Why modern washing machines seem to use so little water

People often ask me if it's possible to make their washing machine fill with more water during the wash cycle. It's not something you can easily adjust, as the machine is deliberately filling up with small portions of water while it tumbles the clothes, until it detects that they are no absorbing any more water.

There are two reasons for this. It results in the detergent being more concentrated, and it increases the effectiveness of the washing cycle as the saturated clothing thumps and tumbles in the drum.

Subsequent rinse cycles do use more water as it suits the rinsing process better.