In the bad old days, once your washing machine was loaded up, frothing with detergent and started its cycle, there was no turning back. You’ve filled your machine with your entire washing basket only to find a stray sock too late to join in.
Or you put on a white wash only to look with horror at a red t-shirt that somehow snuck into the party. Yikes!
And even if you could stop the wash, you’d then have to wait an age to open the door and hope that the kitchen floor wasn’t going to get a flooding! Sound familiar?
Fortunately, top washing machine makers know our pain and have added pause and add functions. These lifesavers make our laundry mistakes much easier to put right and can even help save money on our bills. Sounds like a pretty epic win!
But how? Read on.
So, what are pause and add?
We’ve already talked about the situations where pause and add functions are useful – but what are they?
Different models will have slightly different names for this, but the basic idea is that you can pause your full cycle and add clothes without stopping the cycle. In the same way, you can use it to 'pause and remove' – if it’s Bart Simpson’s red cap in with Homer’s shirts. (Dated Simpsons reference anyone?)
But how does pause and add save you money?
The simple answer is that you can be a bit smarter with your washing. So, if you miss out that work shirt you really need for tomorrow, you can add it to an existing wash without having to guiltily put it in on its own. Don’t worry. We’ve all done it.
You can also be smart about which using bits of the cycle you use. Say you have a bit of a program that’s just for rinsing, you could put in hand washing items without having to do a whole separate hand wash cycle. So, no more waiting until you have enough of one thing to justify that cycle.
And because you’ll find these features on top tier washing machines, they’ll come with features (whether that’s controlling cycles from your phone or washing more effectively at a lower temperature) that combine to mean fewer washes and less on the energy bills.
Any suggestions?
Interested? It would be unfair to pick out just one machine when there are so many great models out there. But here's where to start:
One great example of this is Samsung’s AddWash feature. Machines that have this wizardry come with a handy little flap in the washing machine door that you can access during the wash without opening the main door. That lets you add extra clothes, hand washed items or fabric softener whenever you like!
Check out Samsung washing machines
If you want to add bigger items (maybe you do a lot of duvets) look for Bosch washing machines with the Bosch Reload feature. The great thing about this feature is that you can pause the cycle (during 89% of the cycle at least) and open the door fully – meaning bulkier items.
Then there’s LG’s Add Item. It’s another way you can add left out items during a cycle. Again, you are able to open the entire door so you can add items that are all kinds of sizes. This will help you save extra washes, higher bills and more money in the swear jar!
