Best way to wash delicates in a Maytag A112?

[ryner1988]

Hey all,

I'm wondering what would be the best way to handle washing a few delicate items in my Maytag A112 washer. So far, my wife and I have had pretty basic laundry, i.e., athleisure, the occasional pair of jeans, normal shirts, towels, and the like so this hasn't really come up before now. However, since summer is here and we are going out more, she is wearing clothes that require more careful attention such as skirts, dresses, nicer shirts. These are usually small loads of just a few items but I don't want to just throw them in with the regular laundry. I'm hesitant to use the small load selection because I'm afraid those prominent fins at the bottom of the agitator will just beat the heck out of the clothes. Should I just leave the washer on the large load and use less wash time? I know this machine doesn't have a delicate cycle.

Thanks,

Ryne

 

[combo52]

Be Very Careful

Maybe just soak the clothing and agitate the items by hand and then spin them out and repeat for rinse.

 

My friend Larry just bought a house a block from me and at his current house he only has a 24" DD compact 1.5 CF washer so he has been in the habit of bring blankets and mattress pads to me to wash in my SQ FL washers.

 

Well the house he just bough has a 1984 MT DC large capacity fabric-matic washer so I said put your queen sized mattress pad in your washer.

 

I loaded it in, it fit easily and turned over and let it go through the normal wash cycle, WELL when it was done this mattress pad that had been washed on a nice long cycle in the SQ at least 3 times was destroyed in one wash in the MT.

 

I had forgotten how rough the old long stroke MTs are on clothing, be careful these older MTs are very hard on large items even large towels sheets etc.

 

John L.

 

[nmassman44]

The 112 if I recall correctly is the bottom of the Maytag line standard capacity blue tub washer. If you have the Orbital transmission or the original long stroke one with PowerFin agitator, I would use the Full Load water level and set the washer timer to the 6 min mark. Let the washer fill and start agitation and after 2 mins, shut it off and let it soak for 8 mins. Then restart the washer and let another 2 mins go by and then soak again for 6 mins. Then start the washer and let it finish the wash cycle and go into drain and spin. The rinse cycle is just 2 mins and let it complete the cycle. What I describe in doing this is what my Maytag A510 did for the Delicate cycle and they suggested a full tub of water no matter what or how small the load is...the idea is to keep the water moving thru the fabrics while keeping the contact with the agitator to a minimum if that makes sense. The agitator will use the water pull the fabrics toward it and then push it away.

 

[tomturbomatic]

Only use the high water level, keep agitation to a minimum after the first minute and soak things like John suggested.

 

[launderess]

In old days when most top loaders only had the one speed, and came equipped with agitators that could murder delicates, advise was as pretty much stated.

Use high water levels, very small load, short agitation. We're talking about barely one or two minutes. If things require more time exposed to cleaning solution, then agitation should be stopped, and things allowed to soak. Latter bit would vary by fabric, degree of colorfastness, etc...

My Maytag wringer owners manual suggests agitating "synthetics" for 3 minutes only. For badly soiled things it can be kicked up to five minutes. Cold or warm water only is recommended for the wash, and cold for rinses.

You can also put things into net/mesh bags.

https://www.amazon.com/mesh-bags-delicates/s?k=mesh+bags+for+delicates

 

[ryner1988]

Thanks for the quick responses!

I wonder if mesh laundry bags would help.

 

[ryner1988]

I must have been typing my reply when @launderess wrote hers. I actually own a few mesh bags so will try that in addition to the other advice above.

 

[kenwashesmonday]

Wash your delicate items in a mesh bag designed for that purpose.

Amazon.com

 

[maytag85]

I’d keep an eye out for a Maytag A806 or Maytag A810. Both allow to select the wash and spin speed options which not only is gentler on clothes, but gentler on the machine itself. 1 speed machines aren’t really all that great for flexibility, people buy BOL appliances thinking they will last longer since there are fewer bells and whistles but lack flexibility and options compared to something higher end and often times are rough on clothes and itself since it’s always going 90 mph vs cruising at a slower speed when needed.

 

[launderess]

Maytag always seemed to be miserly with R&D in terms of offerings compared to others.

Rather than have a washer with two speed motor, Maytag's "Fabric-Matic" simple used alternating periods of agitation and soak for "delicate" cycle.

https://www.automaticwasher.org/cgi-bin/TD/TD-VIEWTHREAD.cgi?68865

Washers are or were very highly rated by some, so there you are.