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Thread Number: 60356
/ Tag: Vintage Automatic Washers
Suds saver question |
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| Post# 830185 6/30/2015 at 16:23 (3,220 days old) by LordKenmore (The Laundry Room) | ||
One of my washer dreams is to have suds saver. This might be my Inner Cheapskate. Or this might just be memories of my grandmother's suds saver. Her washer intrigued me--maybe my Inner Cheapskate got an early start.
Grandma's washer intrigued me enough to ask my mother why we didn't have that on our Kenmore. My mother patiently explained that we didn't have a wash tub to store wash water when the machine was bought. Furthermore, she found the concept of saving wash water revolting. Recently, I've been wondering how valid my mother's view is. Part of me thinks that yes, there could be germs or something would get saved and cycled through the next load. Another part of me thinks there is probably no real issue, at least with most loads. After all, people used suds saver systems (and wringer systems) for years, with no apparent trouble I've heard about. I'm wondering what view others take here about saving/reusing wash water: Perfectly Fine? Or Perfectly Revolting? | ||
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Post# 830194 , Reply# 1 6/30/2015 at 17:38 (3,220 days old) by Launderess  (Quiet Please, There´s a Lady on Stage) |
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Yes, one reason for the demise of wringers, twin tubs,
Along with sud saving machines was the "ewwwwww" factor of reusing wash water.
Once most every home had indoor plumbing especially of hot water the need to reuse wash water to "save" (energy and or time) was lessened to nil. Then you had fully automatic washers coming down in price points or failing that there was always credit or second hand. Many automatic washer makers touted in their adverts that their machines (without suds savers obviously) washed one's laundry in *fresh* clean water. The other factor even with fully automatic suds savers was more and more homes going with drain pipes instead of sinks for washing machines. Some of this came from the movement to get laundries out of basements or other out of the way areas of the house. Think Carol Brady's laundry room off the kitchen which IIRC didn't have a sink. | ||
| Post# 830241 , Reply# 2 7/1/2015 at 06:07 (3,219 days old) by arbilab (Ft Worth TX (Ridglea)) | ||
I suds save with my twinnie, just like Grandma did with her Easy. Ya just wash the least groady stuff first and the most groady last and replace the suds when they show groad clog.
But you have to like, pay attention and think. Far fewer householders are able/willing to do those these days. How the marketers figure to get them sorting all that newfangled computer mumbojumbo, I'll never know. What again is the distinction among steam/boil/sanitize? OCD about washing as I am, I just couldn't be bothered. Some evidence suggests most users deploy only 2 out of 2 dozen cycles. Roughly the same proportion of cable channels you get to those you watch. | ||
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Post# 830263 , Reply# 5 7/1/2015 at 10:23 (3,219 days old) by Yogitunes (New Jersey) |
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we visit 'back home' where my parents are from, South West Pennsylvania......and even today, the standard is a wringer washer in many of the older generation homes....if the home setup was a bit modern, you would see a sudssaver in use....there could be a wringer, yet an automatic dryer....
this is daily life for them, I had a blast visiting, like a step back in time, daily chores of weeding the vegetable garden, collecting eggs, milking the cows, banking the coal furnace..... if anything, this was down home cooking at its best.... my only issue for sudssaving by an automatic was the water cooling down before the next load, while waiting for the rinse and spins to complete.....the advantage, yet labor involved, was with a wringer, you could wash load after load quickly.... interesting to watch people in their own methods for washing clothes....... we have members who use wringers or twintubs as daily drivers.....and we have all played with them at one point or time, just to get a feel of what it would have been like........but what you can't imagine is throwing yourself back in time....we have the mentality to play with this, knowing we can go back to our automatic lives....but if you had only a wringer to wash clothes, heating the water on stoves, carrying buckets of water, plus hanging clothes on a line, and then iron on top of all of that......if you had no choice, outside of pounding clothes on a rock....that Ewwwwww! factor would be thrown out the window.... but all in all......there are times, it seems a waste to heat all that water, detergent and bleach.....for a one use 12 minute wash, and then throw it all away......how brilliant are we?.....when our grandmothers would wash clothes, that waste water would wash down the back porch, and the rinse water would water the garden.....makes you think doesn't it?....sometimes I would like to go back to a simpler way of life.... sorry for the long post....but interesting, you hear of water restrictions, and people re-using their dishwater or shower water to water their lawns and such......given a no win option, people will reserve to suds saving.... odd that these are not still on the market, curious to see how many people would still use them if given a chance.....almost any automatic can be a sudssaver.....but it may require some user input.... I rather re-use hot wash water than wash a single load in COLD water only by an automatic......talk about an EWWWWW factor! the biggest thing talked about today is grey water re-use/repurpose......just another form of suds saving... people are even setting up huge barrels under their downspouts to repurpose rain water.... | ||
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Post# 830416 , Reply# 6 7/2/2015 at 05:30 (3,219 days old) by Frigilux (The Minnesota Prairie) |
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I grew up with a suds-saving 1960 Kenmore (Model 80) so reusing wash water seems perfectly normal to me. Obviously one wouldn't reuse water from a load of diapers or filthy household rugs. As noted by others, my mom would also wash the first load in hot water. As most of our laundry was lightly soiled, she'd sometimes do three loads with the same wash water. We were never sick and clothes were very clean.
