system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
ELI5:Can someone explain washing machine cycles?

Can someone explain the differences on my washing machine cycles?  I know it seems silly to ask but I've been doing the wash since I was 15 and never really questioned what everything on the dial meant.

Specifically what does the machine do differently in the "permanent press cycle" versus Cotton?  What happens in wool? or silk?

why have a delicate cycle when you have hand wash?

Why have a dark cycle when I can just click the water temp to "cold"?

Such cycles like sports gear (cold and long), hand wash (cold, gentle) make perfect sense but how do the others differ?  Is there any material benefit?
gpt
Different fabrics tolerate different levels of physical stress and water temperature. If you wash something delicate on a very vigorous or hot cycle, it's more likely to come out wrinkled or with weakened seams. If something is very bulky, a fast spin cycle will probably lead to an unbalanced load. If something is very dirty, it needs harsher treatment than something that just has a little body odor. IIRC, a permanent press cycle is gentler and shorter than a cotton cycle, and it's designed to reduce wrinkling.

Part of it is also that people will choose to purchase a machine that has more options, even if those options don't have a significant performance difference. Similar to how a bike with 18 speeds will sell better than one with only three, even though you probably only need three.

Most of your laundry can be done in cold water. Always use a cold rinse cycle; warm or hot is completely useless (your clothes should already be clean by that point) and just wears out your clothes faster.