Wet your hand and then put some detergent in your palm and close your fingers. Be sure that you are near the sink when you do this, because when the detergent starts heating up, you'll want to rinse it off quickly.
I never bend: I either squat down on my heels or kneel, and drag the stuff out into a basket, which fits just below the porthole. And the clothes are not much heavier than they are dry! A LOT of water is whizzed out of them! :) MOST things come out damp rather than wet and heavy. Some things WILL be wetter and heavier than they usually are: not all things should be given the highest spin speed. This is usually variable, with different programs.
You need to use a low suds detergent. I don't think it costs any more than the other stuff here: maybe less, it's the bigger seller! I never use bleach, bluing, or anything except a pre-wash spray on greasy marks, or a specific treatment for ink or tar or whatever. The washer will do a cool pre-wash if you program it to: this will get out any loose dirt before the main temperature wash. While I like to boil wash some things, I usually wash most coloured things at 30-40 degrees.
I sort stuff by colour as well: a dark load, a white (and pastels) load, a coloured load... Reds always get saved for a red load! I pop a colour catcher in with things that might bleed (always with quilts, for example!).
Yes, you can soak! Just pick a washer with a soak program! It'll tumble them about a bit in a smaller amount of water, but I've never needed to soak things: that's what the pre-wash program is for! As for blood stained cotton sheets: pre-wash and then boil wash, all dialed up as one program. For poly/cotton mix sheets, I use the same treatment with a 50-60 degree wash.
My last washer lasted over 12 years: the door seal was fine when it died of main bearing failure! This one is over six years old, and the door seal is perfect - one of the few bits that is! :( Looks like it too will outlast the drum, bearings, switches, trim... and everything else that's disintegrating... :(
Wash them on the delicates cycle! Slower tumbling when wet, slower spin speeds, and a leeetle more water than a conventional load per weight of clothes... mine washes far better than hand washing!
In 25 years of ownership and close to 40 years of experience of front loaders (my mum bought her first in the late 60's when we came back from Malta) I've never seen this. You WILL get it if you leave a load damp in the washer for too many days! Not a problem in the winter, but don't go away for a week in the summer and leave summat in there!
And yes, you can use any type of *low suds* powder.
If you live in a hard water area (as we do - taps filled courtesy of Blue Circle!), consider getting a water softener fitted. I use a third or less than the recommended dose for soft water areas. It prolongs the life of the machine, your shower, and your central heating! Other wise you can always add a softener to the wash load, or descale the washer every so often.
Fabric softeners go in a special dispenser in the soap drawer, and are added at the right time in the rinse cycle. I find with the soft water and the much smaller amounts of powder I use (and the large number of performance enhanced hi-tec fabrics in a lot of our clothing that forbid fabric softener use!) that I never use it! Another expense saved!
By "detergent" do you mean "washing powder"? What you describe is alarming, and does not happen with the washing powder we use. Is this a "biological" washing powder that you are using? They can often be more active than non-bio powders.
I guess it's possible that washing powders are made more chemically active in the US so that they can be more effective in cold water. I'd only expect that sort of reaction from fairly strong bleach :-o
Phae, you really cannot go by laundromat washing machines. They get so beat up from the constant use, and have probably done more to harm the reputation of front loading machines than any other source. My machine actually holds a queen-sized down comforter; we don't have any king-sized beds, so I can't speak to that size's accommodation.
My washer is a heavy-duty machine, although it does not look like it. My mother just moved into a new home, and that is the type she chose, as well, on my recommendation, and she loves it, too (hers does not have the seal problem on the door). Mother is a laundry maniac; she literally washes all her summer clothes when she puts them away in the fall, washes the winter clothing she just took out of her (sealed) hanging storage bags, and then reverses the process at the next change of season. She drives me a little cuckoo with this, actually.
I would say that the only other problem I have with my washer is the same problem I have with my dryer--the doors are lower, and it is a bit of a pain to get clothes out of them. However, this is why the newer models all have those pedestals. If we ever redo our laundry room, I aim to build some sturdy drawers for underneath both, which would accomplish the same thing. This is not a problem for my mom, since she's a little bird thing, and does not have to stoop the way her long-legged daughters do!
My most favorite reason to own one of these is the energy savings. When I bought it we had two teenaged girls living here (who have since both gone off to college). They both did their own laundry, bless them, so our washer and dryer were "on duty" a lot, and both our water bills and electric bills were getting high. There was a visible difference in both after we bought this new machine, so I'm definitely a believer!
Karen Maslowski in Cincinnati
Phaedr> Amen. I once washed a small down comforter in a front loading, high
I bet it has a peroxide bleach in it.
Oh I can imagine! I have terrible allergies that take it out on my hands so I'll take your word for that. :)
In the US, everything is more chemically active. ;) That's what happens when chemical companies (seemingly) own half of the US Congress. In truth, in recent years, consumer protections here in the Colonies have been severely eroded in many venues. We also have a president who likes to issue "executive orders" deactivating environmental and other consumer protections. The last leader who acted so unilaterally against the interests of the people was King George.
The EU is way ahead of the US in protecting consumers and the environment from dangerous substances. Here, one runs the gauntlet every time a drug is prescribed, a new processed food is prepared, or a child receives an immunization. How can you trust a government that only now is finally removing mercury from immunizations given to babies?
