Cold water washing has arrived

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Jon... I caved and canceled my Amazon order and re-ordered through Staples. It should arrive hopefully Tuesday. While I was perusing the Staples site they had a BOGO for K cups so I'm taking advantage of that too. I never really thought of Staples for things like that but it appears they have a huge variety of things.

I'll give the tap cold setting a whirl.

Maybe someone can answer this on my LG WM3700. The variable temperature setting buttons there's the usual button for selecting hot, warm, cold and a tap cold settings wash .However over on the top right corner of the panel there's a "cold wash" button. I've never used it and I've forgotten why.
 
Reply # 35
That being the case might as well just keep on using Tide w/Bleach I get at Wal-Mart.
Reply # 58
Agreed! I laughed out loud as well. Some people are so f%#king fragile these days.

I can remember, back in the 1950's and 1960's when it was very common to observe people in coin-laundries with their diaper pails full of soggy and stinking dirty diapers. I observed many people just dumping the diapers into a machine with the diaper-juice slopping all over and dripping down the front of the machine.

Most used the standard detergents or soaps of the day and hot water. The water was rarely really hot----tepid most of the time if the laundry was busy and you would observe angry people trying to get their soap flakes to dissolve. It was as common to see people using some good old Bo-Peep ammonia as it was powdered or liquid bleach. Although the ammonia did not likely kill too much bacteria it almost killed the people waiting for their laundry to get done.

The experience certainly left me with the impression that coin-laundries were unsanitary places to do my wash. I still believe that.
 
Cold Wash Button

Petek, on my WM4200 that defaults to cold and not tap cold. Soo possibly in extreme cold water winters it might aded some hot to bring up to maybe 60F. My manual says it's supposed to add extra wash and rinse time, but I don't observe that it did anything beyond me adding an extra rinse or 2 anyway. Given I don't wash in cold water anyway. But with this Tide I will opt for that button. I did just go play with the controls adding that option. On delicates it added 5 minutes to the cycle and speed wash it added 10 minutes. On Heavy Duty, it changed the soil level from the highest to normal soil level. Option isn't available for cycles that default to hot-0-Whites, Allergiene, Sanitary.
 
Thanks Bob.. I couldn't scan that owners manual qr code to read up on it because my old phone isn't working and Larry's out west for a couple of weeks. I'll have a look when he returns.
 
My box of powder arrived yesterday afternoon so of course I had to try it. First off I'm reading the box instructions and it seems geared towards toploaders stating to fill the machine with water first, add detergent, then clothes which you can't do in my front loader. The only reference for HE machines shows to use the max marking for large, the 5 mark loads in an HE machine which I thought was strange being as they don't use much water? So I filled the cup to the 3 mark for full loads. It was a mixed load, a set of queen size bed sheets, a pair of jeans, some tee's, sock, and a large bath towel.

Set the machine on heavy duty and cold water and the cycle took about 1 hour and 30 minutes. It did a good job I must say.

BUT, the fragrance. I'm not a fan of it. I personally find it too overpowering and the closest I can come to describe it is maybe lavender? It permeated the family room as I sat watching tv. After drying I took the sheets upstairs and put them on the bed and it was already starting to stink up the bedroom. When I went to bed a few hours later and walked in the bedroom the smell was still there and that's all I could smell when I got into bed. I'm not saying it's a horrid smell and in fact many people may love it. Next time I'll cut it back to half the amount being as I'm using a front loader..

I wonder why they don't mention front loaders on the box instructions
 
IF memory serves me correctly, you have an LG front loader. You have the ability to add more than one extra rinse and I take advanatage of that for loads of towels. But you can also do that with other loads, I don't have issues with detergent scents because I rinse it out well. And good grief, it's probably no more than 3 gallons at most for each rinse fill. I have no qualms rinsing. ABBA recorded that song Rinsing Queen. I"m looking forard to trying this new deterent but I still have a good supply of the boxes of Tide w/Bleach and Tide Original. I only do about 3-5 loads a month at best. I only use between 1200 & `1600 gallons of water a month during months I don't havee to water the yard.
 
