People just learning why washing machines ‘lie’ about time left

We all may think we have a pretty good grasp of time, but this can go out the window whenever you’re using a washing machine to clean your clothes.

It’s a common joke that washing machines add extra minutes to their cycle, leaving people perplexed as to why they ‘lie’ about how much time is remaining on the wash.

It prompted one Reddit user to ask: “Explain like I’m five: Why does the last minute on the washing machine always take several minutes? I put on a wash, and it says 40 minutes to go. I come back in about that time, and see there is 1 minute remaining so I stick around to transfer the clothes to the dryer or rack.

“Several minutes later, there is still 1 minute remaining. Why does the machine lose sense of time in the last minute?”

According to Home and Gardens, there are several reasons why your washing machine timer ‘lies’ to you.

Appliance expert at H2O Plumbing, Rich Mullins, told the publication it is mainly because modern washing machines adapt to the fabrics, soil levels, and products you add to your machine.

He said: “Factors like the size of the load, the type of fabric, water temperature, and the level of soil on the clothes can significantly extend the cycle duration. This results in a ‘lie’.

“These adjustments are designed to provide better cleaning and fabric care, but they can add extra time to the process. For example, if your washing machine detects a heavy load, it may incorporate longer agitation or rinsing times to ensure proper cleaning.”

Modern machines may also add extra minutes to your cycle to ensure your clothes are free from detergent, too. Mullins said you’re better off mentally adding five to 10 minutes onto each load, as there’s very little you can do to ensure your 30 minute wash only takes 30 minutes.

Commenting on this, one social media user said: “If it’s like my washer, it’s because the times are only estimates, and the rounding errors accumulate on the last minute for each stage. Instead it’s probably actually driven by sensors in the machine.

“For example, the spin cycle in ours runs until the amount of water coming out drops to a certain level. The actual duration is driven by the types of clothes inside, a big fluffy comforter seems to be more porous, so it drains faster than my dense load of socks and T-shirts.”

Another user added: “Mine does that too and it seems to be getting worse. Drives me nuts.” A third user said: “It’s because the first half of the wash (the tumbling and the soap and the water part) is times. The second half is based on a state the machine is in.

“Once the timer finishes (it’s set to finish with 1 minute remaining), it starts draining water and spinning hard to get most of the water out. This takes a couple of minutes, but it’s not timed on the machine’s clock. The above is an educated guess. All washing machines work differently.” One more user added: “Because you’re sitting there watching it, noticing every second instead of say, reading.”