water by default (though check the user manual for your washing machine model to be sure). But that doesn’t mean you’re stuck with warm water. You can select a different temperature if your load calls for it.

“[For] whites, like white towels and white sheets, you want to use a hot water wash,” Morgan says. That’s because hot water breaks down stains, making whites brighter. And it’s the best option for killing bacteria and viruses. “[For] anything else, you can use that warm to cool range,” she says. “It’s totally fine on your fabrics.”

I sheepishly told Morgan I’d been making do with my washer stuck on warm. (Seriously, everything else on the machine works fine except for that dang button.) But she confirmed what I’ve been thinking: It’s much better to be stuck with warm water than hot. “Warm is your safest temperature,” she says. Phew!

Here are a few more tips for optimizing a “normal” wash cycle:

Don’t overload the washer. Morgan herself has to remember not to cram everything into one load, even though she knows it’s counterproductive to cleaning the clothes. “Three-fourths full is a good rule of thumb,” she says. “More does not always equal better.”

Use the bulky load option for large items. If you happen to stretch the three-fourths rule, choose the bulky load option on your machine if there is one. This will ensure you’ve got enough suds and water to wash the load, Morgan explains.

Choose a detergent that works for you. Morgan uses standard suds for her family, but she’ll use hypoallergenic laundry detergent for some clients. There are even detergents optimized for cold water.

If you try a cold-water detergent, let me know. I’ll be here, still washing my clothes on warm.

Clothing comes with care labels for good reason, and you should read them, says Morgan. For typical cotton garments, especially those that you’ve washed and worn many times, the “normal” setting is likely just fine.

That said, there are times when you need to put those extra washing machine settings to good use. “If you have a certain sweater or dress or something that you really care about, you need to check the labels,” she says. The “delicate” or “permanent press” cycle is likely the way to go for these special items, but the label should dictate that, along with how to dry them properly, she adds.

You might deviate from the normal cycle during cold and flu season too. If someone in your house has the flu, COVID-19 or another contagious illness, you probably want to wash your sheets and towels in hot water. Some machines even have a “sanitize” cycle—Whirlpool’s front-load washers claim to kill 99.9% of three common bacteria on this setting.

In the end, you’ll have plenty of opportunities to use these and other washer settings. If that sounds like fun, have at it! Just know that you can usually get the job done by sticking with the “normal” cycle.

At Reader’s Digest, we’re committed to producing high-quality content by writers with expertise and experience in their field in consultation with relevant, qualified experts. We rely on reputable primary sources, including government and professional organizations and academic institutions as well as our writers’ personal experiences where appropriate. For this piece on the only washing machine cycle you really need, Barbara Bellesi Zito tapped her longtime experience as a journalist who covers home topics, including cleaning. We verify all facts and data, back them with credible sourcing and revisit them over time to ensure they remain accurate and up to date. Read more about our team, our contributors and our editorial policies.

Sources:

Your Guide to Separating Laundry

How to Air-Dry Clothes Correctly

Here's How to Use Laundry Pods