|
Thread Number: 61226
/ Tag: Modern Automatic Washers
benefits of long wash cycles |
[Down to Last] |  |
|
Post# 838830 , Reply# 1 8/31/2015 at 13:06 (3,154 days old) by Frigilux  (The Minnesota Prairie) |
||
Funny you should mention this. Big loads of heavily-stained kitchen whites are washed on my Frigidaire's Sanitize cycle. When set to the Max Soil option, the wash tumble time is 70 minutes. It's a testament to the gentle treatment fabrics get in a front-loader that these loads show almost no wear, despite being subjected to the cycle every week.
Lately, I've been wondering if an overnight soak with Biz (or other oxi-type product) and a shorter wash would produce the same outstanding results. I plan to find out this weekend when I'm home and can do a little monitoring/experimenting. Benefits of Sanitize Cycle: 1) It provides a 'profile wash.' The water is gradually heated, and then held at 151 degrees. This allows each type of stain to be removed at the ideal water temperature from warm to very hot. It also gives today's detergents, with their cocktail of enzymes, plenty of time to work. 2) No extra water or laundry product is required for a soak or prewash (or both). Of course front-loaders use so little water per fill this is certainly not a deal-breaker. Benefits of Long Soak With Shorter Wash: 1) Less wear and tear on washer. It isn't tumbling for 70 minutes just for the wash cycle. Having said that, I've run two to four Sanitize cycles per week for five years and the Frigidaire has never grumbled---and I wash huge, heavy loads of bath towels on that cycle. 2) Energy savings? Possibly, but not by much. While the washer isn't running for the extra 50 minutes (compared to a regular wash cycle), the savings in electricity is probably offset by the cost of heating the extra water for the soak/prewash. Some people soak in cold water, but products like Biz work better at warmer temps---and the water will gradually cool to room temp during a long soak, anyway. My mom was an avid overnight soaker. All whites went into the suds-saving side of the laundry sink. In the morning, she'd drain the water, then stack the sopping wet clothes in sorted loads in the sink on the left. Then she'd fire up the Kenmore and the rest of the laundering process proceeded from there. She almost always used the suds-saver for a second or even third load (if the previous loads had been lightly soiled). We were an HE household back in the early 1960s, LOL. | ||
|
Post# 838833 , Reply# 2 8/31/2015 at 13:48 (3,154 days old) by foraloysius (Leeuwarden, Friesland, the Netherlands) |
||
 | ||
|
Post# 838892 , Reply# 3 8/31/2015 at 19:56 (3,154 days old) by appnut (TX) |
||
 Being a former topload owner, I hope I never go back. I don't have to soak any longer. I just set the controls for either Allergene cycle (130 degrees) or Sanitize (155) and option such that it gradually heats the water form luke warm to either of those two temperatures and adds steam. Laundry is so much easier now and I don't have to look for and pretreat stains or presoak either. I'll never go back to antiquated washing processes. Some of my kitchen towels and napkins sit for up to a month or more. Tide with bleach alternative HE and that's it. I may add a bit of Biz if it's extremely difficult stains. | ||
| Post# 838977 , Reply# 4 9/1/2015 at 08:27 (3,153 days old) by maylingsmom () | ||
|
Are any of you aware of research that supports long washes being better than a soak? I do both but wondered. | ||
|
Post# 838992 , Reply# 6 9/1/2015 at 10:34 (3,153 days old) by kb0nes (Burnsville, MN) |
||
Clearly adding the mechanical action of tumbling the clothing would improve the effectiveness of the cleaning process. I can't see any reason that one would assume that an extended wash cycle wouldn't outperform a shorter cycle + a soak if the total times were similar.
The only drawback would be the extra wear and tear on the garments. | ||
|
Post# 839786 , Reply# 9 9/6/2015 at 00:00 (3,149 days old) by wayupnorth (On a lake between Bangor and Bar Harbor, Maine) |
||
 | ||
| Post# 839821 , Reply# 10 9/6/2015 at 08:48 (3,148 days old) by pierreandreply4 (St-Bruno de montarville (province of quebec) canada) | ||
full waste of energy
to me thats a full wastes of energy for me putting a washer on 10 minutes is more than engough for wash time 14 if i need more time but for smaller load i would put the washer on 6 minute wash time it would be perfect in other word a good old fashion top load saves energy and do not waste it at least for me thats my line of toughs but if i had 15 minutes 9 and 6 like on this dial pic i would set it to 9 minutes 15 if needed but 18 minutes would be only if i would require to do an all night soak
View Full Size
| ||
| Post# 839827 , Reply# 11 9/6/2015 at 09:31 (3,148 days old) by electron1100 (England) | ||
Infinite Soak Time
The very first Hoover computer control 1100 had a special mixed wash program, where by it would tumble and heat the clothes to 40o and then stop and tumble the load once an hour until you selected one of the rinse cycles.
