Diferences in the landry culture throw the countries!

[brasilianguy]

Hi, I've been seeng some diferences between the cicle of the american and brazilian washers.... look, there in USA, or other countries like this the normal cicle generally is done with hot or warm wather, and when the clothes are too much dirty the longest washing cicle takes 18 minutes of agitation.
Here in Brazil, our washer almost always use cold wather, just one or other have a built-in heather, but it spent too much energi to heat the whater, but our soaps too are made to be used in cold wather, but our washers have very long soak time! mine for exemple hava 2 hour of soak time in the longest cicle!
her we dont't have the custom to use driers.... I think that is becouse we live in a tropical country, so almost all people use the line to dry the clothes... only the richest people that have driers generally use it to dry the clothes in some rainy days!
In my opinion we are very rude to do landry here, and I hope one day we will do landry like the american people, washing and drying clothes in less than an hour!!

 

[toggleswitch]

Soaking is an interesting tradition to a time before automatic washers.

Remember most soaps and detergents can only hold soils / dirt in suspension for half-an-hour. Therfore, in my opinion it is best to do a quick prewash , drain and spin, THEN soak with fresh water, if soaking is "mandatory". Again it is important to drain and spin the clothing THEN do the main wash with fresh water after that! The purpose of this is to avoid redepositing the soil back on the clothes.

My ex mother in law had a morbid fear of suds in the sink and therefore used a tiny amount of detergent in her washer, basically all the dirst from the armpits and the groin areas got re-distributed to ALL THE CLOTHES. They stunk, and were yellow and GREY .. YUCK!

Redeposition of soils is not good.

Best regards,
Steve

 

[DADoES]

F&P toploaders have a 2-hr soak option (includes a few agitation strokes every minute).

 

[brasilianguy]

Hi Steve....
I do a pre wash when the clothes are too much dirty, but our soaps have an agent that doesn't leave the soil redeposit in the clothes! it's made for it!!! and the powder is blue, just to prevent yellowing!!!

and, my washer too do some agitations at any time during the soak until the main wash!

V.

 

[oxydolfan1]

Do you use chlorine bleach on your laundry in Brazil?

Are Brazilian washday methods similar to those in Argentina?

 

[panthera]

different formulas in different countries

I find soaking very effective, but the detergents I use are made for it. Since the US market - for reasons I still don't understand - has rejected enzymes so strongly, the detergents formulated for use there have to hit hard, hit early and - given ridiculously short times in which to do their work - don't need to retain the dirt in suspension very long.
It is no gain to get your laundry done in less than one hour if the cost in wear and tear to the clothing, the damage to the environment by the detergents and the quantity of water used are enormous.
My LG offers a one hour cycle (very short for Europe (Please, no flames from Uk on this again, ok? This was a general statement...). It makes up for time and enzymatic effect with much heavier agitation and more water in each rinse.
I grew up at nearly 6,000FT. Without a clothes dryer, there would have been no way to get clothes dry in our little house in winter. Folks in the tropics are soooo lucky.
Let your clothes soak in the suds while you soak in the sun...

 

[lederstiefel1]

