What Is the Rinse and Spin Cycle? When to Use It (and When Not To)

The rinse and spin cycle is one of the most useful — and most overlooked — settings on a washing machine. It skips the washing phase entirely, running only a cold water rinse followed by a spin to extract water. Knowing when to use it saves time, protects fabrics, and solves specific laundry problems that a full wash cycle can't address efficiently.

How the Rinse and Spin Cycle Works

When you select rinse and spin, the machine:

1. Fills the drum with cold water (no heating element used)
2. Agitates briefly to distribute water through the load
3. Drains the water
4. Spins at the selected speed to extract moisture

Some machines repeat the rinse phase before spinning. There is no wash detergent used, no heat, and no main wash agitation phase. The cycle typically takes 15–25 minutes depending on load size and spin speed.

When to Use the Rinse and Spin Cycle

1. To Remove Excess Detergent Residue

If you accidentally used too much detergent and your clothes came out stiff, soapy-feeling, or have white marks, run a rinse and spin with no detergent. The fresh water flushes the excess soap away. This is the most common practical use.

Signs of too much detergent: clothes feel stiff or filmy after washing, residue on dark fabrics, washing machine still producing foam during rinse.

2. After Hand Washing

After hand-washing delicate items like wool sweaters, silk, or lace in the sink, the rinse and spin cycle is perfect for removing excess suds and extracting more water than you can by hand. It's gentler than a full machine wash but more efficient than trying to squeeze water out manually. Use a low spin speed (400–600 rpm) to avoid stressing delicate fibers.

3. To Extract Water from Pre-Soaked Items

If you've soaked an item overnight (to treat a stain, for example), a rinse and spin rinses away the soaking solution and extracts the water efficiently before you put it in the dryer.

4. To Refresh Slightly Musty Items

If an item has been stored a while and smells slightly musty but isn't dirty, a rinse and spin with a small amount of white vinegar in the water can freshen it without a full wash. Add half a cup of white vinegar to the detergent drawer or drum before running the cycle.

5. To Speed Up Drying of Lightly Worn Items

For items that were dampened (rain, sweat, brief wear) but aren't soiled, a spin-only or rinse and spin cycle extracts moisture more efficiently than a full wash cycle while protecting the fabric from unnecessary agitation.

6. For Swimwear After the Pool

Chlorine and salt need to be rinsed out of swimwear, but swimwear doesn't need regular washing. A rinse and spin on delicates/low spin removes chlorine, salt, and sunscreen without degrading the lycra/elastane through a full wash cycle.

When NOT to Use Rinse and Spin

• As a substitute for washing: The cycle doesn't use detergent and doesn't clean. It removes surface water-soluble substances but won't remove oils, bacteria, or bodily soils.
• For heavily soiled items: Mud, grease, and sweat require the agitation, heat, and surfactants of a proper wash cycle.
• When you want to save detergent: Running fewer full cycles is more effective for saving detergent than using rinse and spin — adding a rinse cycle actually uses more water per item washed.

Rinse and Spin vs. Spin Only

Some machines offer a "spin only" mode as well. The difference:

If you've hand washed and rinsed in the sink until no suds remain, spin only is sufficient. If there are still suds or soaking solution in the fabric, run rinse and spin.

Does Rinse and Spin Use Much Water or Energy?

Compared to a full wash cycle:

• Water: Uses approximately 30–50% of the water of a full cycle
• Energy: Minimal — no heating element, just the motor for agitation and spin
• Time: 15–25 minutes vs. 40–90 minutes for a full cycle

It's a relatively low-resource cycle, making it appropriate to use when genuinely needed without concern about excessive water or energy use.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I put detergent in during rinse and spin?

You can add fabric softener (to the softener drawer) during a rinse and spin cycle if you want to soften the load. Do not add laundry detergent — there's no main wash phase to activate it and it will leave residue on your clothes.

Is rinse and spin the same as extra rinse?

No. Extra rinse adds an additional rinse cycle at the end of a full wash. Rinse and spin is a standalone cycle that replaces the entire wash. Use extra rinse as an add-on to a full wash for extra detergent removal, or use rinse and spin as a standalone cycle for the use cases described above.

My machine doesn't have a rinse and spin setting — what's the equivalent?

Look for "Spin Only," "Rinse," or a short cycle. Some machines allow you to start a cycle and skip directly to the rinse phase by advancing the cycle dial or pressing the appropriate button. Consult your machine's manual.

Can I use rinse and spin on woolens?

Yes — use the lowest available spin speed (400 rpm or less) to avoid felting. This is ideal for extracting water after hand-washing wool items.

Conclusion

The rinse and spin cycle is a specialized tool — not a shortcut for skipping a full wash, but a genuinely useful function for removing excess detergent, extracting water after hand washing, and refreshing lightly worn items. Most people who add it to their regular laundry toolkit find multiple uses for it every week.

Related: complete guide to washer settings and how much laundry detergent to use.