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Thread Number: 10683
How much HE detergent do you use in your front loader? |
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| Post# 194754 , Reply# 1 3/3/2007 at 22:21 (6,261 days old) by passatdoc (Orange County, California) | ||
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ps I realize that my machine is mid-sized (3.5 cu ft), with most machines sold in USA between 3.1 and 3.8 cu ft capacity. So I the largest machines (e.g. TOL Whirlpool Duet) might use a bit more soap than my smaller machine, but I'm using HALF of what the manufacturers recommend and getting good results. | ||
| Post# 194758 , Reply# 2 3/3/2007 at 22:32 (6,261 days old) by pumper (SE Wisconsin) | ||
I've had the same machine for about 5 months now. I've used All & Purex HE because I'm cheap and always have suds left at the end of the cycle, filling the cap barely to the bottom line (for light loads). I also choose extra rinse because of this. I think the problem is that the machine is too finicky when balancing to spin. I've seen it going almost perfect but then it will stop and rebalance. Many loads don't spin until the final spin, when it will rebalance till the cows come home, and then even the high speed spin isn't going to get all the suds out. I like front loaders but I think this will be my last one because of the spinning (or lack of).
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Post# 194764 , Reply# 3 3/3/2007 at 22:44 (6,261 days old) by frigilux  (The Minnesota Prairie) |
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A lot depends on the softness of your water. I have a water softener in the house, so the water is extremely soft. If I don't use a bit of fabric softener in the final rinse, there's always a bit left in the boot after a fast final spin. Once, when I had company for a few days and used up all the soft water before a recharge, I did a load of laundry and was very impressed that my HE detergent was completely washed away by the second rinse. But stains weren't removed as well in the hard water. Nor would I want to use hard water in the dishwasher. Soft water makes rinsing every trace of detergent away difficult. | ||
| Post# 194767 , Reply# 5 3/3/2007 at 22:50 (6,261 days old) by passatdoc (Orange County, California) | ||
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water hardness (Frigilux) I live in SoCal, where the water hardness is legendary, and I don't have a water softener. | ||
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Post# 194768 , Reply# 6 3/3/2007 at 22:54 (6,261 days old) by launderess (Quiet Please, There´s a Lady on Stage) |
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Detergent manufacturers are in the business of getting you to buy more product, hence overly generous dosage recommendations. Top or front loading washing machine, the dosage use is the same; use only enough product to get clean laundry. Time and experience will teach you the proper amount of detergent based upon soil/stain levels and perhaps water temps. Commcercial laundry products by the way are rarely suggested to be dosed by "scoop", rather expressed by pound/kilo of laundry per oz/gram of product ratio. That is the laundry owner will tweak proudct dosage to get the results he/she needs. Product is expensive, more so the TOL stuff, so adding more than required is nothing more than pouring money down the drain. L. | ||
| Post# 194772 , Reply# 7 3/3/2007 at 23:37 (6,261 days old) by pumper (SE Wisconsin) | ||
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spin speed | ||
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Post# 194795 , Reply# 12 3/4/2007 at 03:36 (6,261 days old) by panthera (Rocky Mountains) |
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quantities, balance
Our water here in Munich is very hard, I think Louis once calculated it to be some thing like 175 on the American scale... where 40 is considered hard. I always use water softener. The machine puts this in first, lets it work for a bit then adds detergent. It gets clothes cleaner with half as much detergent than my old machine did. Give it a try; add water softener, let it run for a minute then add detergent for "soft water". Balancing, by the way, is key to a fast spin. You don't measure the balance at the top of the machine alone, but on the sides and the front. I don't think you will ever avoid a tiny amount of foam (small, separate, quickly collapsing islands of thin, small bubbles). After all, these machines work a lot like egg beaters, there are going to be some suds. You might also want to clean the rubber boot at the front of the machine after every load. Just wipe it dry. Europeans are taught to never close the door completely after running the machine, I notice folks in the 'States do it all the time. This is not good - causes mold and detergent and "gunk" to build up. | ||
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Post# 194826 , Reply# 14 3/4/2007 at 10:25 (6,260 days old) by panthera (Rocky Mountains) |
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and even when we don't