I see from reply #30 that this stuff is similar to Tide Plus Bleach. I haven't used Tide Bleach in a very long time but I'm sure the box I had was before they changed the formulas because the one I had was non HE, it was a good scent I thought. Is the fragrance of the new Professional powder similar to if not the same as Tide Ultra OXI? That's what my local Costco sells and I don't like the scent myself. I'd much rather use Original or Mountain Spring instead.
 
Hi Bob. Yes LG wm3700 and I added an extra rinse as always. I'll reduce the dose next time. I was out a good portion of this afternoon and when I walked through the front door I could still smell a hint of it. It certainly isn't as bad like the experiences I've had in the past with iirc Gain and Bounce sheets which some people, like my neighbor friend loves. But as far as it washing in cold water it seemed to work very well. I may try the varied stain test on an old white piece of whatever I can find here... and put it in the next load.
 
Jon, that old ad. Only the old boomers remember that one. lol.

A friend popped by this morning and we were sitting out front having coffee and he said something so funny I spit my coffee all down the front of my shirt and shorts soI did a 1/4 size load this morning on cold and put in about to the level 1 on the provided scoop and it was much much better. Obviously I overdid it the first time. They likely do it on purpose because if you're not careful and looking at what you scoop out at eye level it's easy to over dose and of course have to buy more sooner. I'll get some dollar store measuring cups/spoons to use
 
Hot or Cold

Someone up thread mentioned P.H which got me thinking..
Tide professional
Tide with Bleach (oxygen)
The newer Tide Oxi
Two things they all have in common is Washing Soda and Sodium Percarbonate (activated)
I know most here are not fans of Washing soda for all kinds of reasons but my guess is that the above powdered detergents all contain a hefty percentage of the stuff? You can kinda tell by the weight of the box.
I realize surfactant chemistry has come a long way, but is it the alkalinity from the sodium carbonate that really makes the difference in cold/cool water washing. Maybe I’m over simplifying?
 
Stan

that is part of it but if you read up, you will see the "new" surfactants I was talking about that have been built with longer chain fatty acids , the longer  the better in cooler water. So its a combination of both.

I need to order more PH strips to test this new detergent and see where it falls ! 

 

Part 2 coming soon.

 

PeteK so glad you got the coffee out ! 
 
According to the SDS it falls at pH 10.0 - 11.5 in a 10% aqueous solution which means it is just as alkaline or caustic like any other mainstream powder detergent.

BTW wouldn`t a test strip be terribly inaccurate? There are more accurate digital pH meters out there and a look in the MSDS dosn`t cost a cent.[this post was last edited: 5/3/2024-08:30]
 
"The experience certainly left me with the impression that coin-laundries were unsanitary places to do my wash. I still believe that."

They are, more so since most owners have cranked down supposedly "hot" water temps.

Starting with surfaces of nearly everything in a laundromat (including handles of washers and dryers), moving onto carts that are used to sort both soiled laundry and for holding wash out of washing machines or dryers....

Then there's fact you don't know who has been do you?

In Europe SQ franchise laundromats are touting ozone technology to cope with germ factor. Haven't seen anything like it in USA however.

https://speedqueenlaundry.scot

LaundryLux by Electrolux has "Sanitizing Rinse" option.

https://laundrylux.com/blog/laundry-how-to-kill-germs-and-bacteria-sanitizing-rinse/

Then you have efforts such as this: https://hollowaystreetlaundromat.com/blog/laundromat-hygiene-and-dangers-of-ignoring

Truth to tell ever since M. Pasteur's discovery of germs there was a war declared by some on sending laundry out. This applied to laundresses right up to industrial "steam" or "power" laundries.

Off bat housewives were warned that to protect all she held near and dear her washing should be done at home. This as opposed to sending it out where it could be mingled with laundry from all sorts of persons.

