Washing just one garment in a machine

This thread was marked as solved. Here's a summary of the problem and the fix, generated from the discussion below.

Single padded jacket in 9kg washer did not tumble normally

The problem

A padded outdoor jacket washed on its own in a 9kg washing machine did not appear to be lifted and dropped by the drum paddles. Instead, it rode over the paddles and stayed suspended in the water, leading the user to ask how to wash one item successfully in a large drum.

Likely cause

The accepted reply suggested this is normal when washing only one item, particularly in a large-capacity drum, because there is not enough laundry load for the drum action to work as expected.

What fixed it

No fault or repair was identified. The accepted advice was that a single item, especially in a large drum, is not ideal and that the machine works better with a fuller load. The user indicated the coat was washed on its own mainly because there was nothing else to wash. The exact corrective action was not documented beyond using a larger load where possible.

Checks to try

• Observed that the jacket was not being lifted by the drum paddles
• Confirmed the item came out clean after the wash