Launderess— I like the simplicity of doing the bleach cycle first, so will probably stick with that. I’ve purposely stained kitchen towels, bar mops and even bath linen hand towels with all sorts of common cooking-related stains and my admittedly reversed process has yet to fail. Every single stain has been consistently eliminated. However, I’d like to try using warm water for the bleach cycle to see if it produces similar results.
The default wash tumble for the Quick cycle is 4 minutes (Light Soil=2 mins; Med=4; Heavy=6; Max=8). If needed, I could increase the wash time by a couple of minutes. The 1960 Kenmore Model 80 I grew up with dispensed bleach the last 4 minutes of the wash agitation, which seemed ideal.
I suppose I could return to the washer after the 1st fill and load the bleach compartment at that point. I’m pretty sure water enters that compartment for the wash and the first rinse. Too bad it doesn’t dispense in the first rinse like every other front-loader known to man, but it is what it is. At any rate, this washer is quieter than the top-loader was and even though the machine is technically located outside the apartment, it’s just on the other side of my kitchen wall—maybe 6 steps away. I don’t always hear the progression of the cycle, especially if the TV or radio are on.
Whether I bleach a load of whites is entirely dependent upon how seriously stained the kitchen towels and my chef’s aprons are. Some stains are lifted with detergent and a 30-60 minute wash tumble. Others require bleach to be fully removed in the time frame I’ve allotted. The super-stained kitchen whites can often sit for a couple of days before being laundered, so I consider them a tough test for detergent and the machine’s wash action.
I haven’t experimented much with the SQ’s soak cycle. I’ve soaked a couple of loads for 30-60 minutes which seems to help completely remove some stains. The soak timer goes up to 24 hours. I should try an overnight soak in a strong dose of Persil Bio. The soak water drains without spinning; then it proceeds into the selected main cycle.
I’ve tried the Stain Boost option, which is a 20 minute tumble in cold water, a spin, then into the main cycle. Was a little underwhelmed with the results on tough stains like Rao’s Marinara Sauce and G. Hughes Sweet & Spicy Barbecue Sauce.
The default wash tumble for the Quick cycle is 4 minutes (Light Soil=2 mins; Med=4; Heavy=6; Max=8). If needed, I could increase the wash time by a couple of minutes. The 1960 Kenmore Model 80 I grew up with dispensed bleach the last 4 minutes of the wash agitation, which seemed ideal.
I suppose I could return to the washer after the 1st fill and load the bleach compartment at that point. I’m pretty sure water enters that compartment for the wash and the first rinse. Too bad it doesn’t dispense in the first rinse like every other front-loader known to man, but it is what it is. At any rate, this washer is quieter than the top-loader was and even though the machine is technically located outside the apartment, it’s just on the other side of my kitchen wall—maybe 6 steps away. I don’t always hear the progression of the cycle, especially if the TV or radio are on.
Whether I bleach a load of whites is entirely dependent upon how seriously stained the kitchen towels and my chef’s aprons are. Some stains are lifted with detergent and a 30-60 minute wash tumble. Others require bleach to be fully removed in the time frame I’ve allotted. The super-stained kitchen whites can often sit for a couple of days before being laundered, so I consider them a tough test for detergent and the machine’s wash action.
I haven’t experimented much with the SQ’s soak cycle. I’ve soaked a couple of loads for 30-60 minutes which seems to help completely remove some stains. The soak timer goes up to 24 hours. I should try an overnight soak in a strong dose of Persil Bio. The soak water drains without spinning; then it proceeds into the selected main cycle.
I’ve tried the Stain Boost option, which is a 20 minute tumble in cold water, a spin, then into the main cycle. Was a little underwhelmed with the results on tough stains like Rao’s Marinara Sauce and G. Hughes Sweet & Spicy Barbecue Sauce.
