What does the spin speed on a washing machine do?

Spin speed in revolutions per minute sets the centrifugal force pressing water out of the fabric. It affects only the water left in the load at the end of the cycle; it plays no part in the washing itself. The trade-off is straightforward — faster spin means less drying, more creasing and more mechanical stress.

What you'll need

• A washing machine with a variable spin setting

Step by step

1. Match the speed to the fabric, not the machine's maximum.The number on the front of the machine is what it can do, not what everything should get. Most loads do not need it.
2. Use the highest speed for towels and bedding.1400 or 1600. These are heavy, hold enormous amounts of water, and creasing does not matter. It is the single biggest saving in drying time.
3. Use 800 to 1000 for everyday clothes.Enough to make line drying practical, gentle enough to keep creasing manageable. Shirts in particular iron far more easily out of a 1000 spin than a 1600.
4. Use 400 or no spin for wool and delicates.High-speed spinning stretches knitwear and can crush and distort structured items. Roll them in a towel instead to take out the water.
5. Reduce it for anything that must not crease.Linen, viscose and anything you intend to hang rather than iron. A slower spin leaves them wetter, which lets the weight of the water pull creases out on the line.
6. Balance the load before it spins.A single heavy item, or a duvet cover that has wrapped everything inside it, will make the machine walk or refuse to reach speed. Shake items out before loading.
7. Understand the effect on drying cost.Water left in the load has to be removed by heat later. A higher spin costs almost nothing to run and saves a substantial amount of tumble drying.
8. Ignore spin speed when judging cleanliness.It happens after washing and rinsing. A poor wash result is a dose, temperature, load size or machine problem, never a spin problem.

Tips

• If clothes come out shredded at the shoulders or with permanent creases in odd places, drop the spin speed before blaming the detergent.
• A quick extra spin on its own after the cycle is a good way to get more water out of a load you are drying indoors, without repeating the wash.
• Machines that shake violently at high spin usually have transit bolts still fitted or feet that are not level, not a spin problem.

Common mistakes

• Running everything at maximum spin — It creases clothes badly, stresses seams and elastic, and distorts knitwear. The extra drying-time saving on light clothing is small compared with the damage over time.
• Spinning wool at high speed — Wool fibres interlock under mechanical stress. Combined with water, high-speed spinning stretches and felts garments, and neither is reversible.

If it doesn't work

Questions people ask