Brasilian Wash-Methods

Hi!
Last year we visited our relatives in Brasil (first time for me!) and stayed three weeks there in the south, near Curitiba.
Naturally I was very much interested in getting information about washing in Brasil...
What I found out was very enjoyable! There are two branches of machine-types: european FL with tumble action, mostly German machines, and on the other side TL like in the US. We used Brazilian ARIEL - a blue powder indeed - in a German BOSCH FL and found out that even these German machines were restricted to maximumly 60°C with their thermostats!
But there are also single tub washers available - even wooden ones! And everybody of our relatives had two types of machines at home - a modern FL or TL and an old-fashioned wooden singel tub or wringer tub model! And they all promised me to do the washing mostly in the single tub because of the better wash performances! How stunning!?!?
Concerning bleach: there is chlorine bleach as well as oxygene bleach available there and everywhere people are told to use less energy by soaking the washing for a while to let the enzymes work better - even in cold water, which most people use in there machines. But also one have to keep in mind that cold water isn't the same cold water in different countries! In Brazil cold means about 20°C whereas in a strong German winter water has seldom more than 5-6°C!! We found all in all that they wash as good as here in Germany - no matter what progamme or powder we used and even in warm or cold water we got very good results. Brazil is quite ahead in energy consumption, I found. 50% of the cars drive with very cheap bio-alcolhol - in Germany: none!! Our washers still have boil-wash progammes up to 95°C - in Brazil 60°C (hot) is the maximum! They use soaking cycles in cold water - I do here in my american SpeedQueen, too - generally nearly no-one does here in Germany!
More and more people here in Germany NEED to buy dryers as the land-lords (owners of the buildings) re-built the attics with flats where before there had been drying places for washing, to make more money with the building. But even here in Germany you get your washing dry 98% of the days of the year when you do line-drying; in summer it takes only 1-2 hours, in winter sometimes up to 3 days in the attic, but does not use any energy nor does it mean any strain to the fabric and it's out of way! And often in winter after 1 or 2 days the washing is ready for straight away ironing without spraying or steaming! And also there is nothing better in smell than washing that has been dryed in clear air in the garden or in the attic with open windows!
Ralf

 

[pulsatron]

Cold water Aussies

I believe the general consensus is here in Australia,the vast majority of people also wash only in cold water and this is for all clothing types,cotton,denim,towels etc.
We mostly do our drying on the clothesline as well as we have a fairly dry, sunny climate mostly although I dare say quite a few people also do own clothes dryers for winter time and the like.
Personally I prefer warm water for most items but hot water for towels sheets and chair covers.
Cheers.
Steve.

 

[brasilianguy]

Yeah.... all that you told are true! our washer heat the wather maximumly to 60ºC, and only the FL ones... the TL heat only to 45º, but it spend too much energy! I agree that in countres like Germany you must have a drier, so the clothes would freeze in the line in the winter, but here in razil is relly unnecessary, since even in the winter we have some very hot days! the only hang that I desegree is that the clothes smell veeeery better dried in a drier than in line, since in the drier they don't stay exposed to bad odors like pollution!
ah, we do use chlorine bleach, in white clothes, but it isn't recommended to use together to the enzyms soaps! thats because the blach dispenser of some modern machines dispenses it only in the end of the cicle, because the enzyms have already worked and the bleach can work better!

Vinny...

 

[panthera]

keine Notwendigkeit

You don't need to pre-soak much when the wash cycle alone runs for over an hour and the first part raises the temperature in an ideal curve to activate first the enzymes and then the oxygen bleach.
You can get things clean in just about any temperature when you use the right detergent and additives - and take the right amount of time.
I miss the days when I could hang my clothes in the attic to dry...in our building their is a mafia of old ladies who throw anyone's washing down on the floor who dares to leave it up two nanoseconds too long. It is just easier to put it in the dryer.
When you come right down to it, tho' - the biggest difference is between the old-fashioned (and not in the good sense of our mechanical sweethearts) TL which uses far too much water and rubs too hard and the more modern FL which uses much less water, is easier on the clothes and cleans better.
If only Frigidaire had not sold out to WW we'd still have the best of both worlds.
Second biggest difference - we spin clothes out much faster here in Europe then in the US. The energy savings and lack of chemical residue is considerable. Wonder why that just never caught on?

 

[chestermikeuk]

Mechanical Action

Hi Guys
Its very interesting to see how variations of a washing theme come about through tradition, trade and company brands, I welcome using each and others techniques, It wouldnt be good for all to be the same...

I realised here about Cold Water washing that there is a vast differene with the water temp, ours being 3/5d in winter and cold elswhere could be 20d+...

Hi Keven, interesting point about the mechanical action of the spin...It was well known who had the first wave of Indesit machines in the UK, and the neighbour who used a twinny, (dingy whites & whitest whites, irrespective of better powders)Unilever did a test and it was shown to be because of the spinner in a twinny spinning out all the soapy suds from the clothes very fast etc, now that principle worked in those machines...

