Wool/delicate/handwash programs
These are typically low temperature programs that have minimum drum rotation during the wash to keep the garments from being damaged, similar to synthetics programs.
As with the synthetics wash, if you have a lot of delicate clothes, especially wool and silk, then these could be useful. However, make sure you read the care label first as some clothes recommend that you never wash in a machine.
Sports programs
These are for washing microfiber sports clothing, designed to remove sweat marks and odours by having a longer wash cycle, but washing at a lower temperature, so as not to damage the fabric. Some machines also have a special program to allow you to wash your trainers.
This could be useful if you need to wash lots of sportswear, but it’s not something we’ve ever tested. However, a great washing machine should be able to remove a range of tough stains in a normal wash, no matter what the item.
You can see which washing machines have earned our Best Buy recommendation, meaning they remove stains with ease, will rinse away detergent and dry your clothes evenly by visiting our best washing machines page.
Quick wash settings
Quick-wash programs are very popular and an option on many machines. As you might expect, these programs allow you to wash your clothes in a shorter amount of time than a normal program, for some it might be as little as 15 minutes.
They’re therefore great if you need to wash something quickly, such as a dirty school uniform needed for the next morning. Some machines come with more than one quick wash option, too.
But be aware that the quickest washes may only let you wash 1.5kg of clothes at once, which is equivalent to two pairs of jeans. Some washing machines have a full-load quick-wash option, allowing you to fill the drum, but these are usually only for lightly soiled clothes.
