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Thread Number: 42534
Soak Cycles |
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Post# 625783 9/17/2012 at 22:43 (4,237 days old) by DaveAmKrayoGuy  (Oak Park, MI) |
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I remember how my mom's almond Maytag had one that automatically advanced into the wash cycle (although you want to move the timer dial manually to a shorter portion of the dial for a shorter wash, if need) and you could control how long your laundry could soak for, too...
My Kenmore as well as most other machines I've seen has a cycle which just agitates the clothes & leaves the owner to advance it into a wash (or a Pre-Wash that I have between the Soak & Reg. Fabrics wash, which just agitates & spins w/o a rinse)... Who else wants to share their knowledge on Soaking & what their machines w/ this feature that they have seen or owned do? -- Dave | ||
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| Post# 625786 , Reply# 1 9/17/2012 at 22:52 (4,237 days old) by alr2903 (TN) | ||
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Biz detergent in the 1970's was one of the "enzyme presoak" powders. Much of most peoples wardrobes were high in polyester at the time. alr | ||
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Post# 625867 , Reply# 2 9/18/2012 at 09:52 (4,236 days old) by bajaespuma (Connecticut) |
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An oxymoron if there ever was one The V-12's were one of the first Top-Loaders to offer what GE called an "Activated Soak". It was snake oil, because, all it was was the final rinse portion of the main wash cycle that was tagged "Soak". For a couple of days, in the late Sixties when the enzyme pre-soak powders were all the rage, I drove myself nuts trying to figure out what magic would make the dial stop and allow the laundry to lay still for an unidentified period of time in the tub before the final spin. I kept thinking that you had to set the dial on that exact point of the "soak" triangle to get it to work properly.
Finally, I had to come to the conclusion that GE had bamboozled us and of course, I was the only person in the household who even noticed the soak portion on the dial. It was explained in the long missing instruction booklet that the user could pull the timer knob out and allow the laundry to soak for any period of time desired. This was also the moment that I found out that the drain hose on our V-12 hadn't been sufficiently elevated; when I did this, the tub neutral-drained. 
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Post# 625868 , Reply# 3 9/18/2012 at 09:54 (4,236 days old) by bajaespuma (Connecticut) |
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Post# 625879 , Reply# 4 9/18/2012 at 10:33 (4,236 days old) by Kenmoreguy64 (Charlotte, NC) |
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Kenmores and soaks
Dave -
I am guessing your Kenmore is a mid-1990s model or newer? This soak was different than previously offered by Kenmore, and was included in the significantly re-designed cycles and sequences of the 1992 Kenmore DD line. This line got the newly separated Heavy Duty and Normal cycles with different agitation speeds for each but both with fast spin. The Soak was just as you said...it filled, agitated briefly, and just stopped. User drained the machine etc in a different cycle. The previous Enzyme Soak and Pre-Soak cycles as they were called were more functional. Cycle filled with water (in most models it was rinse temps only to prevent hot water from being used which can set some stains), agitated for several minutes, most models agitated in slow speed, then stopped. After several more minutes, the machine would agitate briefly again, to stir the pot so to speak, then stop again. The number of stops and starts seems to have varied, as I remember more of them in our 1974 Kenmore than in the 80s belt-drives, but these cycles then finished with a four minute agitation, which could also be used as a Pre-wash, which was marked as such. This was followed by a drain period and spin. Many Kenmores were equipped with an auto-advance option which could be turned on or off which would advance the machine directly into the normal cycle. Thus these soaks always preceded the Normal cycle on the dial. These models usually always had some form of a detergent dispenser to hold detergent for the normal wash so the user didn't have to return to the machine. This was either the water flushed dispenser, or the trap-door mechanical powder dispenser. Oddly, the Enzyme soak, which appeared in the late 60s, started out at 30 minutes full duration, but was not long later clipped to 22 minutes. I always figured the 8 minutes didn't matter and that the engineers wanted the 8 minutes in the otherwise cluttered timers for something else (such as extended drain times in large capacity machines) but I've since heard that it was found that enzyme detergents once activated were only effective for 20-some minutes, thus the 20-some minute new soak. Gordon | ||
| Post# 625910 , Reply# 6 9/18/2012 at 12:03 (4,236 days old) by pierreandreply4 (St-Bruno de montarville (province of quebec) canada) | ||
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| Post# 625976 , Reply# 9 9/18/2012 at 18:09 (4,236 days old) by PhilR (Quebec Canada) | ||
 Many Frigidaire washers from the 1958 and on have a soak cycle. The lesser models don't advance automatically to the wash cycle but some of the nicer models can, if you choose it...
