Zanussi is known for its high-quality appliances, and its washing machines are especially popular. A wide variety of different models are available, each with unique settings. However, several washing programmes are universal across all Zanussi washers.
Whether you want to learn more about your Zanussi washing machine programmes or you’re brand-new to using washers from this brand, this guide should teach you everything you need to know.
On the front of your washer, you’ll find a control panel and a series of different symbols that correspond to the wash programmes offered in that particular model. Keep reading to discover more about each symbol and programme so that you can start making the most of your Zanussi washer.
Control Panel
The control panel is situated at the top of your washer, and it’s where you’ll find the programme selection dial, the display screen, and a number of other symbols and settings.
You’ll use the control panel every time you turn your washing machine on, as it’s where the start/pause, delay start, and child lock buttons reside.
Programme Selection Dial
The programme selection dial is to the right of the control panel, and it enables you to select a particular wash programme. Your Zanussi model might have the programmes written in text around the dial or it might show symbols. The final section in this guide discusses what each symbol means and when to use each of the programmes on your washer for the best results.
Spin Button
Overview – The spin button enables you to adjust the spin on a particular cycle. It’s shown by an image of a swirl.
Best used for – Adjusting the spin of a particular wash cycle.
Benefits/drawbacks – This feature enables you to select the best spin speed for your laundry. A higher spin speed will remove more moisture from your clothing so that it comes out of the machine dryer. The downside of using a higher spin speed is that it requires a higher amount of energy than a lower spin speed and could take longer to complete a single cycle.
Options Button
Overview – The options button is denoted by a black square with a tick going through it. This button enables you to choose between the different options of a select wash programme (such as prewash or extra rinse).
Best used for – Selecting one of the options available for a specific wash programme.
Benefits/drawbacks – This button makes it easy to select the best option for your desired washing programme based on the type of laundry you’re doing. There aren’t any particular drawbacks to note.
Start/Pause Button
Overview – The start/pause button is shown by standard start and pause signs (a triangular arrow pointing to the right for start and two straight parallel lines for pause). You’ll press this button to start a wash cycle or pause it.
Best used for – Starting or pausing a wash cycle.
Benefits/drawbacks – Being able to pause a cycle while it’s still running enables you to quickly add an extra item or two if you forgot to load them into the machine at the start of the wash cycle. There are no drawbacks to this function, and it’s essential in order for you to use your washer.
Extra Rinse Button
Overview – The extra rinse button is shown by a wash basket filled with water and a plus sign above it. When this setting is active, your laundry will be subjected to an extra rinse at the end of the cycle.
Best used for – Washing your clothing and bedding if you’re allergic to detergent or if you live in an area that has a soft water supply.
Benefits/drawbacks – This programme will reduce the risk of allergic reactions if you are sensitive to particular detergents or washing powder, as the extra rinse removes allergenic particles from your laundry. Selecting this setting will increase the appliance’s water and energy consumption per cycle.
Delay Start Button
Overview – The delayed start button shows a clock with an arrow. This setting is present on all Zanussi washing machines.
Best used for – Delaying the start time of your wash cycle.
Benefits/drawbacks – If you don’t want your washing cycle to start straight away, you can use this button to delay it by a selected amount of time. The appliance will default back to the usual ‘immediate start’ setting after the cycle is complete, so if you want to delay a subsequent wash cycle, you’ll need to do so manually using this button again.
Child Lock
Overview – The child lock is a common function that you’ll find in every modern-day washing machine and it’s shown by a padlock symbol. When you activate the child lock, all of the other buttons on the appliance are disabled.
Best used for – Preventing your child from pressing the buttons on your washing machine and turning it on when you’re not around.
Benefits/drawbacks – Having a child lock is great when you want to keep your child from activating an empty wash cycle (which is not only annoying but also wasteful)! The drawback to this feature is the fact that you might accidentally activate it and wonder why your washer won’t turn on or run a cycle.
Indicator Pilot Lights
The indicator pilot lights on the front of a Zanussi washing machine indicate which programme is selected. There are several universal pilot lights across all models, including the ones below.
Prewash
Overview – The prewash symbol is a wash basket with a single black line in the centre of it. When the prewash is activated, the wash cycle will be extended by a short period of time to provide a more thorough wash.
Best used for – Washing heavily soiled laundry.
Benefits/drawbacks – If you need to wash heavily soiled and stained laundry, running the prewash cycle before a full wash will provide more extensive cleaning to make sure your laundry looks as good as new by the end of the cycle. The drawback is that activating the prewash will extend the total cycle time and also increases your appliance’s water and energy consumption.
