Thread Number: 1142
The Wash & Wear Cycle
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Post# 55371   1/30/2005 at 23:01 (6,996 days old) by Unimatic1140 (Minneapolis)        

unimatic1140's profile picture
Well the new turquoise '64 Kenmore washer works fine except for the fact the pump is noisy and slow and needs to be replaced. The transmission was changed to a later splined version at some point and the spin tube and brake assembly was also changed to the post 1971 fast-brake version. I’m surprised with all that work that the machine still has its original 1964 aluminum pump.

It was fun to use the Wash & Wear cycle, I haven’t seen this for over 20 years. During the cool down cycle the washer drains at low speed and when the water level switch is tripped back to the empty mode (about ½ drained) the washer stops and fills back up with cold water, then when the full water level is reached the washer drains ½ way again and the process is repeated. Our Kenmore from ‘68 would agitate on low speed during the refill process, but this machine simply fills. I’ve seen Whirlpool washers that would just fill without doing any low agitation too, so I’m sure they must have experimented with the cool down cycle throughout the years.

Here are a few live shots of the Wash & Wear cycle and the results...


CLICK HERE TO GO TO Unimatic1140's LINK





Post# 55372 , Reply# 1   1/30/2005 at 23:50 (6,996 days old) by arrrooohhh (Sydney Australia)        

YAY!

Looks like a real nifty little machine :)


Post# 55373 , Reply# 2   1/31/2005 at 00:01 (6,996 days old) by glenn ()        

I have a 65 Kenmore, and I have always loved the Wash& Wear Cycle. It is a shame they did away with it. I believe it was a great kenmore feature.
Great machine you have there.


Post# 55383 , Reply# 3   1/31/2005 at 06:52 (6,995 days old) by kenmore1978 ()        
Wash & Wear/Permanent Press Cycle

So when did KM do away with the W&W/Permanent Press cycle? My '78 still had it.

Robert, were the clothes that you ran through the W & W cycle on the KM actually Perm Press clothes? If not they're going to be wrinkles at least a little, and I imagine a LOT more wrinkled if run through the Normal cycle.

I don't if people know that there was a difference between "Wash & Wear" and "Permanent Press" clothing. The original Wash & Wear clothing was made from cloth that was treated with the non-wrinkle finish BEFORE the clothes were assembled. This caused puckering at the seams. The non-wrinkle finish for the later Permanent Press clothing was applied AFTER the article of clothing was assembled. This worked much better, though still often not good enough for the perfectionists among us.


Post# 55403 , Reply# 4   1/31/2005 at 08:52 (6,995 days old) by Unimatic1140 (Minneapolis)        

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I have no idea if those clothes were "perm press clothes" they don't use that term anymore. But my point was you can cool the clothes down, then spin them slowly or you can wash them in hot water and spin the at 1140. It doesn't matter if the clothes come out of the washer wrinkled, its how they come out of the dryer that counts. The dryer will remove 95% of the wrinkles of most clothes no matter how they were washed. I think the Wash & Wear and PP cycles had there place 35 years ago for people who hung clothes on the line, but if you are using a dryer (and do not overload it) its unecssary.

Post# 55408 , Reply# 5   1/31/2005 at 09:11 (6,995 days old) by Jmm63 (Denville, NJ)        

jmm63's profile picture
I remember our 69 Kenmore 800 had a cool P/P cycle too. It would wash at regular speed and then switch to slow speed for the last 4 minutes of wash time. Then it would drain 1/2 way, pause, then slow agitate and fill with cold water, drain again, spin with 4 spray rinses, and then fill for the final rinse. Water usage sure wasn't a concern back then! :)

Post# 55419 , Reply# 6   1/31/2005 at 09:37 (6,995 days old) by frigilux (The Minnesota Prairie)        

frigilux's profile picture
Our 1960 Model 80 Kenmore's Wash 'n' Wear cycle was a little different than yours, Uni. The Sturdy Wash 'n' Wear cycle provided 4 minutes of fast, then 4 minutes slow agitation. The wash water temp was called 'medium' (halfway between warm and hot) The cool-down portion filled and drained 4 times (a waste of water, frankly). Even after 4 fill/drains, the water at the opposite side of the tub from the fill tube was still warm, as there was no agitation to move the cooled water around.

The Delicate Wash 'n' Wear cycle provided 4 minutes slow agitation and then the fill/drain cool-down. The wash water temp was warm.



