Steam & Washers

How a Steam Washer Works
In a washing machine, steam and water form a dynamic duo. Steam complements water in the cleaning process by keeping the fabrics soft and wrinkle-free. One patent filed by LG Electronics, the company that put out the first home steam washer, explains the different advantages that steam can offer when applied in three different stages of a washing machine cycle:

Pre-wash phase: While the water loads into the wash tub, the steam works with the water to help soak the fabrics more thoroughly.

During the washing phase: If added while the detergent is mixed with the water, the steam increases the temperature of the wash tub to improve the cleaning power, which also helps to activate the detergent. It does this by dissolving the detergent more effectively, to get the most out of it as possible.

Post-wash phase: Steam added after washing lends more high temperatures to the tub to sterilize the clothes. It also softens the clothes to remove hard wrinkles that formed while the clothes tossed in the tub.
The patent goes on to explain that when some fabrics get wet and hot, their very properties change. Although this state allows them to be thoroughly cleaned, it also means they may become hard and wrinkle. The penetrating steam post-wash phase counteracts this hardening.

LG Electronics
Allergen-busters: With high-temperature steam, special washing machines can break up pesky allergens.Washing machines can apply steam in a few different ways. Though some heat the water in the tub directly to create steam, other models utilize a steam generator that heats up water in a separate compartment. After converting the water to steam, the steam generator sends the steam through a tube to a nozzle. The nozzle subsequently releases pure steam into the tub. Which method works best may depend on the model and your needs. If your clothes have tough stains, perhaps you should read the fine print to find which model gets the hottest.

Often, steam washing machines have options to add steam to normal cycles, in addition to the special cycles that already incorporate steam. But the user isn't tied to steam washing, which is good given that steam lengthens the cycle. Kenmore sells a steam washer that incorporates a self-cleaning steam option. Though many people don't think about cleaning washers themselves, the user manual recommends running this cycle once a month.

LG offers certain washers that are specially designed for those with severe allergies. These machines use what they call an "Allergiene" cycle that uses steam to sanitize fabrics of such things as dust mites and pet dander [source: LG]. It can do this because the high temperatures of the steam break up allergens effectively.

Steam washing machines use less power and consume less water than conventional models. A little bit of water can produce a lot of steam, which expands to take up more volume. Steam washers, then, don't need as much energy to heat as many gallons of water as other models.


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Post# 379903 9/18/2009 at 17:23 (5,332 days old) by favorit ()
Checkrate/Likes What about those washers with the steam option ? Ok, can make out when steam is used to de-wrinkle as some dryers do (the case of V-Zug Adora washers) But when LG says that steam sanitizes even on 30°C/85°F cycles .... I really can't understand. The load is cold, saturated with 30°C water. Whatever hot is the steam, it condensates on the wet load. Maybe the temp increases by some degree, but that's not sanification. Maybe steam is used when the load is spun ? T.I.A. Carlo

Post# 379909 , Reply# 1 9/18/2009 at 18:07 (5,332 days old) by launderess (Quiet Please, There´s a Lady on Stage)
Checkrate/Likes *Steam For Cleaning Laundry* Is not a new idea. A Frenchman came up with the idea over one hundred years ago, and indeed one can find old "steam" washers on eBay and other places. Saturated steam under pressure "autoclaving" is used by hospitals and other places to sterlize everything from linens to instruments. However just using steam to "clean" laundry involves mainly using the wet heat properties of steam to cause textile fibers to open, loosening and releasing dirt and soils, all without using vast amounts of water, chemicals and mechanical action. The French idea was of particular interest in cleaning soiled linen (and by this we mean just that, textiles made from 100% linen), as that fiber is damaged by too much beating about. Sadly laundry in those days was done mainly via mechanical action and boiling, both of which shorten lifespan of linen. Condensation is part of the natural process for sterlizing when using saturated steam under pressure as mentioned above, and indeed sterlization will not occur without it. Basically what one wants is for the hot steam to turn back into water when coming into contact with whatever. As that water drains away it takes muck, dirt and so forth with it. Look at the commercials for steam cleaners that shoot out steam via a nozzle. By spraying an area with steam one shifts the soils and muck off the item not by steam itself, but by the action of the steam turning back into water as it comes into contact with the colder item. This is why one has to either have a vacuum function with such devices, or mop/wipe up whatever muck has been loosened via the steam. To be fair, merely laundering soiled laundry in water will "santitize" by virtue of removing germs and such from the textiles. Detergents and hotter water help as well. Granted the germs may be alive and well, suspended in the wash water and go down the drain, but they are off the laundry and it is now sanitary. Sanitary means the level of "germs" are reduced to a level not likely to cause infection. It is not the same as sterile.

