Is It Okay To Buy A Washing Machine With No Delicate Cycle Setting?

Last Updated on August 9, 2023 By Emma W. Thomas

Buying a washing machine without a delicate cycle is okay, but having a delicate cycle can help protect sensitive fabrics. Using gentle cycles with slower spin speeds reduces wear and tear. Consider hand-washing or using a laundry bag for delicate items if necessary.

Pros and Cons of Having A Washing Machine With No Delicate Cycle Setting

Pros	Cons
Simplicity: A washing machine without a delicate cycle is much simpler to operate, which can be beneficial for users who prefer straightforward operations and settings.	Damage to Delicate Clothing: Without a delicate cycle, there is a risk of damaging delicate fabrics. The higher agitation levels and temperatures can be harsh on delicate items.
Cost-effective: These washing machines are usually less expensive compared to the ones with delicate cycle setting. This makes them an affordable choice for budget-conscious consumers.	Limited Flexibility: The lack of a delicate cycle setting means that users have less flexibility when it comes to washing different types of fabrics and garments.
Energy Efficiency: Washing machines without delicate settings often use less water and energy than those with. This can result in lower utility bills.	Possible Extra Work: Without the delicate cycle, users may have to hand wash delicate items, which can be more time-consuming and labor-intensive.
Minimal Maintenance: Machines with fewer features usually require less maintenance. This can save users from potential repair or service costs over time.	Inconvenience: This can be an inconvenience for users who frequently wash delicate items and would prefer the ease of using a specific washing machine function for this purpose.

What Is The Delicate Cycle Of Washing Machine And Why It Is Necessary To Have It?

Nowadays, people don’t have time to wash their clothes. Hence, they end up buying a washing machine to make their lives easier. If you’re someone who has an ample amount of time and patience for hand washing your clothes, then there’s no harm in doing so. Many people don’t want to risk their gentle fabric clothes in the washing machine and choose to wash their hands. But washing machines have started coming with a “delicate cycle” setting that has replaced the concept of manually hand washing clothes.

Now the question arises, what the delicate cycle of washing machines is? There are certain laundries that are labeled as “hand wash only.” So, what the delicate cycle does is that it helps in minimizing the agitation on the fabric. It is that setting on your washing machine that uses a slow wash cycle and spin cycle to extract water from the laundry. The wash cycle under a delicate setting lasts for 4 to 7 minutes. It uses a gentle method of removing soil from the garment with water, detergent, and slow agitation.

Can You Wash Everything On the Delicate Cycle Setting?

No, it is not recommendable to wash everything in a delicate cycle setting. The delicate cycle setting is designed for clothes that have delicate fabrics. You can only wash these types of garments using the delicate cycle mode:

• Gym clothing should always be washed with a delicate cycle.
• Sheer fabrics have the chance to stretch when used under a normal wash cycle. Hence, stockings, curtains, and pantyhose should be cleaned using a delicate cycle.
• Undergarments and lingerie.
• Sweaters and baby blankets are made of loosely woven items. The delicate cycle uses a slow spin cycle to extract water.
• Silk, rayon, viscose, acrylics, and other synthetic items should never be washed using the regular wash cycle.

Purpose, Features, Usage, And Cleaning Techniques Of The Most Commonly Used Wash Cycles

To simplify your confusion, we have broken down the purpose, features, usage, and cleaning techniques of the most commonly used wash cycles in everyday life below:

Type Of Wash Cycles	Purpose	Cleaning Process	Water Temperature	What Type Of Clothes To Wash
Regular/Normal cycle	Works best for durable fabrics such as cotton.	Makes use of fast spin cycle with faster agitation to remove soil.	Hot water for whites and cold water for colors.	Towels, socks, heavily soiled items, whites, and sheets.
Delicate/Handwash cycle	Works best for delicate items.	Makes use of slow rinse cycle with slower agitation to remove soil	Coldwater.	Silk, gentle fabrics, gym clothing, and items with “hand wash only” labels.
Permanent-press cycle	Works best for washing clothes that have the tendency to wrinkle easily.	Makes use of slow spin cycle with fast agitation.	Coldwater.	Non-cotton laundry, polyester, and jeans.

Tips For Washing Your Clothes On Delicate Mode

All the delicate items have the tendency to break down when spinning in hot water and on agitating spin cycles. It is advisable to wash clothes in cold water when using the delicate cycle setting in your washing machine. Cold water does not alter the color of your clothes. When using the delicate cycle setting, do not forget to use cold water with a short wash cycle.

