Thread Number: 13578
A & H non-HE powdered detergent in an Epic FL - OK? |
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Post# 234627 , Reply# 4   9/2/2007 at 20:33 (6,051 days old) by frigilux (The Minnesota Prairie)   |   | |
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HE detergents are formulated to control sudsing, suspend soils in small amounts of water, and keep dyes from transferring in small amounts of water. Having said that, I used (and still use, sometimes) regular detergents in my frontloaders for years with no detrimental effects, including two FrigiLux machines. Use up your Arm & Hammer, then give a top-grade HE detergent a try and see what you think of it. I'd highly recommend SA8 With Bioquest® (Quixtar.com), Tide HE (powder) or Gain HE (liquid). You may find you get better results using HE detergents in your low water-use frontloader. |
Post# 234636 , Reply# 5   9/2/2007 at 21:48 (6,051 days old) by pulsator (Saint Joseph, MI)   |   | |
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I was under the impression that regular detergents were only designed to suspend soil for a maximum of about 15 minutes? Then they wear off and the soil settles again? Since most high efficiency washers have to wash for a longer period of time than 15 minutes, wouldn't this make them somewhat if not greatly less effective? I personally have found Persil powder and Tide HE powder to work best in FL washers, I haven't really experimented with a great number of detergents though, but I don't think I'd use any detergent that is not designed for high efficiency machines in a high efficiency machine. That being said, I also hate it when people use HE detergents in a regular toploader! I know so many people who do it insisting it makes their machines HE... There should always be a certain amount of suds in the wash, and there are different detergents for different kinds of machines. I generally stick to about an inch of suds as just right for me. No matter what kind of machine I'm using, I just have to match the right soap with the right washer and voila! Just right suds!!!
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Post# 234642 , Reply# 6   9/2/2007 at 22:22 (6,051 days old) by mayken4now (Panama City, Florida)   |   | |
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Post# 234761 , Reply# 7   9/3/2007 at 16:53 (6,050 days old) by launderess (Quiet Please, There´s a Lady on Stage)   |   | |
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All that is required of an detergent for front loading washing machines is that it be low sudsing enough not to create excess foam at dosages required to get laundry clean (cushions laundry and harms washing action), and that it be easily rinsed in low water conditions regardless of dosage. All detergents sold in North American today "HE" or not keep dyes and colours from bleeding (to an extent) and prevent dye transfer). Or at least the TOL versions including many detergents made for coloured items such as Cheer. The problem is when one uses a traditional high foaming detergent (refered to also as "high dilution", because they are meant to be used in top loading washing machines where due to water levels they will be diluted greatly), is that by reducing detergent dosage low enough not to cause foaming, one will not reach the required concentration of detergent to water ratio that will not only clean washing, but keep removed soils/oils in suspension and washed down the drain. If one or both parts of the this washing process are not followed laundry is not "clean" of all stains/soils, and or will turn dingy "tattle-tale" grey. The other problem concerns the washing machine itself, which is that surfaces in contact with the poor wash water will eventually build up layers of biofilm/crud from the oils/soils that were not kept in suspension. This leads to mould and mildew growth inside the machine. Finally there is also the problem that high dilution detergents when used within a front loader may not totally disperse and leave residues not only inside the machine, but on the laundry as well. Arm*Hammer detergent powder is known to be some what low sudsing, but that is also because it is rather high on washing soda and baking soda. Both of which clean laundry well enough, but when I tried A&H powder, found it left my towels stiff and scratchy. Never bothered with the stuff again. As for front loaders and sudsing effecting the seals, yes: on some machines repeated excess foaming will work it's way into the seals and cause them to fail. Commercial laundromat machines get around this problem (ever see anyone use "HE" detergent at a laundromat?), because the bearings/seals on those machines are designed for easy replacement. Something not true for most domestic front loaders. Posted awhile back that detergents have a finite active period time. That is when the chemistry of a particular formula is designed, it is done so under the assumption that the product will be used in a particular type or types of machine. For instance Tide like most American detergents is rather aggressive, but designed to work best in the rather short (15 minutes or so max) wash cycles for American top loaders. European laundry detergnents, which by the way are most always for front loaders unless specified otherwise, thus no "HE"; are meant to work in the long boil washing/wash cycles of their domestic washing machines. Many European detergent makers have come out with new formulas for "short cycles" in response to demands for shorter cycles that have been popping up on many European washing machines, but still what those machines consider "short" are likely to be longer than the standard American wash cycle. |