why do washing machines take so much longer in europe than in the US?

Question

Seriously, it take nearly three times longer to wash the same amount of clothes.

Answer 1

European W/D typically use less water and I think the cycles are longer to ensure the soap gets rinsed out. Also, they typically spin the clothes very fast (in England they have separate machines just to spin clothes) so that they require less time in the dryer. I seem to remember an extra spin cycle which would make the process take longer as well.



These measure are designed to a) decrease water consumption b) decrease electrical consumption

Answer 2

It's the type of squirrels that are used to operate the little spinning cages inside of those washing machines! Just kidding! :)

Answer 3

You're most likely simply not comparing like with like. Plenty of models in Europe have the "fuzzy logic" features which can shorten wash times. I'd suspect you've simply had bad luck with the models you've used.