Post# 55425 , Reply# 7   1/31/2005 at 10:33 (6,995 days old) by coldspot66 (Plymouth, Mass)        

I recall reading a late 50's or early 60's Consumers Report magazine that stated a "very thirsty" wash'n wear cycle on the Kenmore washer. Our '64 LK alphabet washer did the alternating drain, fill & agitate at slow speed for 4 timer increments. I think the original wash 'n wear cycle just filled & drained at high speed without agitation for 1 timer increment. I agree with Robert that the PP cycle has outlived its' usefulness, since most ppl tumble dryer everything.

Post# 55453 , Reply# 8   1/31/2005 at 14:04 (6,995 days old) by lesto (Atlanta)        

I hadn't realized Kenmore had so many versions of the wash n wear cycle. I was only familiar with the one on this new 64 of Robert's where there is only cold fill and partil drain but no agitation and a later version like on the 72 LK with the slow agitation during the cool down fill. Sounds like the cycle varied quite a bit over the years from model to model.

Post# 55458 , Reply# 9   1/31/2005 at 14:58 (6,995 days old) by cybrvanr ()        

Reading this thread has shed a lot of light on mysterious "Permanant Press" cycle that seems to be on just about every washer these days. I practically live in Dickie's work pants that are a 50/50 cotton. The label says to machine wash warm on durable press cycle, which I figure is "Permanant Press"

I always thought the reason for this is becasue the pants had synthetic fibers in them, but from what I am reading here, the Permanant press fabrics like these pants are made of were treated with a special material to minimize wrinkling. So, the next question has to do with what happens when P.P. clothing is washed on a regular cycle. Do they just get a little wrinkled for that one time? Will the "Permanant Press" properties of the garment be permanantly damaged?

Lastly, I always wondered what was happening inside the machine. From what my Whirlpool does, it sounds like it drains half the tub and then refills with cold water, then agitates for another 4 minutes. My Danby washer appears to take the first rinse and halves the temprature for the next rinse. What purpose do these "cool down" cycles have on the clothes?

You all have already answered one question...what happens when non P.P. clothing is washed in the P.P. cycle. I always thought that it would reduce wrinkling, but it sounds like it will make it worse.


Post# 55459 , Reply# 10   1/31/2005 at 15:18 (6,995 days old) by Jetcone (Schenectady-Home of Calrods,Monitor Tops,Toroid Transformers)        
2 kinds of Permanent Press

jetcone's profile picture
There were two kinds of Permanent press, the treated fabric kind which was early and wore away over time and the woven synthetic kind which was usually polyester blended into a natural fiber in different ratios depending on who made it.
Wrinkles were set when the clothes went into spin and were hot or warm.
Also I was told in the day dirt would actually ahere on PP if the clothes were washed in hot water>I remember the early PP being very scratchy to wear and the later blended one being more comfortable but HOT !!!
When Mom bought her first set of PP sheets she thought she was "cooking with Gas"!! We were modern! But when i first tried them out and rolled over in bed i nearly about burned my knees off from the friction heating! HORRID STUFF! BURN IT!!

Nothing was better for rinsing than running the WP on PP cycle, just be sure you unplugged the water meter first!

Jet


Post# 55471 , Reply# 11   1/31/2005 at 16:01 (6,995 days old) by PeterH770 (Marietta, GA)        

peterh770's profile picture
While the WP/KM cooldowns are dramatic, I think the Frigidaire 1-18 used more water. Maybe we can get Robert to run the PP cycle on his new 1-18 and give us his impressions...

Post# 55473 , Reply# 12   1/31/2005 at 16:02 (6,995 days old) by scott55405 ()        

Frigilux, is that the machine with the colored squares with the alphabet cycles across the panel, the glass timer dial and the water saver toggle switch on the side? Waterfall lint filter? That's another of my favorites!

Post# 55474 , Reply# 13   1/31/2005 at 16:04 (6,995 days old) by bpetersxx (laf in on the banks of the Wabash River)        

bpetersxx's profile picture
Our sears 1960 model worked like roberts 64 it just filled with cold water.

Our sears 1984 TOL agitated for 1 minute and drained,then spinned
low speed

Maytag 806 and 606 agitated for 1 minute but my 308 fills and then SD

correct this as I get more info about vintage washer on this site
from everbody than i could get anywhere else


Post# 55483 , Reply# 14   1/31/2005 at 16:52 (6,995 days old) by DADoES (TX, U.S. of A.)        

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Whirlpool's Knit Cycle, at least for a while, had a 1-stage cool down (one partial drain, refill, 2 mins agitate), while Perm Press had a 2-stage cool down. The replacement timer for our 1976 Supreme 80 had Prem Press reprogrammed with a 1-stage cool down. I think the extra space on the dial was used for a 4-min agitate instead of 2-min, and the drain period had an extra 2-min pause. Interesting that Knit on the replacement timer also still had the 1-stage cool down.