Rinsing and Spinning
Overview – The rinsing and spinning setting washes your clothing, rinses it to remove excess detergent, and then spins it to remove excess water so your laundry comes out clean and relatively dry. It’s shown by a symbol of a washer filled with water and a spiral.
Best used for – Washing your laundry with an extra rinse and spin so that it comes out of the machine fresh and is easier to dry.
Benefits/drawbacks – The rinsing and spinning programme is perfect for when you want to put your laundry away as soon as it has been washed. The downside to using this programme is that it uses additional water and energy compared to a standard wash cycle, so using this setting regularly could increase your monthly expenses quite significantly.
Rinse Hold
Overview – When the rinse hold setting is activated, the washer keeps your laundry in the water for an extended length of time to prevent it from creasing or wrinkling if you’re not getting it out immediately. It’s shown by a symbol of a washing basket filled with static water.
Best used for – Running a wash cycle when you’re not getting the laundry out of the drum as soon as the cycle finishes.
Benefits/drawbacks – The rinse hold programme prevents your clothes and bedding from coming out of the machine full of creases and wrinkles. However, it’s not a setting that you’ll need to use if you plan on getting your laundry out as soon as the wash cycle completes.
Super Quick
Overview – The super quick symbol is an image of a moving clock. It’s a short cycle that provides a light wash.
Best used for – Washing lightly soiled laundry.
Benefits/drawbacks – If you don’t want to waste energy and water running a full wash cycle for laundry that is only lightly soiled, you can make the most of the super quick setting. It’s quick and simple and will get rid of light stains and dirt from your clothing and bedding. The downside is that this programme isn’t suitable for heavily soiled laundry and requires a more thorough wash. Plus, you’ll need to reduce the total laundry load for this setting to work effectively.
Prewashing and Washing
Overview – The prewashing and washing setting shows a symbol of two wash baskets, one with a single black line in its centre and the other with two parallel black lines. This setting provides a prewash and full wash cycle in one.
Best used for – Washing heavily soiled laundry that needs an extra wash.
Benefits/drawbacks – When your laundry needs a thorough wash, this programme is ideal to power through any stubborn stains or dirt. It runs the prewash, followed by a standard wash cycle immediately afterwards, so your laundry comes out looking and smelling fresh. The downside is the increased energy and water usage due to the combination of a prewash and a full wash cycle.
Programme Selection Dial Options
You’ll notice a series of different programmes around the selection dial. To select a particular setting, simply turn the dial to the corresponding symbol and press the start button to begin the wash cycle.
Cotton
Overview – The cotton symbol is a ball of cotton and you’ll find this setting on all Zanussi washers. You can use this programme to wash any kind of cotton-based clothing, whether it’s white or coloured.
Best used for – Washing moderately soiled cotton laundry.
Benefits/drawbacks – The cotton programme is suitable for all types of cotton garments and bedding, and you can wash all colours with this setting. It spins your clothing at the maximum speed so your laundry is easy to dry. You can choose between cycle temperatures between 30 and 90 degrees. You will need to use detergent with this programme to keep your clothing fresh and due to the top spin speed, it won’t be suitable for delicate items.
Cotton Eco
Overview – The cotton economy programme washes between 40 and 60 degrees Celsius to reduce energy consumption per cycle. It’s shown by a symbol of a tree.
Best used for – Reducing energy consumption when washing cotton laundry.
Benefits/drawbacks – Having an eco-friendly cotton wash programme is ideal when you’re trying to cut back on energy and water usage in your home, and it’s appropriate for moderately soiled laundry. The downside is that it might not be strong enough to wash heavily soiled laundry because of the maximum temperature of 60 degrees Celsius.
Synthetics
Overview – The synthetics symbol shows a triangular container, and it’s suitable for garments and bedding made out of synthetic materials. This cycle comprises a main wash followed by a rinse and reaches a maximum spin of 900 reps per minute.
Best used for – Washing laundry that is made out of synthetic or mixed fabrics, including shirts, blouses, and underwear.
Benefits/drawbacks – The benefits of this setting include its gentle spin, which reduces creasing and makes ironing easier, and its versatility. Even though the spin speed is slightly lower than the speed used in a standard cotton cycle, this programme will still be too aggressive for delicate items.
Easy Iron
Overview – The easy iron symbol is shown by an image of an iron. This setting is ideal for synthetics and mixed fabrics, and it is designed to reduce creasing by limiting the spin to 900 reps per minute.