What I dont agree with (my opinion only) is with a spin right after the wash in a modern front loader....in the small space required for the eco water consumption awards, you always tend to get a sudz lock, even when the wash looked like it had no bubbles at all...It could work only if the pump was timed to move all the water out before the next rinse AND that a spray jet of water was operating, spraying water in the outer drum and over the spinning drum, like the older 1960`s Bendix semi-auto machines.

Mike

 

[panthera]

good point Mike

Wash/spin or wash/rinse/spin is a tough call. My H-Axis Bauknechts (back when they were well made, not today's stuff) actually did spin out of the first wash and yes, the first spin was often very limited.
My LG does a rinse first then tries a spin. If it builds up too slowly, it does another full rinse. This seems to be the best of both worlds - apply logic to the problem.
Bendix had so many good ideas. Funny, how many "new" ideas are just recycled old wisdom.

 

[lederstiefel1]

suds lock

In one of our washers - we have six meanwhile - namely the FL Privileg Matura, the first spin after the wash is an interval spinning - so there's no suds lock occuring. But nevertheless to me the rinsing isn't too good - only three rinses with a cup of water each....
I prefer my twinnies - best my Hotpoint which does automatically the appropriate rinsing as the suds slightly obstruct the pump-out of the rinsing water in so far that the pump never fully catches up the draining until the concentration of detergent in the spun-out rinsing water is so low that the suds collapse and the pump can pump out the water quicker than the flow of the incoming fresh water is. The machine then gains on full spin speed and switches off when all rinsing water has disappeared from the spinner. It then slows down until full stop again for a second final rinse which starts automatically when the spin-can overflows from the incoming rinse-water. Because of that natural physical regulation the first spin-rinse is always adequate to the amount of detergent used in the wash-water before. The more detergent you use, the longer the first rinsing will take place. Finally all items are rinsed even well.
Ralf

 

[vintagesearch]

washers in pr

interesting how different countries use different washers and wash methods it never really crossed my mind and then i thought about when i stayed in puerto rico with family and had to do laundry everyone there like in brazil has to use cold water as per government regulations. however some people have a hot water connection where the washer is and use hot water too. Then i remember my grandma uses that detergent called ariel (powder) only its white and blue smells really really good. Funny how we joke me and my family the majority of the people who own washing machines(in pr) usually have them outside on a balcony in or out on a garage or in there backyards lol! and if the washers aren't new they have rust like no other too lol. Then they wonder why when it rains or god forbid they have a hurricane the washer is dead or gone! I would never have a washer out in the open i mean hello? it will get rusty fly away or something then, people say landlords allow you to have a washer but it probably has to be out in the terrace! balls! then with clothes lines everywhere i hate that! my aunt has her washer out on her terrace covered up you wouldnt even know its there then she puts the clothes to dry in a line in the backroom she says like me it looks messy when you see all those clothes in the terrace. wow i wrote alot here damn! lol so respond if you want i know someone knows what im talking about. Come to think of it since we dont have a dryer and the laundromats gotten expensive we hang dry everything too its a pain though i hate it! and im doing it right now lol!

 

[oxydolfan1]

PR launderers are out of control, lol!

First is the requisite overnight soak and "La Bomba" (scoops of Ariel or Ace and Clorox"....then drain, and MORE scoops of detergent and Clorox...followed by Downy/Lavender Sachet/Mistolin/Fabuloso, then hung out on shower rod, wooden dowel dryers, hangers on bathroom pipes, etc.....than the whole process begins again! and on, and on....

You should look into getting a stackable unit. They don't take up much space, there are a couple of decent units, and they're not hard to find at a decent price....