My 1-18 offers either an automatic soak cycle (with the timer set on "Regular) or an extended soak cycle in which the timer stops after about a minute of agitation and resumes when you manually select one of the other options.
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Post# 625986 , Reply# 10 9/18/2012 at 19:12 (4,236 days old) by Launderess (Quiet Please, There´s a Lady on Stage) |
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Pre-Soaking
Is really only necessary when using very aggressive wash methods (such as many top loading washers with central beaters), or perhaps when one is trying to deal with certain stains again without subjecting textiles to prolonged mechanical action.
Commercial laundries once they aquired mechanical washing machines and later domestic users as well discovered that the "Five Basics" of laundry practice could and did subsitute for pre-soaking. That is water (amount), time, mechanical action, temperature (of water), and chemicals. Tests and studies determined that a short pre-wash in cool to tepid or even warm water gave the same if not better results than long periods of soaking. The mechanical action of a washing machine along with the other parameters did the work in minutes what once took overnight. Why? Again because the five basics tell us when you increase one the other factors can decrease and vice-versa. So by adding mechanical action soils and muck were removed faster than if left stationary in a tub. Pre-soaking laundry is a holdover from when laundry was done by hand and allowed for an easier method of removing much of the soil before the main event (with all the rubbing, boiling, and other hard work) that was to come later. Even later when early washing machines came along for domestic use because many were designed to re-use wash water, one wanted to have as much muck removed as possible before going to the wash. This saved not only soap but hot water as well. Of course much of this soaking was used when laundry was to be done in hot or boiling water. Sending laundry straight into wash water of those temps can and would set stains and soils, so again without the advent of modern washing machines it was eaiser to soak items in cold water first. Commercial laundries even with manual controls (user operated fill, drain, etc) would simply pre-wash a load in cold or tepid water for a period of time, drain it off, then begin the main wash with hot or cold water and open the steam to raise the temp to hot or boiling. Another method still used today would be to "flush" the laundry first for several minutes using cool water. This could be done manually be opening the drain valves while at the same time allowing the machine to tumble and take in water. While soaking can work wonders it must be done property to get the benefits. Water temp should be warm to cool as starting with hot water will not only set stains but force open textile fibers only to have them shut as the water cools, that traps in the very soils one is trying to remove. Soaking also shouldn't go on too long. If long periods are required and the wash is very soiled the water should be swapped out. Otherwise the dirt will resettle back onto the wash defeating the entire purpose. | ||
| Post# 625999 , Reply# 11 9/18/2012 at 20:34 (4,236 days old) by mickeyd (Hamburg NY) | ||
Soakingggggguuuuueeee
There is a machine, the Hotpoint Lady Executive, in the POD rotations that let's you select the number of hours or all night soaking, and then spins out the soak, re-soaping and refilling automatically for the wash. Have fantasized about waking up to the sound of these phantasmagoric machinations,
In another vein, there is a secret to keeping whites sparkling without Clorox or heating. That would be the long soak in Tide with Bleach. For this method, I fill the 62 Lady K to whatever level I want, select the blank spot on the dial. That yields a two to four minute wash followed by an indefinite soak cycle. These items are not soiled and no second fill is required, simply an extended soak in hot water. Preserved whites will dazzle till rag time. The Norge and Kenmore conventionals allow the same freedom with even longer pre-wash periods; in fact the Norge actually has a Pre-Soak cycle marked on the dial. Agree with John about the Keyboard Lady K: You press all the buttons to execute a true wash day miracle. And with the thin blade-like fins of the Vari-flex extended to the max, al the water changes and buzzing of the automatic soap reload, the scoot from the soak & pre-wash spin to the wash.....a breath-taking extravaganza of washing machine wizardry. Agree with Kelly about overnight soaking for extreme stains and soil--works like a charm. Think of back in the day when we had nasty, nasty pans and no dishwasher. We'd soak them overnight and the muck would come loose with ease. Same principle involved with fabrics, a time honored, tried and true method of long soaking for release of whatever. The little Chinese Haier soaks for 30, washes for 20, and rinses twice on the Heavy cycle~ no water throw between soak and wash. Pierre and the dude who took it: I LOVE that close-up shot of the WP Panel--fabulous and rich! 
