Affresh Vs Tide Washer Cleaner

[iheartmaytag]

Have any of you used either of these?

My new washer is a month old, so last night after washing the dog's bedding I decided to run a Clean Washer cycle. I used the puck of Affresh that was in the machine when it was delivered. I really liked the results, loved the high fill and swirling water fall too.

What I didn't like was you are supposed to put the puck in the drum and start the machine. Well the May-pool machine adds about an inch of water and tumbles for about two minutes in a sensing cycle. Then it drains and tumbles while steaming for about 15-20 minutes. The whole time the puck is bang, bang, banging in the drum. After this it fills to about half way up the window and the action starts. The washer clean cycle has two rinses after this and then a final spin to dry the drum.

The smell was a nice clean citrus, not too strong and as I was wipping down the boot, door etc there appeared to be no residue left behind.

I went to buy more and couldn't find Affresh at Wally world or K-Sears. So I bought a box of Tide Washer cleaner for next time. I thought this would work a little better since you add it to the detergent drawer instead of the drum. My other plan is, when I buy Affresh I will wait until the steam portion is over and add it to the drum before it fills with water.

Still wondering if anyone else has tried these two products and prefers one over another. If not I will report on the Tide Washer cleaner when I use it. Both are pricy, but comparable so price would not be the deciding factor in purchase.

Believe it or not, Me who loves LCB, did not want to clean the washer with Bleach. I heard that it can damage the drum, seals and spider over time. Since I paid more for the washer than I did my first two cars put together. I want it to last.

 

[kqkenmore]

I used affresh in my kenmore HT3 but it did not work because I got a horriable smell my clothes stunk and no matter what I did it would not go away.That washer started leaking and I got rid of it. I was so glad it was gone.I now have a Samsung front loader and when it needs cleaning I am going to try Smelly Washer.com washer cleaner.

 

[mysteryclock]

Recently, more often than not I use...

...Cascade Complete All-in-1 Action Pacs, about one every week or two on a "Temp Boost" cycle with an extra rinse. The phosphates and enzymes seem to do a good job cleaning out any remaining goo and keeping it smelling good. And if you're only using one a week, they are cheap to boot. I've tried the smellywasher stuff but didn't really find it to be any better or worse than Cascade.

When I've had specific problems with bad limescale buildup I've used other things like CLR or LimeAway, and it ended up being a royal pain to get it all out until I figured out how to keep it from coming back.

The real key seems to be to not let anything (smells, limescale, etc.) get to the problem stage. Clean frequently with hot water and cleaner-of-choice and leave the door open and you really shouldn't have any issues.

 

[whirlcool]

Are any of you using liquid detergent?

 

[mrcleanjeans]

OxiClean should work

 

[travlincub321]

i am running my 90 Whirlpool DD with cascade and hot water as we speak

 

[frigilux]

I'm curious about washer-cleaning products---I can get Affresh and the Tide product locally---but I've never had a problem with mold/mildew in my FL'er. I use liquid chlorine bleach in my 7-year old Frigidaire several times a week (white loads), so that may make a difference.

I almost bought Affresh once just to try it, but didn't make the purchase. It's sold at our local Whirlpool dealership.

 

[kqkenmore]

In this new washer I do not use any liquid detergent.I am going to try the cascade action packs because that is what I use for the dishwasher so I have them on hand anyway.Do you put them in the drawer or just in the tub?

 

[iheartmaytag]

The only liquid detergent I use is when I wash delicates with Woolite. Otherwise it's Tide HE powder.

I leave the door and detergent drawer open after use, as well as wipe down the boot and door. I don't have an odor problem, (it's only a month old) but I don't want one either. I tried the sample Affresh after doing the doggie bedding. I always run an empty load to get rid of the hair and dog smell after washing her bedding so What the hey. Like I said the Affresh was plesant, after it disolved and the banging stopped.

In my TL I always used a cup of bleach, but as I stated in the OP, I don't want to use bleach in the new machine. I will try the Cascade sometime too, as I have them on hand. Any certain one I should use? I have the orange scent, W/oxy-bleach, Complete, and the blue action pack. Yes I am stocking up for when the "ban" comes upon us next year.

Are the heater's and steaming units the exposed type on the May-pools? I was just wondering if I should worry about lime build up, or is the regular detergent enough to prevent that? I have never had a problem with the dishwasher, and it has an exposed element, but then again I have phosphates in the detergent, at least for now.