 

[vintagesearch]

pr launderers the worst

to oxydolfan1:
lol its kinda true what you said unfortunatley we dont do all that we have a pipe in the basement we put the clothes on hangers and on the pipe or IF the weathers nice we have normal clotheslines that we use about 4 of them and thats it but as you said people that do aaaaaaaaaaallllllllllll that nonsense with clothes thats what we call to ghetto dryers! we now have to get a new washer because our ge (bought in 2002) turned out to be a rediculous piece of crap that has already one foot in the grave and we cant really have it serviced because it was discountinued and recalled supposedly it costs more to fix it then the price we bought it for grrrrrrrrrrrrr!
lol "lavender sachet/mistolin" we dont use that stuff, lol hilarious!

 

[oxydolfan1]

Yeah, I'm sorry about your washer. There have been a LOT of problems with the GE top-loaders....if you want to replace it, better to hit Sears on Fordham or Best Buy on Central in Yonkers or 86th and Lex and pick another brand (Kenmore at Sears is good for bottom- and mid-range models, at Best Buy you have to literally check out each model you see seperate from the others in terms of build quality....Frigidaire is on the upswing, Whirlpool/Inglis about the same or maybe better....GE and Maytag are best avoided entirely for the moment

It's a shame, you know? You can't even DONATE an appliance like that to anyone in good conscience....

Too much disposable stuff out there. It's the same deal with vacuums....

 

[toggleswitch]

AHA!

YES!!! my ex-partner's granny has a house in PR.
The washer is outside in a secure utilty room with a plastic tablecloth over it. I think hers has a hot and cold connection.

In the laundromat however, all the Wascomat's (washers) were on a "Y" connection. NO HOT WATER. But in all fairness the water from the tap is no less in temperature than our "WARM" so it was fine.

BTW I was shocked to see granny'd old 220v 20 gallon (80L) hot water heater replaced by a 110 volt one. When I questioned the electrician, who was there for another reason...uh the washer and HWH were now on the same circuit..HELLO?....he VERY arrogantly said the old one was 20amps and the new one is 20a. When I mentioned the WATTAGE (and therefore recovery and heating ability) had dropped significantly he stuck to his guns.

Apparently he was working the old people and purposely creating more business for himself. YUCK!

Washers are outdoors because they CAN be in tropical climates.

 

[MrX]

Irish Washing

Seems the usual approach to doing laundry in Ireland is to use 40°C washes for most things and 60°C occasionally for towels, bed linen etc. Although, most people probabally use 40°C for that most of the time too.

Boil wash 90-95°C is hardly ever used by most people. I'd say there are plenty of machines where that cycle is never used at all. Most people would assume it's damaging to fabric. Indeed, it will often shrink stitching on towels even if the cotton toweling copes well with it. It's a nice option to have though e.g. can be useful for bedding / towels occasionally.

There's an increasing tendency, as most machines now offer it, to use "QuickWash" or "RapidWash" options that would complete the cycle in about 20 mins or so.
Usually quick slosh around while warming up cold water to 40°C (sometimes 30°C) with biological detergent. Once reaches temprature, continue tumbling for about 2 mins. Drain, full speed spin, couple of rinses with intermediate spins and then a final long spin. Total time usually about 20 mins or so.

It makes more sense as very few clothes need much more than a quick freshen-up.

It's also worth noting, many European washing machines don't offer a true Cold option per se. It's often a "MIN" or "*°C" setting. i.e. the heater will still take the temprature up to about 25°C to ensure that detergent disolves correctly. Mieles for example do not do a true cold wash. It's very slightly warmed up.

Drying clothes outdoors on washing lines is still quite common place and works very well. But, I would venture to say that the majority of homes do have tumble driers. There are lots of times of the year when you can't dry outdoors due to wet weather and it's often quite useful to be able to air clothes in a dryer even after hanging them outside.

Dryers here are generally electric, although there would be a miniority of natural gas versions around too.

Condenser dryers are generally only used where there is no alternative i.e. no gable wall to duct through. However, some sales people will push condensers to anyone who will buy them. Personally, I think a ducted dryer's a far superior sollution if practical.