This post was last edited 09/18/2012 at 21:41 | ||
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Post# 626012 , Reply# 12 9/18/2012 at 21:35 (4,236 days old) by DADoES (TX, U.S. of A.) |
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 Whirlpool's diamond marker at the Gentle rinse is equivalent to GE's rinse method noted above. User instructions may also advise to use Rinse for a prewash function. Super Wash runs a 2-, 4-, or 6-min prewash, 2-min soak, 1/2-drain and brief pause, then refills and continues through Normal. Deluxe-level machine also had Super Wash on Perm Press. Some later Whirlys, both belt-drive and direct-drive, had a designated Soak/Prewash sequence like Kenmore's Enzyme Soak. My 1991 KitchenAid has the Super Wash sequence (called Extra Wash) on Normal. My parents 1994 KA has both a separate Soak/Prewash (2 mins agitate, 8 mins soak, 2 mins prewash, drain/spin/off) cycle, and the Extra Wash sequence on Heavy. My GE portable has the Rinse/Soak designation. My F&P GWL08 and IWL12 have a Soak option that adds a 2-hr soak at end of the wash period on any cycle, with five agitation strokes every 1 minute throughout the soak. GWL08 drains immediately after the soak and proceeds through the rest of the cycle. IWL12 agitates for a couple mins before draining. It also has a separate Stained selection that has several alternating periods of agitation and soak for the wash (much shorter than 2 hrs), and a Prewash option that adds a 3-min cold prewash and drain (no spin) to any cycle (the machine stops and beeps for attention for the user to add more detergent and press Start to continue). Stained, Prewash, and Soak can be selected in any combination. Both have a Time Saver option that cuts cycle time by half, so the soak in that case would be 1 hr. Calypso has a Soak option that adds a 16-min soak to the beginning of any cycle (continuous recirculation at 60 RPM spin with a brief agitation at the mid-point). There is no drain before continuing into the selected cycle. Neptune TL has a Soak option that adds a 12-min soak (with several rollovers to keep the items saturated) at the start of any cycle. There is no drain before proceeding into the selected cycle. | ||
| Post# 626208 , Reply# 13 9/19/2012 at 22:27 (4,235 days old) by tecnopolis (Ocala/Dunnellon, Florida 34481) | ||
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| Post# 626209 , Reply# 14 9/19/2012 at 22:31 (4,235 days old) by tecnopolis (Ocala/Dunnellon, Florida 34481) | ||
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| Post# 626210 , Reply# 15 9/19/2012 at 22:33 (4,235 days old) by tecnopolis (Ocala/Dunnellon, Florida 34481) | ||
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| Post# 626218 , Reply# 16 9/20/2012 at 00:32 (4,234 days old) by stan (Napa CA) | ||
Alex | ||
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Post# 626240 , Reply# 18 9/20/2012 at 03:34 (4,234 days old) by vacbear58 (Sutton In Ashfield, East Midlands, UK) |
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Soak or Prewash In The UK Again
Sadly, I cannot run to a stainless steel Miele - I have to put up with a white one :)
Mine offers the same two options (can only soak for up to two hours) which I also use on a regular basis as I run the machine at night and, as the soak is in cold water, it allows me to take advantage of my cheaper overnight electrical tarriff which for half the year starts at 00.30. Depending on the size and naure of load (towels for example) I use the Water Plus option too. As I recall from my instructions, Miele propose the soak as a "greener" alternative to using a pre-wash saving electricity, water & detergent as there is only one fill. Of course if I was dealing with items like soiled nappies (diapers) I would pre-wash without question but thankfully I am not at that stage (yet!) but for lightly soiled clothes the soak seems fine to me. On the other hand I NEVER use the short or quick wash options (my Miele has both) as I dont consider that effective for proper washing no matter how lightly soiled the clothes. AL | ||
| Post# 626249 , Reply# 19 9/20/2012 at 04:56 (4,234 days old) by MikeKLondon (London) | ||
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Stainless Steel Option They are hell to keep clean AL, one of the dogs only has to walk passed and It leaves a mark, and as for the fridge you need to wear white gloves LOL 
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Post# 626256 , Reply# 20 9/20/2012 at 06:05 (4,234 days old) by vacbear58 (Sutton In Ashfield, East Midlands, UK) |
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Stainless - I dont think so
Mike