So you could leave your items in soak overnight and then select rinse in the morning and finish the load. Gary | ||
| Post# 839866 , Reply# 12 9/6/2015 at 18:18 (3,148 days old) by mamapinky (blairsville pa) | ||
|
I wouldn't think 10 minutes would be enough time for enzymes or sodium percarbonate to do its job. Cheryl | ||
| Post# 839882 , Reply# 13 9/6/2015 at 20:11 (3,148 days old) by pierreandreply4 (St-Bruno de montarville (province of quebec) canada) | ||
|
in my case i do not use such products
Well inmy case i do not use such products and if it was not for the poor washer that i have today aka duet washer that i can't even have keep the cold water wash setting i would always wash in cold water the set picture was the set my mom and me had from 1993 to 2004 before trying the duet washer that i hate it was the best to me if it was not for the washer agitator breaking my mom and me would still have this set today
View Full Size
| ||
| Post# 839976 , Reply# 14 9/7/2015 at 08:17 (3,147 days old) by mamapinky (blairsville pa) | ||
|
You wash in cold? And no enzymes? Pass the smelling salts please. | ||
| Post# 839981 , Reply# 15 9/7/2015 at 09:18 (3,147 days old) by pierreandreply4 (St-Bruno de montarville (province of quebec) canada) | ||
|
| ||
|
Post# 839982 , Reply# 16 9/7/2015 at 09:20 (3,147 days old) by foraloysius (Leeuwarden, Friesland, the Netherlands) |
||
|
| ||
| Post# 840020 , Reply# 17 9/7/2015 at 13:31 (3,147 days old) by pierreandreply4 (St-Bruno de montarville (province of quebec) canada) | ||
|
sunlight with no phosphate and in the country i lived in enzyme detergents where eliminated years ago and i do not even use bleach because all the clothes i have are non bleachable including bedding if i use bleach its very rare
View Full Size
| ||
|
Post# 840038 , Reply# 18 9/7/2015 at 14:47 (3,147 days old) by Launderess (Quiet Please, There´s a Lady on Stage) |
||
We've been through this before
One or more shorter washes give vastly better results than a single long one. This has been known going back to days when laundry was done in tubs by hand.
Commercial laundries (the best of them anyway) long have had several changes of water. This accounts for often why their whites and colors look so "bright". Soaps and or detergents have a finite ability to keep soils suspended and away from fabrics. Long washing and or soaking times does nothing but allow removed soils to resettle back onto washing. Have scores of sources going back to the early part of the last century for both domestic and commercial laundry practice that advise not to subject laundry to long soaking and or wash times. This being as it may there are reasons for long cycles but they involve laundry that has been prewashed/soaked. That is if you want to soak out stains using say oxygen bleach or whatever things are first washed, then soaked. Ditto if you want to boil wash in a machine. Long story short you don't wash in mucky water. One reason why persons use long cycles is the reluctance for a host of reasons to discard hot or boiling water. In a commercial setting is does seem wasteful to discard hot water after just a ten or so minute wash cycle only to refill with yet more water of a similar temperature for another cycle; but there you are. Only other reason for long wash and or soak cycles comes from the introduction of enzyme products. There yes, since the creatures are living they will continue to digest soils/stains long as there is something for them to feed upon and under proper conditions. You'll notice many commercial laundries either do not use enzyme products routinely and or require programming of special cycles. That is because the often short wash cycles really do not permit enough time for the things do their job. Indeed anyone who has used a laundromat washer may notice their enzyme packed products don't give the results expected. | ||
| Post# 840064 , Reply# 19 9/7/2015 at 16:09 (3,147 days old) by mrb627 (Buford, GA) | ||
Prewash | ||
|
Post# 840068 , Reply# 20 9/7/2015 at 16:14 (3,147 days old) by Launderess (Quiet Please, There´s a Lady on Stage) |
||
|
Sometimes It Still Remains
But called under another name.
Miele washers sold in the USA have "heavy soil" option which adds a prewash before the main cycle. In general one feels prewash cycles are going because most Amercians and others such as in Western Europe simply do not produce grossly dirty laundry. Even children today are less apt to come home covered in mud/crud and dirt as in times past. | ||
| Post# 840070 , Reply# 21 9/7/2015 at 16:30 (3,147 days old) by pierreandreply4 (St-Bruno de montarville (province of quebec) canada) | ||
|
just answer this question very simple?
What will you do if the next generations of washers where only 2 water temp warm water cold rinse and cold water cold rinse tand that they eliminated the hot water wash temp like they eliminated the warm rinse washer control is pic number 2 and pic number3 and also i think eliminating true warm rinse from washers of today was a mistake because sometime when i do laundry i must restart the washer 1:04 minute counting extra rinse to make sure the warm water eliminates all suds before the cold rinse steps in?
| ||
|
Post# 1200618 , Reply# 26 3/2/2024 at 12:59 by Launderess (Quiet Please, There´s a Lady on Stage) |
||
|
Good to see Mr. Daniel Shepard still out and about, and his company "CanDo Laundry" is prospering.
At just 19 years old Mr. Shepard founded CanDo laundry and it has been a love life's work ever since. candolaundryservices.co.uk/great... www.stephenkinnock.co.uk/... | ||
| Forum Index: |
| Other Forums: |
|
|
|
|
|
Comes to the Rescue!
;){kind=link}
;){kind=link}