What is the rinse cycle in a washing machine?

You’ve probably seen the rinse cycle option on your washing machine many times, but what exactly is it and how does it work? Most washing machines come with an array of options for washing your clothes, and the rinse settings are one you’ll end up using pretty often.

The rinse cycle will include options like a standard rinse, an extra rinse, or a rinse and spin, all of which serve the same core purpose: removing excess detergent and washing away loosened dirt before the final spin. To help you understand how each rinse option fits into your wash routine, here’s an in-depth guide to your washing machine’s rinse cycle.

What is the rinse cycle in a washing machine?

Basically, the rinse cycle is the stage of a washing machine’s process that uses clean water to remove any detergent, loosened dirt, and suds that may have remained after the main wash cycle. As you probably might know, during the wash cycle, the machine fills with water and detergent before agitating the clothes to help break up soil and remove grime from the fabric. 

When the wash cycle ends, the washer drains the dirty, soapy water, but the clothes aren’t fully clean yet since they may still have traces of detergent and particles that were loosened during agitation. 

Here’s where the rinse cycle comes in. The washer fills the drum again with fresh water and the drum then rotates or rocks back and forth, allowing the clean water to pass through the fabric and “rinse” away anything that’s remaining from the wash phase, such as soap residue, leftover dirt, small debris, or any excess suds that may irritate skin or make clothes feel stiff.

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After the rinse water has circulated through the load, the machine drains it and starts the spin cycle to remove as much water as possible.

What makes the rinse cycle so important is that it completes the cleaning process, and without it, your clothes would come out feeling slightly soapy or sticky. By giving the fabric a clean-water rinse and preparing it for a thorough spin, the rinse stage makes sure that the laundry is ready for drying and comfortable to wear.