[laurencei]

I did something with my Bosch washing machine (not like the OP). My washing machine is at the other end of the house from my home office. Sometimes I would put a load of washing on, and despite setting an alarm, might forget (perhaps I am in an important meeting etc).

So I decided to solve it.

Using the Bosch API - I can tell both when a cycle is complete, and if the door is open. Currently I use their default version, but there is a local hosted option I'll be switching too now the proof of concept works.

So using Home Assistant I have a simple script that detects when a washing machine cycle is complete AND the door has NOT been opened. This implies my washing machine has wet clothes still in it.

So Home Assistant will alert my phone (and my wife only if she is home based upon presence detection) once every 15mins that there are wet clothes waiting in the washing machine.

Very simple - works perfectly.

[MarioMan]

My washing machine is a "dumb" machine from the '90s. The wash cycles run based on the position of a glorified timer knob: it doesn't have a computer or sensors to detect if it needs extra time aside from the water fill stages. Thanks to this consistency, I just set a 40 minute timer on my phone, and it's always done by then. Can't get much simpler than that. If I need reminders, there's always the alarm snooze function.

[cdr]

It's actually really, really easy to get the state of a "dumb" washing machine (or any other electric machine) into Home Assistant using a smart plug. You can use something really basic like "power draw for > n seconds followed by no power for > m seconds" to detect when a cycle is finished. You can get way fancier and look at power draw curves to determine what part of a cycle it's in, or which cycle, if you really want to. You can add a door sensor (recommend Samsung) if you want to know if the door's been opened.

Unfortunately it's much harder to do the same for an electric dryer, since there's no inexpensive or good smart plugs for 240V last I checked.

[sgt]

Keep that dumb washing machine from the 90s, I can almost guarantee you that a new washing machine is not meant to last as long. Maybe 6-7 years if you are lucky.

[drewg123]

I miss old machines. My wife’s Bosch takes 90min to 2.5 hours for most cycles. Tho there is a 30 minute super quick cycle

[chrismcb]

That works great if you are the one turning the machine on. But not is someone the turns it on

[ashoeafoot]

Checked my privileg.. still humming

[zahlman]

... Do they not still make these?

[SecretDreams]

I occasionally do a washing load before bed that I know I might not wake up for to put into the dryer. Fortunately, my machine has an "extended tumble" cycle of sorts that will keep the clothes fresh all night at the expense of a bit more water, but while saving my bedtime routine. We end up with a lot of these nighttime loads because we're toasted all day watching kids and we prioritize laundry off-peak electricity hours. Love my Electrolux, but I imagine many brands have a comparable feature.

[Rolcol]

I use the Delay feature. It will wait to start the wash for a settable amount of hours.

[ajb]

The equivalent on mine (a Bosch) is to wait to start anything at all until 1 cycle-time less than ten specified number of hours. Churning all night instead seems a peculiar design choice.

[nandomrumber]

Does your machine not have a delayed start function? I’m standing in front of about 40 washing machines right now and they all appear to have this function.

Often a button labelled ‘Ending in’.

Australian market.

[dzhiurgis]

My Chinesium washer uses 0.4kWh per load. 4 cents worth of arbitrage.

[waste_monk]

I have been planning to implement something similar with my countertop oven - however having no API or other connectivity, I was planning on simply plugging it via a smart plug, and using the power draw measurements to determine whether it's idle or not (that is, arm when power draw transitions to above idle, then alert once it drops back to idle).

[05]

Yeah I tried to use the builtin sensor on my LG one but it turns out, there's no 'door open' sensor per se, only the 'locked successfully' signal. So I had to add an external Zigbee reed switch door sensor..

[KolibriFly]

That's actually a super elegant solution: simple logic, real-world impact

[systemtest]

I have a G-Shock 5600 watch that can alert me when my washing machine is finished. At the start of the cycle I take note of the total time it takes, I set that time on the timer of the watch and hit start. It will beep once the washing machine is finished. Been doing that for about 15 years now.

It works with all brands regardless of API.

[matthewmacleod]

Of course this doesn’t work with variable cycle times.