You can also add your laundry to a mesh laundry bag. It will give some extra protection. It will prevent the clothes from shrinking and snagging. Put your undergarments in a mesh laundry bag and save your time from hand washing them. The delicate cycle setting is here to make your work easier.

For the delicate items or garments labeled as “hand wash only,” you can use different detergents that you use for regular clothing items. There are a lot of detergents available in the market that are specially designed for delicate fabric and color.

Never ever try to dry the delicate laundry in your washing machine. It is best to hand dry your hand-washed clothes. The dry setting can damage the fabric of your delicate clothing.

Delicate Cycle vs Normal Wash Cycle

Here is a comparison table that represents the differences between the Delicate Cycle and the Normal Wash Cycle:

Criteria	Delicate Cycle	Normal Wash Cycle
Water Temperature	Typically uses cold or warm water to prevent damage to delicate fabrics.	Usually uses warm or hot water to remove dirt and stains efficiently.
Spin Speed	Features a slow spin speed to minimize creasing and tangling of delicate items.	Employs a high spin speed to remove as much water as possible, reducing drying time.
Agitation	Exhibits low agitation to gently clean sensitive fabrics.	Demonstrates high agitation for effective cleaning of durable fabrics.
Time Duration	The cycle duration is usually longer due to gentle agitation and lower spin speed.	Generally shorter in duration due to high agitation speed and high spin speed.
Suitable For	Ideal for materials such as silk, lace, cashmere, and items labeled ‘hand-wash only.’	Perfect for everyday items made from cotton, linen, or a blend of different materials.
Effect on Clothes	Prevents stretching, snagging or tearing of delicate items.	May cause wear and tear for delicate items but thoroughly cleans robust fabrics.

What Is The Best Setting To Wash Clothes On?

The movement and the spin timing inside the machine are completely dependent on the wash cycle setting. Settings that use more agitation to remove the soil from your garment turn out to be more aggressive on the fabric. Hence, selecting the appropriate washing cycle is essential to increase your clothes ’ longevity.

Remember, all washing cycles are not the same. They vary in efficiency, features, and capacity. The below-mentioned guide will help you understand the different wash cycle settings and help you choose the right wash cycle for your fabric.

1. The Delicate Cycle: Whenever you don’t have time to manually hand wash your clothes, you can use this setting. It gently washes your clothes in a shorter wash cycle. Garments made of silk, wool, fur, knits, cashmere, merino, and faux including your lingerie should always be washed using the delicate cycle setting. Try putting the delicate items into a mesh laundry bag prior to washing.

2. The Speed Wash: In case you have an item such as a special shirt that you want to wash alone, you can go with the speed wash cycle instead of the full loads. The wash cycle is shorter and uses high-speed spin to shorten the drying time. it is not recommendable to wash heavily soiled clothes or your delicate laundry using the speed wash cycle setting.

3. The Normal Cycle: The normal cycle is a combination of high-speed spin and washes action. It is suitable for fabrics made of cotton. The cycle is harsher on clothes. You can wash your everyday laundry, durable synthetics, towels, socks, etc. using the normal cycle setting.

4. The Permanent-Press Cycle: The permanent-press cycle is well-suited for synthetic fabrics, blended fabrics, and wrinkle-free clothing. The cycle uses lower spin and warm water to remove soil from the clothes.

5. The Heavy-Duty Cycle: Garments that are heavily soiled can be cleaned using the heavy-duty cycle setting. The cycle makes use of a longer wash cycle and high-speed spin. The high agitation helps in removing moisture from the garments.

6. The Rinse And Spin: The regular cycle in a washing machine makes use of three processes, wash, rinse, and spin. The rinse and spin do not provide deep cleaning as it uses zero detergent powder. It simply rinses the garment with plain water and then spins to remove the moisture.

Hence, if you want a long life for your “hand washes only” garments, then you should definitely go for a washing machine that has a delicate cycle setting. It will make your work easier and you’ll end up saving a lot of your time.

References:

https://www.eastcoastappliance.com/blog/what-is-the-delicate-wash-cycle
https://www.quora.com/My-washing-machine-doesnt-have-a-delicate-cycle-How-do-I-wash-some-of-my-clothes-that-require-delicate-cycle