Suds-savers made washers HE decades before the term came into general use. | ||
| Post# 830423 , Reply# 7 7/2/2015 at 06:22 (3,218 days old) by arbilab (Ft Worth TX (Ridglea)) | ||
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HE decades before the term.......
Also meant Hardly Effective.
Even Grandma (SW PA) eventually scrapped the Easy for a full auto. By then it was down to only her and in her 70s deserved to have things easier, short of having someone come in and do it. I'm almost her age now. But the twinnie is still practical for me. Yeh it takes a 3-hour committment every couple weeks. But to get the job done right in the coinops downstairs would take the same time and cost much more, running 2 or more cycles each. Then paying double for the dryer, as coinop Maytags don't spin worth flop. | ||
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Post# 830436 , Reply# 8 7/2/2015 at 08:29 (3,218 days old) by Yogitunes (New Jersey) |
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theres a bunch of variables, and areas of concern for many people of how they would save resources....and an automatic washer is a big one.....its just a matter of people's perspectives...
from the amount of water, to heating it, to disposing of it...... many times, these factors can change your whole perspective of considering a sudssaver machine, or a HE version..... there are people who have no choice, but to use what is given them, or their options...... and I don't want to leave it just to homeowners, renters too, any extra cost is figured into your rent.......but if you had to pay for water, or sewer seperately.....you would be looking for ways to conserve as much as possible..... its Summer, does your A/C recirculate interior air?, or pull in fresh from outside, cool it, blow it through the house, and then exhaust it back outside.....funny how people will consider one thing, but not another.... I know when we rented, if your water consumption went over the allotted amount, you were charged more for it.....people tend to think if its part of the rent, they abuse the heck out of it, mind you, that is factored in..... any time you have your septic pumped out, the guy always ask if you have an automatic washer?, and is it directed someplace else?.....automatics, especially traditional TLers, will kill a septic tank....and cause you to have it pumped more frequently.....but its your money, spend it like there is no tomorrow... I learned long ago from JohnL, to line up three machines, having one pump into the other.....start out with lights, darks, and then dogs blankets or rags.....you pay a lot for that water and heating it, make it work for you! compare it to your car, and gas mileage....getting the most mileage from one gallon.......so, get the most mileage/use from a gallon of water!.... | ||
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Post# 830437 , Reply# 9 7/2/2015 at 08:36 (3,218 days old) by Yogitunes (New Jersey) |
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This is a great thread, by the way......
how many people here, suds save?......one way or another.....by machine?, or wringer/twintub?.....manual or automatic? ps....coin laundries are based on 'time and money'.....you wont always get the same results as a home machine.....shorter cycles and cooler temps, and especially short final spins....yeah, their not the greatest, just something you would use while on vacation or if your machine is broken....but as daily drivers, don't see that happening, not to mention what was washed in it before you! | ||
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Post# 830489 , Reply# 11 7/2/2015 at 14:17 (3,218 days old) by akronman (Akron/Cleveland Ohio) |
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Suds are great
I am a devotee of saving suds. Not for anything the dog was on, not for infant/diaper issues, but for nearly everything else, it's fine and does a great clean job.