From about 1920's or so well past 1940's laundries once gave tours so housewives and other customers could satisfy themselves about conditions.

If there was a case of diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough or any other infectious disease on street laundries would refuse to collect. They had to, if Her Indoors got wind otherwise she wouldn't send her washing.



Long story short there are good reasons why so many laundries of old had "sanitary" or some such as their name.
 
When phosphates were either limited or outright banned laundry detergent makers scrambled to find other alkaline builders. Nothing in whole or part replaces what phosphates do alone, thus usually laundry powder detergents contain a blend.

Use of alkalis for wash day goes back to ancient times when ashes from certain plants or wood was source. Then came silicates (water glass) which made up huge part of Henkel's famous "Persil" formula. PERborate and SILicate, get it? Per-Sil.

Washing soda being on lower end of alkaline pH scale is suited for domestic laundry. It's also relatively inexpensive either used alone (as a booster) or blended into wash powders.

If you look closely many powdered laundry detergents for domestic use do contain other alkalis long used for institutional detergents. Sodium hydroxide (lye), sodium metasilicate and others.

Purpose of alkali are many and simple on laundry day. Raising pH of break/suds water causes textile fibers (natural ones such as cotton and linen) to open up weave of fabric thus releasing soils.

For institutional laundries desired pH range at end of wash bath is between 11-12 pH. Domestic products OTOH usually aim for something slightly lower. One reason for this is "homestyle" washing machines normally are made from softer metals that will be quickly attacked by repeated exposure to high pH.
 
Sodium & potassium silicates have it over sodium and potassium carbonates for many reasons when it comes to laundry detergents.

Silicates have slightly higher pH than carbonates but less than sodium hydroxide. In terms of soil suspension and removal properties, wetting, and rinsing silicates beat washing soda.

https://www.texfinity.com/dynmedia/0fff7da2ad3ecf9f3422cf8171c7d8b6

Besides functioning as source or alkali on wash day silicates also work as a builder as well. Silicates are likely closer to one thing out of a box that could replace phosphates as it comes.

Fritz Henkel's first "detergent" Bleich-Soda (bleach soda) made from sodium silicate and calcined (water-free) soda. It promised to whiten and clean linen without harsh bleaching agents (read eau de Javel/chlorine bleach).

https://www.antiquariat-kastanienhof.de/images/product_images/popup_images/s40320_3.jpg

What Henkel got ahold of there was one of first laundry "breaks". Alkaline pH in water of silicate and soda when combined with hot (or boiling water) broke soils and muck from textiles. Via water softening properties soap reside would be leached out of fabrics and settle into water.

https://www.ebay.de/itm/395088641742

This step was important as soap was still queen of wash day. Presoaking or prewashing with an alkaline water bath in addition to above mentioned things also reduced the acidity of textiles (from coming into contact with human bodily fluids) which in turn would make job of subsequent washing with soap easier.

Henkel's later invention "Persil" built upon previous bleach-soda formula in that it contained soap, silicate and perborate. A remarkable combination when used property at high temperatures was more than capable of producing quite clean and white laundry. Most tellingly Persil did not contain soda IIRC.

Henkel loved themselves some silicates because they came out with yet another product based upon them; "Sil".

Sil today is a spot/stain remover, but its original incarnation was perborate bleach and silicates. One took wash that had already been done (usually boiled) using Persil (soap and silicates), then boiled them again in this "bleaching" rinse. Containing more bleach but no soap this treatment would remove stains, treat yellowed fabrics and remove other discolorations that survived the wash.

When using soap for wash day first rinse is usually in hot water or things were boiled, so there you are.

For generations at least in Germany above brought about the Holy Trinity of wash day of Henko, Persil and Sil.



Introduction of Sunil and later Persil 59 put an end to that holy trinity. Once soap was replaced by detergent all that presoaking and boiling afterwards was largely not required.

 
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