I know it only too well - I LOVED ny Liebherr S/S Fridge (top freezer) but it was a nightmare to keep clean. Having been round several other fridge options (the next to last one - a Neff integrated fridge which was enormous was actually the best) I am back at stainless steel, this time Fisher & Paykal but as its smaller I have been able to recess it out of the way of general traffic flows. Just a shame I could not do that with the Liebherr but it was 75cm wide and not possible in my small kitchen. Mind you, let me know if you are changing out the Miele if you re-do your kitchen next year ....... Al | ||
| Post# 626265 , Reply# 21 9/20/2012 at 06:21 (4,234 days old) by AutoWasherFreak () | ||
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I use the soak cycle on my Maytag when I wash my whites since I stopped using chlorine bleach. | ||
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Post# 626355 , Reply# 22 9/20/2012 at 13:45 (4,234 days old) by polkanut (Wausau, WI ) |
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 Ironically I just did a 2 hour warm soak this morning on a tablecloth that was used during a dinner party the other night. I used a 1/2 scoop of the current formulation of BIZ. I let it agitate for a couple of minutes, let it soak for 2hrs, agitated the load, spun out the water, rinsed it, washed as usual. Came out nice and white again. Did this in my Maytag Dependable Care machine. | ||
| Post# 626359 , Reply# 23 9/20/2012 at 14:35 (4,234 days old) by tecnopolis (Ocala/Dunnellon, Florida 34481) | ||
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Stan,
Yes, I do find that everything does come out very clean and fresh smelling.
Soaking is free, so unless your in a hurry, you can soak almost anything and use less detergent and get fantastic results without doing harm to the garments like additional agitation would. I always have to remind myself that soap does not get clothes clean. Soap allows water, which is a solvent, to penetrate soils and remove them. Also, I have been using the least expensive liquid detergent they sell at WAL-MART. It's called "TAD". It's .87 cents a bottle. Occasionally, I will buy the AJAX with OXY for $2.50 a bottle. They are both HE formulas. I also do soaks in my Neptune front load machine with equal results. This also reminds me of when I used to supervise the security staff at the RamRod bar in Fort Lauderdale. All new hires were issued a black bar shirt you were required to wear when reporting for your shift. One day a new hire came to work without his staff shirt and I asked him where it was. He said it was dirty and he didn't have time to do laundry. I said that when you use the bar method. He looked at me puzzled and I said, That's when you fill your bathroom sink with soapy water, soak your shirt in it for a few, rinse, wring out and hang it over your shower rod to dry. He looked at me like I was from Pluto. Kids these dayz! 
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| Post# 626360 , Reply# 24 9/20/2012 at 14:41 (4,234 days old) by tecnopolis (Ocala/Dunnellon, Florida 34481) | ||
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Post# 626362 , Reply# 25 9/20/2012 at 15:00 (4,234 days old) by akronman (Akron/Cleveland Ohio) |
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oh tecnopolis | ||
| Post# 626367 , Reply# 26 9/20/2012 at 15:33 (4,234 days old) by laundromat (Hilo, Hawaii) | ||
 My Jet action models( 1-18s and solid tub Imperials and Custom Imperial models) had the soak cycles which would, if you wanted, advance to a main wash and 2rinses. To presoak now, i set my front loaders on main wash,let them go for ten minutes then turn them off. I let the load soak over night then rest them for a long 20 minute warm wash and extra rinse. This works great I also use this method to either tint or tie dye clothes like t shirts and handkerchifs | ||
| Post# 626369 , Reply# 27 9/20/2012 at 15:43 (4,234 days old) by PhilR (Quebec Canada) | ||
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Post# 626374 , Reply# 28 9/20/2012 at 16:05 (4,234 days old) by Yogitunes (New Jersey) |
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I always preferred an AUTO Soak on any machine, meaning fully automatic, and/or the option to continue into the Regular Cycle....
Mother Yogi would use her 1963 GE V12...with the so called fake SOAK cycle built into the final rinse, as Ken has shown us...... BUT the 63FF V12 had an un-usual feature, not all machines could do......set the machine to RINSE, add clothes and pre-soak, allow to fill and agitate, and Mom would either leave the lid open, or rest the lid on a washcloth, as not to allow the machine to spin out the water until she was done with the SOAK period....most times overnight! somewhat a manual way of doing it...but did not require monitoring....after the SOAK, just close the lid to allow it to spin out the water, and reset to a Normal wash ... | ||
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