I have 3 suds machines, I start with totally hot water and sheets/socks/undies in the Kenmore. When it discharges very hot sudsy water, I immediately suck it into the Maytag and do pants, jeans, heavy shirts, towels. When that discharges, I suck it into the GE Filter Flo and do a gentle cycle on dress shirts and work shirts, since by then the water is down to warm. EAch time I add a 1/3 dose more soap, eveything comes out wonderfully clean. With all the spray rinsing and deep rinsing, I do not feel there is an EWW ICK factor at all. If you only have one machine and the sudsy hot water sits in the draintub for around 20 minutes until the first load is rinsed and spun, it is a different story. Now your suds are around medium warm, maybe should only be used for the second load, no further. OR how much heat and cleanliness does a small throw rug or two need? Those don't exactly get the ultimate care at my house, just run 'em thru the laundry with any old soapy water around and throw them back on the floor. I almost never do a load of clothes without a second or third batch ready to go. But when I work on the car, and have greasy rags and clothes, when I spend half a day trying to get dog hair and dog bedding cleaned up around the house, that's a different story. Then EWW ICK for sure. GE Filter FLo, top speed, lots of soap, 15 minute wash, no saving those suds for anything. When I roll our the Easy SPin-Drier or Hoover Twinnie, I treat it the same way. Tons of normal clothing in the same water with some soap added when needed, then the LAST things that go in are the throw rugs or dog stuff. Very good thread, but there are folks who've never saved suds and just never will. | ||
| Post# 830495 , Reply# 12 7/2/2015 at 15:11 (3,218 days old) by Iheartmaytag (Wichita, Kansas) | ||
Several decades back
The magazine "Mother Earth News" had a DIY "water saver" you do to convert your washer.
What this system did was save the rinse water from the last load and re-use it as the wash water for the next load. When the wash drained a diverter would send the water to the drain and the rinse water would be diverted to a standing barrel for that purpose. They suggested instead of having the last water left standing after a "days wash" to use the saved water to water plants, thus preventing the water from becoming stagnant until the next wash day. I always wanted a system like this just to divert the rinse water for plant usage during the summer months, much like one would use a rain barrel. | ||
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Post# 830501 , Reply# 13 7/2/2015 at 15:39 (3,218 days old) by ovrphil (N.Atlanta / Georgia ) |
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We had a suds saver once. I think my mom used the suds for other than white and delicates, but I'm truly at a loss to remember that long ago those details. But I just wanted to mention, suds savers in the 50's and early 60's in our neighborhood weren't uncommon.
If you can make it work for you, as some of the posters here (Akronman, for example, you do well), then more power to you. We don't have a suds saver - no sink here, so I'd need another washer. Oh-oh. I might need to reconfigure the laundry room. No. No more projects right now. Good thread! | ||
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Post# 830502 , Reply# 14 7/2/2015 at 15:42 (3,218 days old) by slowspin66 (lincoln uk) |
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The UK washer with a suds saver
Here in the UK we are very well versed in saving hot water for re-use. The wringer and twin tub washers were the norm in the 1960s-1980s !!!!! A couple of years ago i was very very lucky to find a semi automatic top loader with a suds saving feature. The parnall spin washer is a rare find today not sure why. However this machine has a suds saving tank in the lower part of the machine along with a heater which you can re heat the water if its dropped the temperature. The Spin washer is semi automatic so you remain in control of the wash rinse and spin time. Really nice little machine and great fun. . Darren
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Post# 830517 , Reply# 15 7/2/2015 at 17:52 (3,218 days old) by Launderess (Quiet Please, There´s a Lady on Stage) |
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Random findings from a Web search on "suds saving" washing machines:
news.google.com/newspapersQUESTI... articles.chicagotribune.com/2009-... answers.yahoo.com/question/index... www.ibiblio.org/london/alternativ... | ||
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Post# 830532 , Reply# 16 7/2/2015 at 19:57 (3,218 days old) by Launderess (Quiet Please, There´s a Lady on Stage) |
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Reusing Rinse Water | ||
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Post# 830537 , Reply# 17 7/2/2015 at 21:40 (3,218 days old) by Yogitunes (New Jersey) |
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this guy has a cool idea.....and can give you some ideas, yet stay on this same principle....
machine pumps water up, and gravity feed it back to your washer....of course may have to be monitored if you just want the wash water only saved.....but its still a good concept and depending on your setup, this could be placed on the machine, or a stand next to it......basically its something you could do with your own ideas.....a raised laundry tub would work as well.....add in a few hoses, and maybe an overflow for safety....and your set... | ||
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Post# 830562 , Reply# 18 7/3/2015 at 06:59 (3,217 days old) by Tomturbomatic (Beltsville, MD) |
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During some severe droughts in years past when I was using toploaders, I used a submersible pump in a 30 gallon trash container to pump rinse water out through an unused dryer vent and onto various places in the yard. | ||
| Post# 830578 , Reply# 19 7/3/2015 at 09:35 (3,217 days old) by spiraclean (UK) | ||
A year or so ago I had a twin tub, and found suds saving to be an absolute must. Draining and refilling the washtub for each load would negate all the speed and economy benefits these machines were designed for; you're involved in the process quite enough enough as it is, and the last thing you want to be doing is needlessly turning the whole thing into an all-day event.