We sure like to tell the rest of the world what to do... It sounds to me like you have nothing to worry about...but try running half a cup of salt or one cup of white vinegar in the last rinse once. If that reduces the suds significantly, then you are oversudsing (be sure to run another last rinse after the salt or vinegar.) Oh - fabric softener can foam a bit, could it be that you are using the dose for TLs? I hate the smell, but when you use it in a FL you have to take a very small amount and then dilute it like mad. Yeah, the old moldy boot problem is compounded by the fact that European rubber and other components are made assuming that they will be regularly cleaned by really hot water washes. Since many folks now do cold water washing, these parts can get pretty icky. When I'm in the 'States, I do a real hot water wash with white vinegar once a month in my mom's machine. Seems to solve the problem. And yes, we do have to make sure the cat is not in the washer or dryer - everytime. By the way, holes in the boot are by no means tied to TOL or MOL machines, I have seen very good machines without and cheap Hoovers with. Oh, oh. In trouble again. (ducks and runs) | ||
| Post# 194827 , Reply# 15 3/4/2007 at 10:25 (6,260 days old) by oxydolfan1 () | ||
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das stimmt :) | ||
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Post# 194950 , Reply# 16 3/4/2007 at 22:13 (6,260 days old) by toggleswitch (New York City, NY) |
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In my Frigidaire toploader: I use less than a 1/4 of a cup of REGULAR liquid detergent (about level of horizontal thumb against a detergent cap.) For powdered detergents I have found 1.5 to 2.0 scoops of a small scoop (As found in OXY.CLEAN) is about right. Also many Euro or Euro-inspired/made F/L washers (like my Frigidaire) dispense the contents of the BLEACH dispenser in the first rinse. So I put inexpensive, watery (non-waxy) fabric softener in the BLEACH dispenser to kill suds in the 1st rinse. Subsquent rinses are clean and chemical-free using only fresh water. Here the green scoop is a std. powdered detergent scoop. It contains two fills of the blue (OXY.CLEAN) scoop. mm/dd/yr 
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| Post# 194954 , Reply# 17 3/4/2007 at 22:23 (6,260 days old) by oxydolfan1 () | ||
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did you mean frigidaire top loader also "...dispense the contents of the BLEACH dispenser in the first rinse..." now why on earth would this machine go and do something so ridiculous or is there a rational explanation i've never witnessed this first hand | ||
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Post# 194959 , Reply# 18 3/4/2007 at 22:27 (6,260 days old) by gadgetgary (Bristol,CT) |
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Scotty | ||
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Post# 194960 , Reply# 19 3/4/2007 at 22:28 (6,260 days old) by gadgetgary (Bristol,CT) |
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BTW | ||
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Post# 194964 , Reply# 21 3/4/2007 at 22:33 (6,260 days old) by toggleswitch (New York City, NY) |
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Front loader. Because bleach and detergennt fight each other's mission, bleach in the USA is properly added in he LAST 5 minutes of the wash phase (in a topp-loader) or say a Maytag Neptune front-loader When washing with so little water as in a front-loader , it is best to leave the detergent alone to do its work, IMHO. And as Launderess has stated, for best santizing action, wash first to rid of organic matter THEN add disinfectant/bleach. Besides the first rinse can also be thought of as a wash. although a tumble-drain and flush takes place there is often no spin between tthe first wash and the first rinse. So it can also bee seen as fresh water and residual detergent to do a second wash...... | ||
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Post# 194966 , Reply# 22 3/4/2007 at 22:40 (6,260 days old) by toggleswitch (New York City, NY) |
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Interestingly a Frigidaire F/L-er adds an optional rinse BEFORE the final rinse, so softener is dispensed in the final rinse. If optional rinde is NOT selected, one of the rinses is extended and the water is not pumped out, nor does the machine refill. Basicaly two rinses combine to form one longer one. A Matytag Neptune F/L-er adds a 4th optional rinse AFTER the "FINAL" (3rd) rinse, so that fabric softener that flows into the "FINAL" (3rd) rinse is then flushed out with a clean chemical-free 4th rinse. | ||
| Post# 194972 , Reply# 24 3/4/2007 at 22:56 (6,260 days old) by oxydolfan1 () | ||
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incidentally the 2140 and 2940 appear to be exclusively for the north american market who cares i like 'em anyway | ||
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Post# 194976 , Reply# 25 3/4/2007 at 23:07 (6,260 days old) by launderess (Quiet Please, There´s a Lady on Stage) |
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There is a saying in commercial laundry circles, "wash cycle is for washing and the bleach cycle for bleaching". That is bleaching with chlorine bleach most always takes place in a separate cycle from the wash. Rationale behind this is simple: the bleaching action of chlorine bleach takes place in five minutes, with a bit faster action in hot water. Longer contact times do not increase stain removal (nor sanitation for that matter),and can only lead to textile damage. There is also the fact that chlorine bleach affects the enzymes commonly found in detergents. Yes, as Toggle stated, if one is counting on chlorine bleach for sanitation, then it is best to knock down the germ/soil/muck level before adding bleach. This follows a rule in sanitation that we learned in nursing, clean before disenfecting. If you read the directions of any EPA certified disenfectant you will see instructions to clean/remove gross filth before applying the disenfectant solution. L. | ||
