Thread Number: 56456
Advice on washing whites please! |
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Post# 787744 , Reply# 5   10/6/2014 at 23:46 (3,482 days old) by henene4 (Heidenheim a.d. Brenz (Germany))   |   | |
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Ours has the rapid option, yet, no easy iron. Therefor, we got the soil level selector. This way, without using short, I can get the 2:20h 60° Cotton down to 1:40 on lowest setting, or 2h flat at medium soil. I prefer that option as it does not cut out the enzyme stage as rapid does. |
Post# 787768 , Reply# 6   10/7/2014 at 05:28 (3,482 days old) by paulc (Edinburgh, Scotland)   |   | |
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You didn't mention what detergent you were using. Remember a good quality powder is best for whites, if you are using liquid you need to add a scoop of oxy stain remover, Sainsbury's own brand one for whites is very good and a lot cheaper than Vanish or the Ariel equivalent.
I would be wary of washing bra's at 60 deg and also of putting them in with a "normal" load, especially if they have underwires in. Believe me it's no fun trying to remove the washing when a wire has come out and skewered through the whole load! Or even worse if the wire pokes through the holes and ends up between the tub and drum. I would wash the bra's by hand or on their own on a quick wash. |
Post# 787882 , Reply# 10   10/7/2014 at 19:08 (3,481 days old) by mielerod69 (Australia)   |   | |
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In my Miele I use the following programmes:
White mixed fabrics @ 50 degrees on Minimum Iron Hygiene, as it keeps the temp for a longer period of time. I use Miele UltraWhite or similar. Sometimes I add a 2 hour presoak and that really helps with perspiration stain removal from using deodorants. That programme also does as standard 3 rinses and uses a medium-high level in the main wash if you select water plus. White cotton fabrics @ 60 degrees on Cottons programme with water plus and extra rinse, not the Eco as the temp doesn't hit 60. I use again Miele UltraWhite or similar. I used to remember my grandma in Italy washing her whites at 95 degrees with a pre-wash, as she always told me that you don't wash in dirty water, that is why the prewash was important to get whites really white and her favorite detergent was Dixan. I don't know if it's my imagination but when I added the pre-wash, the whites did seem whiter! |
Post# 787972 , Reply# 12   10/8/2014 at 10:38 (3,480 days old) by BoschExxcel ()   |   | |
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Thanks for the reassuring advice guys! Will give it a go at the weekend when I need to wash my school shirts. :) |
Post# 788023 , Reply# 14   10/8/2014 at 15:52 (3,480 days old) by BoschExxcel ()   |   | |
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Thanks, in the whites wash everything is white and things that have a bit of colour on have been washed many times before so I'm not too worried. I'll let you guys know on the outcome! |
Post# 788040 , Reply# 15   10/8/2014 at 17:29 (3,480 days old) by mielerod69 (Australia)   |   | |
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Hi Glenfieldmathk1,
the programme is an addition as part of the Miele4Life programme packages. I have a W 5965 WPS which I think is one of the best Miele washing machines because of its flexibility. The cool-down phase is in stages, where the machine partially empties and refills a number of times. This process is thermostatically controlled via the NTC sensor. Once the wash liquor is around 35 degrees, then the cooling down phase is complete, but it only takes around 5 minutes or so. Hope this answers your question. Cheers |
Post# 788481 , Reply# 16   10/11/2014 at 12:45 (3,477 days old) by BoschExxcel ()   |   | |
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Hi guys, Washed my whites on 60 and everything came out brilliantly! Thanks everyone! |
Post# 790078 , Reply# 21   10/22/2014 at 16:36 (3,466 days old) by foraloysius (Leeuwarden, Friesland, the Netherlands)   |   | |
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The way your grandmother did her whites was the same as my mother used to do. I still remember the smell of the steam smelling after Dixan that came from the detergent dispenser of her Bosch.
I have a lot of white towels and found them a bit dull looking lately. A 95 degrees wash with Aldi's Una made them sparkling white again! |
Post# 790257 , Reply# 23   10/23/2014 at 15:19 (3,465 days old) by Launderess (Quiet Please, There´s a Lady on Stage)   |   | |
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That is you don't wash very soiled whites with lightly so, and or there should be a pre-wash or soak before the main cycle. Two wash cycles for whites beats one long one for most all whites, pastels and coloured items.
If wash whites in "dirty" water then sooner or later you'll end up with tattle-tale grey laundry as detergent and soils redeposit onto fabrics. The longer main cycle runs the higher risk. Having to boil or use very hot water to return whites to brightness means soil and laundry product residue are being left in. That in turn speaks to problems somewhere in the laundering process. Both too much or too little detergent/products, improper rinsing, over loading machine, and so forth all contribute to dingy whites. |
Post# 790266 , Reply# 24   10/23/2014 at 15:33 (3,465 days old) by wayupnorth (On a lake between Bangor and Bar Harbor, Maine)   |   | |
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My mother, grandmother and all the other housewives in my family always did it the same way. Fill the machine with hottest tap water, add Clorox bleach and old fashioned Tide and run thru. I dont have any pure whites to ever do a whole load but I still add a splash of bleach in warm water for towels, sheets, etc.
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Post# 790276 , Reply# 25   10/23/2014 at 16:11 (3,465 days old) by Launderess (Quiet Please, There´s a Lady on Stage)   |   | |
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If using chlorine bleach then that changes things completely. Stuff will burn ( oxidation process) through much and leave things "white". But here is the thing, and good laundresses/housewives have known it for years; properly done whites rarely if ever require bleaching. This includes the routine use of LCB.
In the old days "Javel water" was used for stain removal to shift spots that otherwise wouldn't budge. The heavy reliance upon chlorine bleach explains much about American modern laundry habits. It has been long known that chlorine bleach damages textiles. That is one of the reasons you rarely see the stuff in France and other European countries used for laundry, especially every wash. |
Post# 790771 , Reply# 26   10/27/2014 at 04:59 (3,462 days old) by zanussi_lover (Nottingham, UK)   |   | |
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I used to wash whites at 60 now I use 40, a normal wash at 40 will suffice just about everything apart from towels and sheets which I do on 60.
If the sheets are brightly coloured I'd wash at 40 or 60 but if washing at 60 use a gentle/colour/Liquid detergent. Darks I wash at 40, and delicates/wool I wash at 30. Its only necessary to wash whites on 60 if they are really dirty. Prewash isn't necessary either (its a waste of water) Modern detergents work well at 40 degrees, 60 is only necessary for hygiene reasons such as towels and sheets, to kill bacteria and dust mites. 90 isn't needed at all, I only use this wash occasionally to clean the machine out, but its very rare as my washing machine is aired out, and doesn't smell. The UV rays from the sun and fresh air removes odours and kills bacteria. |