About 90% of our water comes from the resivor, the rest from the equis beds. When we pull from the beds it can get pretty hard (the water toggles), when we pull from Cheney you can get a moldy taste if we are having an alge bloom. I am leaning towards having a softner put in as we run from 8 to 11 grains of hardness; this could push the decision if the washer/dryer are in peril.

 

[mysteryclock]

I toss the Cascade pack in the drum, and since it is basically quick-desolving gel/goo on the outside it doesn't bang around for too long. One note, I only use ONE kind of thing in the washer for cleaning at a time -- no mixing chemicals!!

 

[mysteryclock]

Oh, and I just recently switched to liquid detergent after years of powder and so far, no problems. The kind I'm using (Vaska) does not appear to be thickened at all unlike the extremely syrupy kinds I've seen in the "supermarket brands", so I don't think I'll have to worry about build-up.

 

[dj-gabriele]

I'm ignorant!

Sorry if it is a stupid question
I always and only had front loading washing machines and in 24 years of my life they never needed any kind of cleaning, it isn't even mentioned on the manual.
If I wash the dog rags I do a rinse with the machine empty to get rid of any residual hair and that's all.
What are those products made of? I guess it's not descaler otherwise you wouldn't need it so often.
Please explain me. Thanks!

 

[logixx]

I used liquid and powdered Ariel detergent for years. Liquid at 40°C for colors and powder at 60°C for whites. Never had a problem with funky smells or whatever.

Then, I was on the Study Abroad Programme for four months and when I came back... oh boy! In the meantime, my mother was the only one to use the washer. She only used powdered detergent, which is okay, but she also never washed above 40°C. Well, when I came back the washer smelled, had brownish gunk on the door boot and even mold under the softener tray. :-(

I wonder how much money she saved by only running warm washes versus the money I made her spent on citric acid, bleach and a boil wash so I could clean the mess she caused.

I never use washing machine cleaner - only a hot wash once a week and the right amount of detergent. It's all I need to keep our front loader clean despite my massive use of softener.

 

[favorit]

Gabriele, we have more (heating) power

All our european machines, even the budget craps sold for 190 € in box stores ( e.g. Kennex @ Coop, Alaska @ Metro, Incontro @ Bennet ...), have an internal heater and can do boilwashes when necessary.

In the US market the internal heater is seen as a luxury feature, not as a default feature on every model.
The lower voltage/higher current issue limits these heaters to have a somewhat poor 1000 W coil. So these machines are double sized than ours but have half heating power, so they hardly can boilwash even starting with a hot fill.

Go figure that the Frigidaire Affinity sold in Italy by Rex-Electrolux with a 2000 W coil @ 230 V takes 3 hours 5 mins to run a 60°C cotton wash (link to Rex catalogue) as oddly it is a cold fill only machine

To cut a long story short
Our machines degrease themselves wen we run very hot washes (70°C up to 95°C). That's why we never had mold issues.Not sure about the next 10 years after this stupid cold washing fashion.
Many US machines can't have such hot water so they need chemical degreasing. My clue is that Affresh & Co are similar to commercial dishwasher detergents

Loading…

www.rex.it

 

[iheartmaytag]

Affresh

Is actually manufactured for, and marketed by Whirlpool/Maytag "The Leaders in Home Laundry" Their quote not mine.

 

[swestoyz]

I was thumbing through the owner's manual of a Duet the other day (imagine that!) and noticed the cleaning section and the call to use either Affresh or LCB during the sanitize cycle.

I suspect the Marketing Department at Whirlpool isn't concerned with people reading the owner's manuals and having owner's realize there is no real reason to use Affresh when you can pull out the bottle of LCB to do the same thing.

Ben

 

[iheartmaytag]

Yes, my Owner's manual says to use Affresh (preferred) or 2/3 cup of LCB. It also states that long term use of LCB will reduce the life of washer components.

 

[travlincub321]

I was amazde at the gunk floating around in my 1990 Whirlpool Direct Drive last night after running it with cascade and hoit water..wow... ickky poo

 

[mayguy]

Tide or Affresh

I've used both products.

I like the results that Affresh offers. The smell is mild, and I've brought it a couple of times. Just to do "Preventive" cleaning.. I haven't used it for about 4 months so far.

I tried Tide... I will NOT use that product again. My washer stunk for 3 weeks or so of this Tide stuff.

here is a video of Tide being used.. If it wasn't for the smell, I'd say it may done a better job since it has a high fizz rate.