Laundry resistant elastic?

In article , Michael Daly of uttered

I'm confused. Why are you putting chlorine in with your washing?

don't put it in the dryer.

Bleach?

Anyway, even if you *don't* use bleach, regular elastic can deteriorate in the wash.

To keep (or slow) elastic from deteriorating, use new, good quality elastic. Don't use chlorine bleach unless you must. Don't overdry (pull the garment out before it's totally dry). Use a lower temperature in the dryer.

-- Jenn Ridley : snipped-for-privacy@chartermi.net

you've never heard of chlorine resistant elastic, made specifically for swimwear, which gets used in swimming pools that are full of chlorine?

In article , Jenn Ridley of

uttered>>Bleach? I only occasionally use non-chlorine bleach in mine with the white school shirts - even then, not every week. Nothing else needs it. Praps UK washing detergent is different.

After about a decade of washing a few times a week, maybe, but my lot have grown out of things or put holes in them well before then ;)

Putting it in the dryer - esp on "hot" - fries the elastic; so does shoving it on a hot radiator or ironing it a lot.

In article , small change of

uttered>She who would like to be obeyed once every Preston Guild wrote:>> In article , Michael Daly of uttered>>> Does chlorine-resistant elastic survive repeated laundering better>>> than regular elastic? I hate watching the elastics turn into>>> little bits of brittle rubber over time. If not, is there>>> a way to keep elastic from deteriorating?>>>>>> Mike

Of course I have, numpty. But I don't do the week's wash in the swimming pool. I was curious as to why anybody was putting chlorine in the washer.

no reason for name calling, now.

She who would like to be obeyed once every Preston Guild wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@ntlworld.com:

You obviously must have never had children on swim team or who were otherwise pool fanatics.

My experience is that even in cold wash (which I always use) and don't own a dryer, elastic wears out quite quickly just the same.

Maybe it is the "whitener/bleach" in the washing powder/liquid, or the clothing are manufactured with poor quality elastic to start with.

Just my $AUD 1 worth :-)

I think it might be. My friend in Germany said their washing machines heated the water, so that it was *really* hot for washing laundry. In the USA the water is only tap water hot.

A

In article , Angrie.Woman of SBC

uttered>>I think it might be. My friend in Germany said their washing machines >heated the water, so that it was *really* hot for washing laundry. In >the USA the water is only tap water hot.>

Ours does too - but I only ever wash towels at 60 degrees - everything else goes in at 40

Even that's hotter than most of our hot water heaters are set at.

A

I'm not adding any bleach or chlorine. I was just wondering if the chlorine resistant elastics hold up to repeated laundering better than regular elastics.

BTW - there is chlorine in most urban water supplies. It's used to disinfect at the water treatment plant. Not as much as you'd get in a swimming pool, but it's there.

Based on the answers, it seems that the culprit is heat. I'll try air drying that stuff in the future.

I guess I'm too old to put holes in my clothes before the elastic wears out :-)

Thanks for everyone's advice. I'll save my money and buy regular elstic instead of chlorine resistant.

Mike

I see that they are starting to import European appliances, including clothes washers, into the U.S. They are expensive, but have features we've only dreamed of. Not to mention space considerations. I have had trouble finding anything to fit in my vintage kitchen.