TH, just a point about why washing machines in Israel take 2 hours whereas the machines in US take 15-20 minutes for a load.
In US you hook your washing machine up to the cold AND hot water spouts, so you automatically get hot water to your desire. The machines in Israel have to heat up their water. They are only hooked to one spout.
I have also found that the newer machines in the past several years are having short cycles. Not everybody wants to wash things for so long, as it can wear out the fabric too quickly. Also if i realize that I need something quickly for the next morning or later in the afternoon, I can pop it in for a short cycle and it’s clean! I don’t recommend these quick cycles for really dirty clothes, but for many things it’s great when you’re in a rush, which many Jewish mothers seem to have a problem with.
I am actually wondering if I have a mold problem in my water drainage pipe. I brought my washing machine to my new apartment several years back and always noticed a smell. I can’t remember if the clothes also smelled, but that is a distinct possibility. About two years ago I had to buy a new machine and I STILL smell that smell, now not so much on the clothes, but the smell is still there. It can’t be mold in the machine because it was there straight away after I bought the machine.
Any ideas? I would love to get rid of that smell.
BTW, as far as bleach into washing machines, I was told by the technician who came to hook up my new machine that the newer machines are built less strong than they used to be built and there is a risk to damaging the pipes/tubes when putting bleach in the machine.