Best used for – Washing laundry that creases easily to make it easier to iron.
Benefits/drawbacks – This setting will make your life easier when it comes to doing your ironing. Use it every time you wash clothing that normally creases quite easily during a standard wash cycle. The downside is that this programme uses a higher volume of water per cycle because it performs additional rinses.
Delicates
Overview – The delicates cycle washes between 30 and 40 degrees Celsius and spins at 700 reps per minute. Its symbol is a flower.
Best used for – Washing delicate fabrics, such as polyester, acrylics, and viscose.
Benefits/drawbacks – The delicates programme will reduce the risk of damage to your delicate garments during the washing process, thanks to its lower temperature and slower spin speed. The downside is that it isn’t a strong enough cycle for items made from thicker fabrics.
Handwash
Overview – The handwash programme is designed for delicate fabrics only. It’s a gentle cycle with minimal drum turn and is shown by a symbol of a washing basket filled with water and a hand.
Best used for – Washing clothing that is delicate, such as items made from lace, chiffon, and wool, or garments with a ‘not suitable for machine washing’ tag.
Benefits/drawbacks – The delicate wash will protect your delicates garments from damage by reducing the spin speed and providing a gentler wash. However, it’s not vigorous enough to wash thicker fabrics or heavily soiled laundry.
Wool
Overview – The wool symbol is shown by an image of a ball of wool, and it’s designed for washing wool-based clothing. It washes at a temperature of 40 degrees Celsius and a spin of 1000 reps per minute.
Best used for – Washing wool garments.
Benefits/drawbacks – The wool setting is great for protecting your wool clothing from damage and maintaining the softness of the fabric during the washing process. The downside is that you can only load up to 2 kg of laundry in the drum per cycle when using this setting.
Sport Intensive
Overview – The sport intensive programme is designed for washing heavily soiled sportswear. It washes at 40 degrees Celsius with a maximum spin speed of 900 reps per minute and automatically adds a prewash to the cycle. You’ll find this setting on your washing machine by searching for the symbol of a sports shirt.
Best used for – Washing sportswear.
Benefits/drawbacks – If you wear a lot of jerseys or activewear, the sports intensive setting will come in handy. It’s designed to power through mud stains from field-based sports and doesn’t require detergent. There is an automatic prewash at the start of the cycle, so it may take a little longer for a sports intensive cycle to complete than it would a standard wash cycle.
Curtains
Overview – The curtains wash cycle is designed for washing curtains. It spins at 700 reps per minute at 40 degrees Celsius. This setting is denoted by an image of curtains.
Best used for – Washing curtains.
Benefits/drawbacks – The curtains setting is designed to clean your curtains without causing excessive creasing. There is an automatic prewash before the main wash to get rid of dust. Although the maximum load is relatively low (2 kg), this should be adequate for a single pair of curtains.
Rinses
Overview – The rinses programme performs three rinses, followed by a long spin at the end. It is shown by a symbol of a washing basket filled with water.
Best used for – Washing cotton-based garments.
Benefits/drawbacks – It’s helpful having a rinse-only setting on your washer to provide a thorough wash of your clothing and bedding with fresh, clean water. You can adjust the spin speed depending on the type of laundry you’re washing to prevent damage. You can load up to 7 kg of laundry with this programme, so you can get through your washing pile quickly! This setting is best used with cotton garments. You might be okay using it for garments made with other fabrics, but you should check the labels on your clothing to be sure. Due to the maximum spin speed, this programme might not be suitable for delicate garments.
Drain
Overview – The drain cycle is shown by an image of a wash basket or drum with a downward arrow. This setting spins and drains water from the inside of the machine, and you can load up to 7 kg inside the drum of the washer when running this cycle.
Best used for – Draining excess water from the washer.
Benefits/drawbacks – The drain cycle prolongs your washer’s lifespan by preventing the excessive build-up of water inside the machine. It also protects your clothing by preventing them from getting soaked. Using the drain setting may increase energy usage per cycle due to the extra energy input required to spin the washer pump to drain water out of the drum.
Spin
Overview – The spin programme washes, drains, and then spins your laundry. There is a separate spin for hand-washed garments, and you can select the rinse hold option after running this cycle.
Best used for – Spinning your laundry.
Benefits/drawbacks – The spin setting removes excess water from your laundry so that it’s easier to dry after you’ve washed it. The downside is that you won’t be able to use this setting with delicate garments, such as those made out of lace, wool, or chiffon unless you select a very low spin speed.