The method that worked best for me was as follows: 1. Fill washtub with hot water, heat to boiling, wash sturdy whites. 2. Spin back the suds, top up with cold water, wash regular whites. 3. Spin back the suds, top up with cold water, wash denim jeans. 4. Drain washtub and refill with hot water, heat to 60°C, wash sturdy colours. 5. Spin back the suds, top up with cold water, wash regular colours. 6. Spin back the suds, top up with cold water, wash delicates. By carrying out the wash in this order, each fill was heated only once. Topping up with a little cold water each time, to make up the 1/2" or so shortfall in the water level after spinning back the suds, resulted in exactly the right temperature for the next load. Of course, a little extra detergent was added for each load, and you could use your own judgement to determine whether the wash water was OK to use again or needed to be dumped. Generally I could do three loads per fill; this varied depending on what was being washed, and whether it was lightly or heavily soiled. Either way, everything came out perfectly clean, nothing ever discoloured or turned dingy, and clothes smelled fresh after drying with no funkiness. | ||
| Post# 830602 , Reply# 20 7/3/2015 at 15:59 (3,217 days old) by LordKenmore (The Laundry Room) | ||
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>this guy has a cool idea.....and can give you some ideas, yet stay on this same principle....
It is an interesting system that guy has. I don't think I'd want to copy it exactly. I don't think I'd want the tank standing on the washer like he has. But the idea of having the tank higher like that so no pump is needed is not a bad idea. I remember considering the idea of getting creative to create my one suds saver device once, using an existing laundry tub, and the sticking point was the pump. I talked with someone at my local Ace Hardware, and he said he thought a pump would be expensive, and--predictably--then told me about the wonders of his new front load washer, which uses hardly any water... | ||
| Post# 830604 , Reply# 21 7/3/2015 at 16:06 (3,217 days old) by LordKenmore (The Laundry Room) | ||
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I also like the idea of various grey water type systems, with rinse water being used in the yard. It's something I'd consider doing if I were ever in a situation where I had stuff that needed watering in the yard. Although it's my profound hope to avoid any yard that needs maintenance. I am very intrigued by an approach of having a yard of hardy, native type plants that basically can be left alone, and survive.
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| Post# 830613 , Reply# 23 7/3/2015 at 17:09 (3,217 days old) by LordKenmore (The Laundry Room) | ||
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I've used one water saving tactic sometimes. I'll mention it, but first the disclaimer: if trying this, do this with intelligence and care, and at your own risk, etc, etc.
Protect my rear disclaimers aside--isn't our litigous society so wonderful?--here's the system: -Start washing a load as normal. One keep in mind that water will be saved, so light colors first, less dirty first, etc is good practice. -Pause the washer before drain. -Unload the load. Be careful to store it someplace clean (I have a clean big bucket I use for all sorts of laundry tasks.) Be careful not to drip on anything important (electrical stuff, the Oriental rug in your laundry room, etc.) -Reload the machine. Make sure that the load is appropriately sized for the water level, of course. -Reset the timer dial for another wash cycle When rinse time comes: -Last load washed is just left in the machine, and the machine is allowed to go through the cycle as normally (i.e. no pausing right before drain). -Then previous load(s) are reloaded (one at at time if more than one) for 1st spin/rinse/final spin. This is not as easy as suds saver, plus there are obvious risks. That said, while this is possibly more of a pain than is worth bothering with, there are times I find this helpful, particularly now that I'm back to a Shredmore. I don't like running lower water levels in it, and yet some loads are too small for a full tub of water. Thus, this way, I can get that small load washed, with a full tub of water, but no real waste of hot water. (There is a waste of water for the rinse, but since that is cold water by default, the only thing really being wasted is water.) | ||
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Post# 830769 , Reply# 24 7/5/2015 at 06:53 (3,215 days old) by polkanut (Wausau, WI ) |
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 Having been raised in a household that started out with a 1967 GE Filter-Flo washer with suds-saver & matching dryer, then a 1983 GE Filter Flo w/ suds-saver, and now a 1997 Maytag Dependable Care w/ suds-saver I can honestly say that in all of my nearly 46 years I've never given the "Ick" factor much thought. When my wife & I got married in 1998 we received our Maytag Dependable Care washer & dryer set as a gift from my parents. We had decided that we also wanted a suds-saver machine.
With both of us growing up in households where saving the wash water was the norm it was a bit of a no-brainer for us. We also line dry alot of our laundry in summer, and have received numerous compliments on how white and bright everything looks. While we are on city water & sewer we don't want a bill that's sky high either. So for us, it's just a part of everyday life. | ||
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