How long should it take to wash and dry clothes? Plus, how to speed it up

Is your washing machine cycle too long? What about the dryer? Many of us have wondered if those agonizingly long standard washing and drying cycles are doing anything extra for our clothes.

Laundry and cleaning experts say the standard cycle length differs between different brands and models of washers and dryers, but most take over an hour. It’s not uncommon to have standard wash cycles that take 90 minutes, with multiple rounds of rinsing.

Learning how to do laundry well will include having knowledge about the realities of wash and dry time. Here our laundry pros share their tips.

How long should it take to wash and dry clothes?

In reality, most clothes will be perfectly clean after a quick wash cycle, which is typically around 30-40 minutes long. Matt O'Connor, co-founder and CEO at NoScrubs.io Laundry Delivery, thinks that ‘most people wash their clothing for too long’, which is to say that most people wash their clothes on default cycles that ‘are around an hour.’ This is often unnecessary, argues Matt, and ‘For regular wear clothing, quick cycles (25-30 min wash with a 30-40 min dry) are more than sufficient.’

A big part of why it’s no longer necessary to use those longer cycles on washing machines, Matt says, is that ‘modern detergents work fast.’ Laundry detergents have come a long way. Earlier version typically required a long of mechanical agitation of the clothes to get stains and odors out, and a lot of rinsing to get the soapy residue off the clothes.

Chemically, modern laundry detergents are different: they lather better and rinse out more easily. As long as you’re using the correct amount of detergent for your wash load, you don’t need all those multiple rinsing cycles. However, the caveat to this is some eco-friendly machines use much less water, and you might find soap residue builds up regardless so it might be a little bit of trial and error till you understand your machine, especially if it's a new one.

Cut down on your laundry detergent and you'll be able to use the quickest laundry cycle on your machine.

You also likely don’t need the pre-soak part of the longer cycle, unless your item is very heavily stained. Even so, you could just remove the stain with targeted stain remover before washing and not use the pre-soak cycle.

Why you shouldn't wash or dry your clothes for too long

Overall, ‘Longer cycles often just waste energy and put excess strain on clothing fibers’, says Matt. This applies to drying as well as washing, which is famously hard on fibers. The more you ‘cook’ clothing in the dryer, the faster it wears out. Clothing that is just dry or a little bit damp will keep its shape and quality longer. You may want to reduce your tumble dryer temperature, too, to prevent over-drying.

Luckily, though, modern dryers have sensors in them that will adjust the cycle according to each load. For that reason, ‘a normal cycle is likely your best choice as the dryer will sense when the clothes are dry’, according to Zachary Pozniak who is the Vice President of Operations at the renowned dry cleaners Jeeves New York. ‘The timing of this will vary quite a bit depending on the type and quantity of clothes you're drying.’ Obviously, thick towels will need much longer in the dryer than a few thin t-shirts.

If you don’t have a modern dryer with auto-sensing, then try not to dry clothes for longer than 30-40 minutes; towels will happily ‘cook’ for around an hour, but try not to leave them in there longer as this will age your towels prematurely.

If you are having to repeat drying cycles, it might be time to clean your dryer vent. A task that should be repeated every 6-12 months.

With so many high-quality detergents now available, you no longer need to use the longer ‘standard’ cycles to wash your clothes. Our experts concur: for most wash loads, a quick wash cycle of around 30-40 minutes is more than enough.

Drying times are more specific to the type of clothing and volume you’re drying, which is why it’s worth investing in a high-quality dryer that has an auto-sensing feature. Air-drying clothes will also vary, especially if you are trying to dry clothes indoors in winter, for example.

Next, learn about the dryer mistakes to avoid and how a heated airer can revolutionize how you dry laundry in the winter.