No — an extra rinse isn’t bad for your clothes in most situations. In fact, it can be helpful. But it’s also not something you need to use all the time, and for many households it’s solving a problem that doesn’t really exist.
If you’ve ever stood in front of the washing machine wondering whether pressing that extra button is helping or quietly ruining your clothes, you’re not alone. Laundry advice is full of half-warnings and “just in case” habits that make a simple load feel more complicated than it needs to be.
Why people worry an extra rinse might be bad
First, fear of extra wear and tear. More water, more movement, more time in the machine — it sounds logical that this might shorten the life of clothes.
Second, old advice that stuck. Many of us were taught that washing should be quick and minimal, or that “overwashing” ruins fabric. Extra rinse gets lumped into that category, even though it’s not the same thing as an extra wash cycle.
Third, marketing and machine features. Modern machines offer options like “extra rinse,” “deep rinse,” or “allergy rinse,” which makes it feel like skipping them might be risky — or that using them constantly is somehow more “correct.”
None of that means an extra rinse is harmful. It just means it’s been framed as a bigger decision than it actually is.
What an extra rinse actually does
An extra rinse simply adds another round of clean water to remove leftover detergent, dirt, or residue. That’s it.
It does not:
- Add more detergent
- Increase wash temperature
- Scrub clothes harder
Compared to the main wash, rinsing is gentle. The machine agitation is lighter, and the goal is removal, not cleaning.
For most fabrics, that’s not stressful. In many cases, it’s the opposite — it reduces irritation, stiffness, and buildup.
If clothes wear out quickly, it’s far more likely to be caused by:
- Using too much detergent
- Washing too hot
- Overdrying
- Washing items more often than needed
If this sounds familiar, you might also want to read about what happens if you use too much detergent.
When an extra rinse actually helps
There are times when using an extra rinse is genuinely useful and sensible.
1. You use more detergent than recommended
Most people do. Detergent caps are misleading, and marketing has trained us to think “more = cleaner.”
If clothes feel stiff, look dull, or smell “clean but off,” residue is often the culprit. An extra rinse helps remove what didn’t wash away the first time.
2. Sensitive skin or eczema in the household
If someone reacts to laundry residue, an extra rinse can make a noticeable difference. This is especially true for kids’ clothes, underwear, towels, and bedding.
This also links closely to fabric softener — another product that often leaves residue behind.
3. Heavily soiled loads
Gym clothes, muddy kids’ clothes, workwear, pet blankets — these can leave more behind than a standard rinse removes. Adding one extra rinse can help without running a full second wash.
4. Hard water areas
Hard water makes detergent harder to rinse away. If you live in a hard water area and notice buildup over time, an extra rinse can offset that.
When it’s probably unnecessary
For everyday laundry, an extra rinse usually isn’t needed.
If:
- You measure detergent properly
- Clothes don’t feel sticky, stiff, or itchy
- There’s no lingering smell
- Your machine rinses well
…then your normal cycle is doing its job.
Using extra rinse on every load doesn’t magically make clothes cleaner. It mostly just uses more water and adds time.
And if you’re already feeling stretched, tired, or short on time, this is not a habit you need to carry out of guilt.
Is it bad for clothes long-term?
For the vast majority of clothing: no.
An occasional or regular extra rinse will not ruin fabrics, fade colors, or stretch clothes. The mechanical stress is minimal compared to washing and drying.
That said, there are a couple of small caveats:
- Very delicate fabrics (silk, lace, wool) don’t benefit from extra cycles of any kind. These are better washed gently, with minimal detergent and minimal handling.
- Older machines with very aggressive agitation could add a bit more wear if you use extra rinse constantly — but even then, drying is still the bigger issue.
If you’re worried about wear, focusing on washing less often and drying more gently will make a far bigger difference than skipping an extra rinse.
What actually matters more than extra rinse
This is the part that gets lost in laundry advice.
If clothes feel wrong after washing, the fix is usually one of these — not another rinse button:
- Using less detergent
- Skipping fabric softener
- Not overloading the machine
- Cleaning the washing machine regularly
- Drying on lower heat or air-drying when possible
An extra rinse can help symptoms, but it doesn’t fix the root cause if detergent buildup is the real issue.
How I use extra rinse (without overthinking it)
Here’s a calm, no-rules way to think about it:
- Use extra rinse when something feels off
- Skip it when everything seems fine
- Don’t turn it into a permanent setting unless you have a clear reason
Laundry doesn’t need to be optimized. It just needs to work.
If pressing extra rinse gives you peace of mind on certain loads, that’s okay. If you never touch it, that’s also okay.