My F&P GWL08 does a full drain, then cold refill and agitate. My IWL12 does the same, but the Creasables option on it *also* increases the water level for more 'float space' to the wash.


Post# 55500 , Reply# 15   1/31/2005 at 19:22 (6,995 days old) by david (CA)        
From my Reading....

Wash and Wear clothing was introduced in 1955 while "permanent press" was introduced in 1965. I did not see any machines offering pp cycles until 1967, however. Our midline 1967 Westinghouse electric dryer had a wash n' wear cycle with an end of cycle cooldown. No pp on this one. Additionally, it was one of the last dryers I saw that didn't have a push to start button. You could hold the trip switch down inside the door and watch the fun begin even see the glow of the element back behind the drum. I may have seen a commecial about when these wnw and pp were introduced. Seems like a GE washer commercial in a magazine.

Post# 55509 , Reply# 16   1/31/2005 at 19:55 (6,995 days old) by coldspot66 (Plymouth, Mass)        

Kenmore introduced a Wash'n Wear cycle in 1958 on the washer; prolly on TOL models, according to "Kenmore Firsts" in one of the 60's catalogs.

Post# 55519 , Reply# 17   1/31/2005 at 21:28 (6,995 days old) by veg-o-matic (Baltimore, Hon!)        
Horrors!

veg-o-matic's profile picture
I'm going to come out and admit it: I NEVER used the permanent press cycle. Well, maybe once, but since it didn't make any difference (other than taking longer), I stuck with Normal. Now Gentle, on the other hand, that's another story. Need that in a TL when you do sweaters and stuff.
Never used it on my Frigidaire FL, though.
Come to think of it, I only use the Normal cycle on the dishwasher, too. Guess I'm just a simple fella.

veg, the simpleton


Post# 55529 , Reply# 18   1/31/2005 at 22:54 (6,995 days old) by appnut (TX)        

appnut's profile picture
Sears did a sort of transition that had both WW and PP names on the cycle for that use for a while. I also saw 1959/1960 alphabet Kenmore and a Model 70 that did the normal then gentle agitatino during the wash cycles for study & delicate wnw. then, it drained partially on high and filled iwth cold water and it was repeated 3-5 times. I had this reconfirmed as late as 1970 when visiting Dallas.

Our 1964 Norge had a durable press button that filled with hot water. I had to let it fill with a warm water cycle and then push the DP button (3%) after filling.

I used the PP cycle on our 1971 Kenmore 800 quite a bit.

I used the PP cycle of did a manual cool down with all my hangable stuff since it was all washed on delicate. Meaning I always caught it as it was draing after the wash and when I heaerd the water level switch click, I'd stop, turn the dial around to 4 minute wash and fill with cold water.

Since joining the club and aid by certain people, I don't do any of that any more. And I now even spin all this stuff out on normal spin speed. And it's rare I use a cold rinse anymore either since most of my stuff is wrinkle-free cotton. The dryer does it all.


Post# 55534 , Reply# 19   12/31/2069 at 18:00 (19,810 days old) by Launderess (Quiet Please, There´s a Lady on Stage)        

launderess's profile picture
Most if not all European FL's that do "boil" washes have some sort of cool down phase before spinning. This prevents set in wrinkles. But wash water temp has to be brought down gradually to prevent textile shock.

Some washers will drain the hot water from the tub and replace it with cold water in several batches. Others remove the hot water but have several fill/tumble/drain cycles where cold or warm water is added to gradually bring down temps.

Personally believe items washed in hot or super hot water should be rinsed in warm with perhaps the final deep rinse in cool/cold.

Remember to back in the days of laundry "soap", warm rinses were needed to get all the soap out of the laundry. Sudden drop in water temp would cause textile fibers to constrict and hold onto soap. Of course modern detergents do not suffer from this problem.

Launderess-+





Post# 55547 , Reply# 20   2/1/2005 at 07:21 (6,994 days old) by Gyrafoam (Wytheville, VA)        

I also admit that I never use the PP or WW when provided. I think most wrinkles are set by leaving the clothes in the washer for a prolonged period of time after it has finnished its cycle. However, I almost always use a cold rinse. I have read that if the cold rinse water temperature falls too low, then the rinse is not as effective as a warm water rinse, but I have had no problem rinsing out the Fab detergent I currently use. I do remember (during a "back to nature" phase of my life) that one had to use a warm rinse to effectivly remove laundry SOAP from clothes. I was using "Ivory Snow" and it left a "high water" ring around the tub and agitator even WITH a warm rinse. Some of those old machines had hot spray rinses, such as Robert's Wizard because of the need to rinse away soap scum.

