How does a washing machine spin cycle work like a centrifuge?

A washing machine functions as a simple centrifuge during its spin cycle by utilizing centrifugal force to extract water from clothing.12

The machine employs a perforated rotating drum that spins at high speeds. As the drum rotates, the clothes and the water trapped within them are forced to follow a circular path. Because of inertia, the water—which is not held by the fabric as firmly as the solid material—tends to move in a straight line tangent to the circle. The perforated wall of the drum acts as a restraining force, but the water is pushed through the holes by the outward pull of the centrifugal force, effectively separating the liquid from the solid clothes.13

This process is a practical application of the same principles used in industrial and laboratory centrifuges, where rotation is used to separate materials based on density or to remove fluids from solids. While a washing machine operates at relatively low speeds compared to specialized scientific equipment, it successfully substitutes a sustained centrifugal force for the force of gravity to achieve separation.132