What is Eco-wash in a washing machine?

Most washing machine owners have likely encountered the mysterious "Eco" label on their washing machine's control panel. Some claim the "Eco" program is environmentally friendly, while others believe it's actually about efficiency. So the question arises: what exactly is eco-washing and what is its purpose in everyday life?

Economical or eco-friendly?

The difficulty is that both the eco-friendliness and cost-effectiveness theories are valid. After all, both issues are relevant to all washing machine users. This is where misunderstandings arise. However, if you analyze just a few washing machine manuals (from different brands, for the sake of clarity), you can easily understand what an ECO mode in a washing machine is. It's a savings program.

The ECO mode is designed to minimize water and energy consumption. This means you can pay significantly less on your utility bills by using this mode regularly.

But you must always remember that you can’t kill two birds with one stone. While saving water and electricity, you will have to sacrifice your time, and maybe even the quality of your washing.The problem is that, firstly, washing with the eco program takes a very long time, on average about three hours. Secondly, to save energy, the machine barely heats the water, so it doesn't exceed 40 degrees Celsius. Finally, the rotation speed is very low, so the washing process is more like a regular soak. With such settings, it's unlikely that you'll be able to remove heavy stains.

Important! In practice, this mode primarily saves energy, consuming half as much. As for water, the results are little different from those of a regular wash. Perhaps only in some highly energy-efficient machines, but this is more a characteristic of the model than the mode itself.

ECO on Samsung machines

According to statistics, Samsung washing machines are among the most popular among regular users in Russia. Therefore, let's explore the Eco modes on one model, the Samsung WF1602YQR. This washing machine's energy-saving program is called "Intensive ECO" and has the following features:

1. With this setting, you can only load the drum 2/3 full. This is inconvenient, because if your machine has a 6 kg capacity, you'll only have to wash 4.
2. Pre-wash is not provided.

Note: Skipping the prewash will help save some water. However, during the main wash, your items will spend a significant amount of time in the soapy water. This means the effect will be the same.

1. On average, washing takes 4 hours, of which 3 hours and 40 minutes is the main wash, and another 20 minutes is activating additional functions.
2. Washing mode: 40 degrees.
3. Additional options include Eco Bubble, Easy Iron and Delay End, which can be activated if desired.

This means that if you have enough time, you can safely turn on this mode. However, if you need to wash clothes quickly, you'll have to forego the savings. And yes, don’t forget that Eco means saving money; the regime has nothing to do with ecology. This program is primarily used to save electricity, as high electricity rates are a pressing issue not only in Russia but also in the West. That's why Western engineers developed this special mode.

   

1 reader comment

1. September 4, 2024 at 6:18 AM

   Firuza:

   I set my Ziffler washing machine to eco mode. It's been 4 hours, but it still won't finish. I set it for 30 minutes, thank goodness.

   Answer