What Is Ready to Wear on Washers (Is It Any Good?)

Modern washers are designed to be an all-rounder in their settings performance. That is why there are programs to suit every washing needs. Ready to wear is one such program. 

You might have encountered this program on your washing machine and wondered what it is all about.

Scroll on, and let us learn everything about it. 

What Is Ready to Wear Setting?

When Do You Need to Ready to Wear Wash Setting?

Ready-to-Wear Program on Washer-Dryers: All you need to know

This program is the best option when you’re in a hurry and want something to wear fast. For instance, if you’re heading off to a party in a short while and need to freshen up your favorite dress, you’ll be good to go in no time.

That is why the program is designed for lightly soiled, light fabric clothes, which can easily be washed and dried in under 45 minutes. Examples include light shirts, pants, or T-shirts. 

In contrast, this program isn’t effective on heavy fabric items such as jeans, towels, or bathrobes, as they may not clean and dry fast.

Another thing to note is this program is designed for small laundry loads with proportionate water and detergents. 

Depending on their size, you can load three to four clothes max, and ½ of the detergent dose, on a small amount of water.

Also, the ready-to-wear cycle is designed for cold to lukewarm temperatures, not hotter than 40 degrees.

Most importantly, not all fabric types are suitable for this program setting. That is why determining if it is suitable for the specific clothes is a challenge most people face. 

To understand if the clothes are compatible with this program, you can check out the clothing care label. If there is no indication on the care label, use sensible judgment. 

For example, unless it is a new fabric, any clothes washed in the standard program can also be washed in this setting.

Benefits of Using Ready to Wear Program

Great for an Emergency

Sometimes life happens, and you need to wear only certain clothes, which sadly may not be in the best condition. This is where this program comes in. In fact, some cycles can take even as little as 15 minutes to wash and dry. 

So if you’re in a pinch and you urgently need to use that particular blouse for a girls’ night out in a few minutes time, this is the program to use.

Ideal for Light Soiling

If the clothes are not heavily soiled, or you simply want to freshen them up, this is the program to select. Of course, you have to be careful to avoid washing clothes that might be stained, as this will not help. 

It is even worse if you wash the clothes and the stain doesn’t come out, as it might become permanent. 

Here is a guide that I wrote on how to remove stains fast that may help you out with that.

Best When Washing a Few Clothes

This program can be pretty handy if you’re washing, for example, 1 to 2kgs of wash load. If you’re planning on washing a whole week’s laundry load, using this program will not work. 

However, if you have one or two pieces of lightly dirtied clothes, this is the best wash program setting to use.

Learn more about load sizes for your washing machine over here.

Cost-Effective

This program uses little water, power, and time compared to the standard settings. That makes it one of the most effective methods when it comes to cutting down on laundry costs. 

Of course, many other settings can wash a lot more clothes at the same time, but for what it is, this is a very cost-effective option.

Furthermore, as it uses short cycles, it saves you time to attend to other important matters in your life.

Best for Machine Maintenance

Since the wash cycles are short, the washing machine runs much less than with some of the other wash programs. 

Consequently, the washer gets used much less, meaning it undergoes less wear and tear, making it last much longer.

More Gentle Wash

In the ready-to-wear setting, clothes take a short time in a washing machine compared to the standard wash cycle. 

That means there is a less abrasive effect that results from long washing cycles. Since clothes are washed quickly and done with, they are likely to last longer than in normal wash cycles.

The Demerits of Ready-To-Wear Wash Setting

However great this program is, it is not for all types of clothes. It has some downsides, which include the following.

Not Effective for Heavy Stains or Soils

If you’re planning to wash heavily soiled or stained items using this program, it won’t work. This program uses much less detergent, and water and temperature are usually below 40 degrees. 

Therefore this is not the range to try to wash baby clothes, bath robes, or towels. The program cannot be used to sanitize clothes either due to the low temperature.

Low Load Capacity

Since this setting is designed to use less water and detergent and low wash loads. That’s a definite disadvantage when you want to wash large wash loads. 

So even in the case where you have a large capacity washer, it can only operate at low capacity.

You’re much better off using one of the other programs on your washer in this instance, as they will be both more effective and more economical.

Cannot Wash Some Delicate Items

This may not be the best setting for some delicate items. After washing, usually, the clothes get dried immediately.

This may not be great for some fabrics, such as silk which can shrink over the short high-temperature drying method the program uses.

More on washing delicates here.

Final Thoughts

Ready to wear is an excellent program for the moment you’re pressed for time. You’ve ransacked your closet, and all you can find is a not-so-clean garment that you need to wear it now. 

At that moment, having a machine with this program will be a godsend.

But as we observed above, it also has some drawbacks. That means you have to be cautious to avoid the downsides we highlighted above. 

I also wrote an article on how many times you can wear clothes before washing them that may interest you to read next.