Post# 380178 , Reply# 2 9/20/2009 at 07:53 (5,330 days old) by favorit ()
Checkrate/Likes *Thank you Launderess !* I'd say you need a monument .... here you are !! :-) This is Launderess's Monument in Pavia-Borgoticino (north-western Italy, close to Milan). Till 60 years ago many launderesses in this town worked on the Tessin/Ticino right bank. After boiling with ashes in big pots, they rinsed in the Tessin river Ps once I read about some special washing machines (having special bearings/doors/pipelines) capable to operate under pressure as if they were autoclaves. Do you know something more about them ? Thanks again Carlo

Post# 380325 , Reply# 3 9/21/2009 at 04:57 (5,329 days old) by alr2903 (TN)
Checkrate/Likes Favorit, how very nice, i like the picture. Thanks. arthur

Post# 380420 , Reply# 4 9/21/2009 at 12:49 (5,329 days old) by iheartmaytag (Wichita, Kansas)
Checkrate/Likes *From How stuff works* How a Steam Washer Works In a washing machine, steam and water form a dynamic duo. Steam complements water in the cleaning process by keeping the fabrics soft and wrinkle-free. One patent filed by LG Electronics, the company that put out the first home steam washer, explains the different advantages that steam can offer when applied in three different stages of a washing machine cycle: Pre-wash phase: While the water loads into the wash tub, the steam works with the water to help soak the fabrics more thoroughly. During the washing phase: If added while the detergent is mixed with the water, the steam increases the temperature of the wash tub to improve the cleaning power, which also helps to activate the detergent. It does this by dissolving the detergent more effectively, to get the most out of it as possible. Post-wash phase: Steam added after washing lends more high temperatures to the tub to sterilize the clothes. It also softens the clothes to remove hard wrinkles that formed while the clothes tossed in the tub. The patent goes on to explain that when some fabrics get wet and hot, their very properties change. Although this state allows them to be thoroughly cleaned, it also means they may become hard and wrinkle. The penetrating steam post-wash phase counteracts this hardening. LG Electronics Allergen-busters: With high-temperature steam, special washing machines can break up pesky allergens.Washing machines can apply steam in a few different ways. Though some heat the water in the tub directly to create steam, other models utilize a steam generator that heats up water in a separate compartment. After converting the water to steam, the steam generator sends the steam through a tube to a nozzle. The nozzle subsequently releases pure steam into the tub. Which method works best may depend on the model and your needs. If your clothes have tough stains, perhaps you should read the fine print to find which model gets the hottest. Often, steam washing machines have options to add steam to normal cycles, in addition to the special cycles that already incorporate steam. But the user isn't tied to steam washing, which is good given that steam lengthens the cycle. Kenmore sells a steam washer that incorporates a self-cleaning steam option. Though many people don't think about cleaning washers themselves, the user manual recommends running this cycle once a month. LG offers certain washers that are specially designed for those with severe allergies. These machines use what they call an "Allergiene" cycle that uses steam to sanitize fabrics of such things as dust mites and pet dander [source: LG]. It can do this because the high temperatures of the steam break up allergens effectively. Steam washing machines use less power and consume less water than conventional models. A little bit of water can produce a lot of steam, which expands to take up more volume. Steam washers, then, don't need as much energy to heat as many gallons of water as other models.