Most washing machines have a melody that plays at the end of a cycle to alert that the laundry is done. Some brands, particularly Samsung and LG models, are known to play a very long end-of-cycle melody that some people find “unnecessary”.
Interestingly, this tradition originated in Asian countries, where most appliances, including rice cookers and ovens, have a song to alert when the food is ready. It is believed this was introduced to provide a nice and comforting alert at home, rather than a disruptive beep, and to turn chores into a positive and enjoyable experience.
On Quora, a person asked: “Why do some washing machines and clothes dryers play a digital instrumental music piece when it’s ready to unload? It goes on for a relatively long time and is unnecessary!”
One user explained: “Some people have a lot of noise going on in their lives and find that an audible dryer signal is helpful. Why? If you don’t get your clothing out in a timely manner, things get wrinkled.
“My favourite ‘notifier’ was from the Westinghouse slant front dryer we had when I was a child in the early 1950s. At the end of the cycle, what sounded like a xylophone-type tune plinked out the old drinking song, ‘How Dry I Am’.”
On Reddit, one person explained that both “Samsung and LG are Korean companies, and this reflects Korean culture”. Korea has the concept of Aegyo, an intentional and charming display of cuteness to show affection, and cuteness is valued. “So it’s not terribly surprising their machines sing little songs!”
Another one added that it’s very common with appliances used in Korea and Japan. “Our rice cooker sings a little thing at the end. It’s kinda whimsical and nice.”
According to experts at Apartment Therapy, it is possible to turn off the end-of-cycle melody, and brands like Samsung have a whole guide on how to disable it on your washing machine.