Method for treating items of laundry in a washing machine, which has an outer tub, a drum mounted rotatably about an essentially horizontal axis in the outer tub for receiving the items of laundry and a control facility, wherein the method contains the following steps: a) introducing an open or closed container containing a laundry treatment agent to a lower region of the drum; b) filling an aqueous liquid into the outer tub in a quantity W which is sufficient for the liquid level h in the drum to have a predetermined minimum value h min, wherein in step b) the predetermined minimum value h min is selected so that at least the drum comes into contact with the aqueous liquid or a recirculation is enabled with a recirculation system, wherein the amount of aqueous liquid contained in the recirculation system is sufficient to guide the liquid pumped out of the outer tub via a recirculation line back into the outer tub and to bring the liquid available in the outer tub in the circuit into contact with the items of laundry in the drum, characterised by the further step: (c) moving the aqueous liquid during a predetermined time frame t set > 1 min, in which the drum is moved so that no rotation of the drum about an angle α ≥ 180° takes place, wherein in step (c) the movement of the aqueous liquid is generated by the movement of the drum which carries along the liquid during the movement, and/or (d) moving the aqueous liquid during a predetermined time frame t set > 1 min, in which the drum is in a rest state or is moved so that no rotation of the drum about an angle α ≥ 180° takes place, wherein in step (d) the movement of the aqueous liquid is generated by operating the recirculation system, which has the recirculation line and a recirculation pump which serves to convey the aqueous liquid. a) introducing an open or closed container containing a laundry treatment agent to a lower region of the drum; b) filling an aqueous liquid into the outer tub in a quantity W which is sufficient for the liquid level h in the drum to have a predetermined minimum value h min, wherein in step b) the predetermined minimum value h min is selected so that at least the drum comes into contact with the aqueous liquid or a recirculation is enabled with a recirculation system, wherein the amount of aqueous liquid contained in the recirculation system is sufficient to guide the liquid pumped out of the outer tub via a recirculation line back into the outer tub and to bring the liquid available in the outer tub in the circuit into contact with the items of laundry in the drum, (c) moving the aqueous liquid during a predetermined time frame t set > 1 min, in which the drum is moved so that no rotation of the drum about an angle α ≥ 180° takes place, wherein in step (c) the movement of the aqueous liquid is generated by the movement of the drum which carries along the liquid during the movement, and/or (d) moving the aqueous liquid during a predetermined time frame t set > 1 min, in which the drum is in a rest state or is moved so that no rotation of the drum about an angle α ≥ 180° takes place, wherein in step (d) the movement of the aqueous liquid is generated by operating the recirculation system, which has the recirculation line and a recirculation pump which serves to convey the aqueous liquid.