[bob1029]

> when your "three hour" (usually like 4-5 hours) load finishes

What kind of laundry cycles are we running here?

My machine finishes a normal "eco" cycle in <30 minutes. It also beeps really loudly when it's done. The combination of quick cycles and simple notification signal keeps me out of the weird tech solutions rabbit hole.

[tallanvor]

I'm guessing you're in the US?

European washing machines take longer due to requirements around lower water and electricity usage. Plus, it looks like that device is a combined washer and dryer, and they take even longer.

My washer normally takes 104 minutes on the regular cycle, but if it decides I've overloaded it, it can take as long as 3 hours! And mine is just a washer.

[johnisgood]

I live in Europe, too. I cannot find the pictogram right now, but the one that resembles a feather lasts ~45 minutes and it goes through everything.

[rrr_oh_man]

Most of the time (i.e. when you don't stuff it full of stuff) a fast cycle (30-40 mins tops) is just as effective...

[bob1029]

At what point is it taking too long regardless of other factors? Laundry is uniquely hellish in that you have an entire pipeline of it that need to be processed. Getting barely 3 loads done per day seems comical to me. This might be acceptable in a dishwasher but not a laundry machine.

[tallanvor]

Many people in Europe don't even have a dryer, so they're often not doing more than one load a day. And really, unless you have a really large family, you probably don't have to do laundry every day anyway.

In Norway they also structure your electricity fees to discourage running multiple appliances at once. --For example, to keep my flat delivery rate as low as possible I have to keep my peak usage under 2KWh. That is, for each day of the month they take the hour when you used the most electricity and average the 3 top values. Yes, it's annoying to think about if I want to wash and dry at the same time, and whether or not I'm going to use the oven or something else while doing laundry.

[ash_091]

Are people really running three loads of laundry a day?

[imhoguy]

Longer cycle does better job with microbes removal, especially with enzyme and activated oxygen bleach based detergents. In 30 min your machine just "rinses" the laundry to get a scent.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25207988/

[bob1029]

The dryer kills the microbes.

[tallanvor]

Again, Europe. Different from the US. European dryers generally don't heat above 45-60C, which isn't very effective at killing microbes. They do, however, use less electricity and are gentler on fabrics. Personally, though, I hang up my clothes and only use the dryer for sheets and towels.

[lightedman]

European dryers do not get that hot. You need over 75C consistently for a minimum of amount of time so the fabrics can heat through and hold that temperature. The sterilization process is basically the same as Tyndallization.

[imhoguy]

Only in high temperature.

[timedout_uk]

the "cotton" (delicates) program on this machine is a 3hr 4min program by its own preset, so usually stuff like bedding or softer clothing, or generally just things that I want to be washed same-day (that also won't survive one of the more rapid washes, or just requires an actual thorough wash) because it'll prevent me doing something otherwise. Issue is the machine is constantly recalculating how much time is left, seemingly based on stuff like the temperature or weight of the load or something like that, so when it starts on 3 hours, it can be four hours until it's done in 30 minutes, and then it sits on the last 5 minutes for over 45 minutes. I've waited six hours for my bedsheets, a blanket, and some pillowcases to wash before! It truly is one of the washing machines of all time.

[mulmen]

My dryer takes three hours because it is ventless (aka worthless). A regular load of laundry takes 4.5 hours to wash and dry. It’s the worst appliance I have ever had the displeasure of operating. It has no redeeming qualities. Sometimes it doesn’t even dry the laundry.

[theryan]

Some ventless dryers work really well. We have a Bosch 800 series and it works nearly as well and almost as quick as the electric vented dryer it replaced. On the other hand, we owned a Siemens ventless and I don't think it ever dried a piece of clothing.

[mulmen]

Thanks, this is a rental so I didn’t get to shop around. I’ll give ventless dryers another chance if I am ever in a purchasing position.

For anyone else in the market avoid Blomberg. Specifically never buy https://www.blombergappliances.com/products/24-ventless-heat....

[clausecker]

Bosch and Siemens is the same company (BSH, Bosch Siemens Home Appliances).

[rssoconnor]

I also have a ventless, but it is a washr/dryer all-in-one unit.

It probably also takes 4.5 hours to wash and dry, but I wouldn't know because it happens when I'm sleeping (which just happens to be the same time as the ultra-low time-of-day electricity rates where I live) . It's pretty great. Definitely recommend.

[mulmen]

My laundry room is under my bedroom so the noise is disruptive. Especially when the anti-wrinkle setting runs for three hours on a load of towels.