The wetting process for the laundry ( 7 ) inside a program-controlled washing machine, which can be adjusted to the quantity of laundry in a washing drum ( 2 ) which is mounted inside a washing machine tub ( 1 ) in a manner that enables it to rotate about a non-vertical axis ( 3 ) by means of a water supply system ( 8 to 11 ) and a control facility ( 12 ), by means of which the supply of water into the washing machine tub ( 1 ) can be controlled in a temporal manner, and which starts in a first phase (Ph 1 ) with a supply of a first metered quantity of water into the washing machine tub ( 1 ) when the washing drum ( 2 ) is stationary or continuously rotating, is to be optimized with regard to completeness, uniformity and reproducibility. To this end in the first phase (Ph 1 ) the washing drum ( 2 ) rotates at least in an essentially continuous manner with a supply of water until there is at least approximately correspondence between the set and actual quantities of water in the washing machine tub ( 1 ) based