Phae
OB-SEW: Today I am putting together a pair of really cute capris for my daughter made with a fabric with little zebras all over it.
My grandmama did that too. And during spring cleaning, everything in the house that was washable got washed... literally.
I am so glad you and others have helped to update me! I feel so much better about the new machines now, especially knowing that I will be in the market for a new washer in the near future. Thanks to you and everyone else!
Bummer.
I don't recall the details but it had to do with erroneous reports on American autos. It was all over the news some years back.
All detergents here are low suds by definition. Most anything that isn't is called a soap. But many of the front loaders recommend HE detergent. It's good to know that is not necessary if it does cost more. Once or twice a year, I like to use blueing on my white linens. That really makes them look like new again.
Incredibly, I had the Bosch serviceman here this AM to replace a warranty part in my dishwasher. This guy knew a lot about the front loaders and gave me a complete rundown. He said they are improving but that door seals and musty odors have been a problem in the earlier models. He also quoted me studies that he got when he went to Bosch, Whirlpool, and Maytag schools that give stats on actual energy savings. I told him how timely was his visit and information. He also said that the earlier models here were not nearly as good as they are in Europe. That did not surprise me since the US is such a "throw-away" society. But with the much higher cost of the front loading machines, maybe people will come to expect and receive better quality.
I checked on the age of my Maytag and was shocked. We bought it in 88 so it is 18 years old and still, knock on wood, going strong. I hope it lasts long enough so that I can get a front loader with all the bugs worked out!
Good... good... that is all good. What about underwires? By hand?
[...]Fortunately, our water is just the right PH and quite soft. Though we have a rural septic system, we do get city water. When I lived in Wisconsin, we had a water softener and you really had to watch not to use too much soap. Fabric softener is really hard on a septic system so I tend to use it sparingly and not too often.
Phaedrine wrote: .... Then there are our four dogs, 60-100 pounds each, three of whom
Hehehehe, obviously I didn't follow through on that thought! Which was, lots of dirty dog blankets & towels, since the pooches are incessantly going in and out, in all kinds of weather. I think they cause as much laundry as two-legged children.
I like to bathe ours outside, too. We have one of those small rigid kiddie pools and it works well for that purpose.
I love Newfies! Guess you saw a picture of Josh, who won Best of Show at Westminster about 3 years ago...
Doreen in Alabama
Can you use liquid detergent? I haven't used powders in years because it contains a lot of salt which is very bad for the soil and for septic systems.
That is good news. And thanks so much for all the helpful info!!
[...]
This would be rather cumbersome for bedding, unfortunately.
With the exception of the soak problem, I'm actually starting to look forward to a front loader!
Phae
I usually cut my yardage to a max of 5 yards to avoid tangling in the wash. Is that a good rule for front loaders as well?
One is *supposed* to wash them by hand anyway, but... ;) No, I just pop them in a net lingerie bag and bung 'em in on the ordinary light coloured load (or darks if it's the black ones!) along with the rest of the undies.
Most of my clothes feel better without it! :)
To refer back to the bluing thing: I don't do that, I have some Glo-White stuff for refreshing dull things and things grayed by the occasional stray sock. Works a treat! :)
My 10m bit didn't tangle.
"Phaedrine" ranted in message news: snipped-for-privacy@news-50.dca.giganews.com...
No! Actually the Teachers Unions and Liberal Lawyers do.
"The Colonies"??? Must amke you feel all warm and fuzzy, referring to yourself as a "colonist".
No doubt you would have preferred algore-inventor-of-the-internet or St. John Kerry, major-f--k-up, as the leader of the U.S. in time of war.
Why don't you take your whinging and move to the EU? Make everybody happy!
Phae = idiot
Phae,
I use Sears Ultra Plus powder most of the time, because when I was researching the wm before buying, several posters at Epinions.com who had the HE3 recommended it. My recollection is that UP doesn't have additives, but I don't have any fine print to read just now because I discarded the most recent box after transferring the last bit into my plastic dispenser (the box holds 20 lbs and is big and unwieldy).
Sears often puts UP on sale half price. The first 20 lbs we bought lasted from February til November...$10 worth of detergent instead of an estimated $50-$60 with my top loader.
The HE3 manual recommends using liquid detergent for delicate, cold-water loads, because with that cycle's reduced action and cold water a powder might not dissolve as well. I did buy some liquid recommended for front loaders and have used it a few times.
Doreen in Alabama
Well that is good news. I've been washing mine by hand for years.
I have not heard of that product. I don't think they have it here. It's not similar to blueing I take it.
No it's not an optical whitener: it removes the grunge and the stains and gives fabrics that Just New look again - except it doesn't mend holes! I use it to rescue James's school shirts, which get stained with paint, felt tip pen, ink, whatever, at school, and, as i say, to remove the grungy gray left when you leave a dark sock in the drum...
Hey - some of the newer front loaders have a light that comes on when you open the door, so you can SEE those lurking socks and nab 'em! :)
Here's some more info:
Same here, stick them in a lingerie bag and put with the appropriate colored 'gentle' stuff, then hang to dry in a bathroom. Been doing this for years.
Jean
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