Post# 55562 , Reply# 21   2/1/2005 at 08:50 (6,994 days old) by frigilux (The Minnesota Prairie)        

frigilux's profile picture
Scott55405--- the 1960 Model 80 had one-touch multi-colored pushbuttons. There was no cycle dial. The rhythmic clickety-clacking sound it made as the cycle set up is what I miss most about it. I wish I still had the owners manual so we could scan it. It was a very cool machine. There was a hot-water saver toggle switch on the side, which reduced medium temp water to warm, and warm water to cold. It had the waterfall lint filter and a timed bleach/fabric softener dispenser, as well as a tub light. Oh, and a 100-decibel out-of-balance buzzer (at least it seemed that way).

It was a machine that required quite a few service calls over the years (although I suspect my mom was having an affair with LeRoy, the serviceman) but it was pretty high-tech for it's day.


Post# 55578 , Reply# 22   2/1/2005 at 11:29 (6,994 days old) by scott55405 ()        

Frigilux, I'm familiar with the model you're talking about too. There was one at the 2002 convention. Save for the buttons and timer dial, it's not too different appearance-wise from the one I was thinking of, which was probably a step or two lower. Sounds like a fun machine!

Remembering machines like that now almost seems surreal when you think of what we have today...good thing collectors still have some around, or one might be tempted to wonder if it all really happened or was it just a dream!


Post# 55634 , Reply# 23   2/1/2005 at 19:37 (6,994 days old) by david (CA)        
Yes, Yes, Yes!

Yes Frigilux, I remember that machine-An aunt of mine had one in Rancho Cordova outside Sacremento(I have coast to coast relatives). It was the coolest Kenmore I ever saw. I believe it had a console lamp and a light inside the tub with white porcelain and a "scrubber cap". What a beauty, I thought. And it clickety-clacked the buttons on start-up(I accidentally started it up once) Thank God Aunt Marj was not the fly off the handle type. We washed daily the diapers of firstborn Robby, this was before the days of disposable diapers.

Post# 55665 , Reply# 24   2/2/2005 at 00:10 (6,994 days old) by kenmore1978 ()        
Principle of Wash & Wear and Permanent Press

The treatment the original Wash and Wear cloth got and the later Permanent Press finish completed items got was designed to relax and release wrinkles when warm and stiffen to resist wrinkling when cold. Hence, the cooldown before spinning, and the slow spin to further retard wrinkling. But it's true that the dryer had more to do with de-wrinkling W & W and PP clothes. The big difference there is the cooldown at the end of the drying period that allows the clothes to "stiffen" in an un-wrinkled state. So the washer cycle "helps" to prevent wrinkles, but as Robert says, the dryer is where the "magic" really happens.

Post# 55704 , Reply# 25   2/2/2005 at 09:02 (6,993 days old) by RE563 (Fort Worth, Texas)        

re563's profile picture
If you pull up "archive.org" and in the search bar type in "Whirlpool", this is a video about "wash N wear". Of course it feature the Whirlpool Imperial with a time line dial of that era. It's pretty cool to watch as they have a cut away machine going through the "Wash N Wear" cycle of the time, but none the less very similar to today's PP cycle. I have to agree with most of the post on this thread. With today's all cotton or mostly cotton fabric's of today the PP cycle is really obsoulete. Looking at today's washers, and Having an HE3 in my laundryroom, I have a cycle on mine called "normal/casual". It's really the PP cycle just re-named.

Post# 55713 , Reply# 26   2/2/2005 at 09:24 (6,993 days old) by agiflow ()        
Nice WP set

That WP set on the "archives.org" is absolutely beautiful.That was another design they should have kept longer.

Post# 55728 , Reply# 27   2/2/2005 at 11:23 (6,993 days old) by scott55405 ()        

I am downloading that movie now. That is the washer my great aunt had. I thought it was from about 1958. One of the east coast Whirlpool folks remembered it when I mentioned it once, but generally nobody remembers it because it was so short-lived, and ironically one of the most attractive machines they ever produced, one of those rare times they could have been almost on par with Sears. It was a neat machine. It replaced her 1948 Westinghouse Laundromat. She was still using the washer and the dryer that had matched the Laundromat at the time of her death in 1993.

Post# 55757 , Reply# 28   2/2/2005 at 16:08 (6,993 days old) by agiflow ()        

Yeah Scott,those were attractive designs WP had.The 52 Robert (Uni) has,the center timer dial that they produced for a few years and this timeline style model were IMHO some of the most beautifully designed washers WP ever made.Or anyone for that matter.


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