So, tonight I decided to throw an old queen-sized comforter into the Immersion Care, mostly because I was curious about the Comforter cycle, and what it would do to help a top-loading impeller machine deal with something that front-loaders handle quite well.
The waterfall jets played a bigger role, especially during the fill and early in the wash cycle. You'll see them in a forthcoming video and understand why they never fail to elicit a chuckle. Anyway...I was going to play nice and choose the Fabric Softener option, which provides a deep rinse, but decided to leave the machine to its defaults, so we got the 4 spray rinses.
Agitation: Aggressive agitation the first few minutes, similar to the Normal cycle, with longer counterclockwise strokes. Then it slowed down to Delicate speed, but with very long strokes (several tub spins) in each direction, maximizing water movement. That makes sense, because there's no way on God's green Earth the gentle agitation is going to get that comforter to shift positions. And it didn't.
Again, from sheer curiosity, I switched to the Heavy Duty cycle to see if a more agressive agitation pattern would shift the thing. Nope. Back on the Comforter cycle, I let it play out. Good thing I'd loaded the more soiled end of the item at the bottom of the tub, because the top was never underwater during the cycle.
Following the final spin, I reached in to pull it out, only to find a thin layer of lint all over the part of the comforter that was never submerged. Yikes. Our first epic failure. Silver lining: The soiled end of the comforter (toward the bottom of the tub) was clean. And the unsightly veneer of lint was removed by the dryer.
To be fair, I've always thought comforters should be washed in a front-loader. Top-loaders of all kinds have a hard time with them. Furthermore, a reasonable person would have reached in and moved the comforter around a few times during the cycle and selected a deep rinse.
AND WHILE WE'RE ON THE SUBJECT: My enthusiasm concerning the Immersion Care should in no way lead you to believe I think it's the equal of my front-loader. After this weekend, I will never wash a load of kitchen whites in it again, as I miss the stain-banishing profile wash and grease-stripping 155-degree water made possible by the front-loader's internal heater. It's also gentler on fabrics, and dispenses chlorine bleach in the first rinse, making it possible for the detergent's enzymes to do their job first. The list could go on and on. Having said that, the Immersion Care has exceeded my expectations, and given the choice between bringing back the agitator-based 2006 Frigidaire top-loader or keeping the Immersion Care, I'd definitely keep the Immersion Care. No contest; it's the better washer.
Launderess: I'll throw the forthcoming load of kitchen whites into the front-loader after they come out of the Immersion Care to see if uber-hot water brings any residue out of the woodwork.
Rich: You are correct; the Stain Treat option overrode my request for hot water. In a smarter machine, that option would provide a cold pre-wash, followed by a warm or hot wash.
Kelly: I grew up with a severe case of Frigidaire envy, living in an all-Kenmore household. Having had two TOL Frigidaire dishwashers in the early-to-mid 2000's, I'd strongly suggest you choose another brand. They cleaned basic loads very well, but weren't up to the task of pots/pans. Recent CR tests put all models of the brand in the bottom half of the ratings.
Again, thanks for your comments, everyone! I'm having a lot of fun with this strange, new toy. Made pasta sauce for supper and encouraged guests to be ruthless with the tablecloth and napkins, LOL. Hoping to have video posted by Sunday night.
[this post was last edited: 1/10/2013-22:48]