| Post# 194982 , Reply# 26 3/5/2007 at 00:00 (6,260 days old) by oxydolfan1 () | ||
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okay if the water level is high enough, i can adapt wonder if bloom and krup would consent to a demonstration thanks everyone i'm not sure i'd get through this process without you | ||
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Post# 194989 , Reply# 27 3/5/2007 at 01:16 (6,260 days old) by launderess (Quiet Please, There´s a Lady on Stage) |
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| Post# 195022 , Reply# 29 3/5/2007 at 08:57 (6,259 days old) by ~sudsshane () | ||
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Toggleswitch Oh!!!! King Kullen!..I want some of that King Kullen 'Lemon" fabric softener!! =) | ||
| Post# 195024 , Reply# 30 3/5/2007 at 09:02 (6,259 days old) by ~sudsshane () | ||
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MY LG My LG front laod machine dispenses bleach into the first rinse cycle as well. I have been using Clorox "Ultimate Care" liquid bleach and it seems to work very well. it has the consistency of a fabric softener. | ||
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Post# 195042 , Reply# 31 3/5/2007 at 11:05 (6,259 days old) by peteski50 (New York) |
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Bleach!
Actually in my LG combo the bleach goes in the last 5 minutes of the wash phase. I don't use bleach to often. I usually use TideHE powder and use 1/2 amount recommended and everything comes out clean. I usually use Clorex2. I used to add Boorteem but I don't like the new Boorteem. I also just purchased the new liquid TideHE consentrated, but haven't tried it yet. Peter | ||
| Post# 195142 , Reply# 36 3/5/2007 at 21:01 (6,259 days old) by oxydolfan1 () | ||
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sadly kirkland liquid is still sudsy-ish, in soft water the powder is less sudsy than the liquid but not always available | ||
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Post# 195146 , Reply# 37 3/5/2007 at 21:37 (6,259 days old) by gadgetgary (Bristol,CT) |
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Darryl, | ||
| Post# 195161 , Reply# 41 3/6/2007 at 00:06 (6,259 days old) by irishwashguy (Salem,Oregon.............A Capital City) | ||
Miele 6 kg front loader | ||
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Post# 195183 , Reply# 42 3/6/2007 at 05:52 (6,258 days old) by gadgetgary (Bristol,CT) |
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Darryl, | ||
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Post# 195199 , Reply# 43 3/6/2007 at 08:00 (6,258 days old) by toggleswitch (New York City, NY) |
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We lovingly call it King Culo. | ||
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Post# 195220 , Reply# 44 3/6/2007 at 10:38 (6,258 days old) by rp2813 (Sannazay) |
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I've only had my new Duet pair for a week and so far have only used Tide he liquid. The results seem OK. I've been filling the machine's dispenser up to the "max" line for most loads. Yesterday I did some sheets and when they were done and dried I threw them on the bed in the guest room for folding later. Next time I went into the guest room I smelled Tide. I hate clothes with detergent smell. I'm going to start using less, maybe start using the extra rinse option, and next detergent I buy will have no scent to it. I have no sudsing or residue problems so far, and am leaving the washer door open religiously after use. I eventually snap it shut, but not until it's had many hours for the drum and boot area to completely dry out. | ||
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Post# 195323 , Reply# 45 3/6/2007 at 19:55 (6,258 days old) by frigilux (The Minnesota Prairie) |
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I'll vouch for liquid chlorine bleach's cleaning power in cold water. I used Tide Coldwater in combination with LCB on big white loads of highly-stained kitchen whites and I found stains were removed more thoroughly than when I used Tide HE in hot water w/ LCB. Much to my horror, I found the stain-removal power came from the LCB and not the Tide Coldwater, which was only middling at removing stains on its own. | ||
| Post# 195339 , Reply# 46 3/6/2007 at 20:41 (6,258 days old) by zipdang (Portland, OR) | ||
I've tried many HE detergents and have concluded that Persil powders are my absolute favorites. I've been using the regular powder and the Megaperls Color powder, and both are great. Virtually no suds, clean and rinse great, and smell good, too. As suggested by Laundress, I cut the dosage amount way back from the suggestions on the packages, nearly tripling the number of uses per box. On full loads I'm using 1/4 cup of the regular Persil or 1/8 cup of the Megaperls, a little less for smaller loads. Because of the small dosage, very little scent is left on the laundry once dried.
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