Front loaders, Pilling, and Fabric Shavers

[stricklybojack]

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Geez Louise, i thought we covered it all here at AW until i came across this tread at Houzz...

Any thoughts?[this post was last edited: 8/18/2018-17:08]

http://https//www.houzz.com/discussions/5444144/help-me-front-load#n=15

 

[appnut]

Robert, the link doesn't work. 

 

[stricklybojack]

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Thx, appnut, fixed it.

 

[appnut]

You are welcome Robert. 

 

[washerdude]

Non Turbowash LG's saturate the load very slowly. I turned off TW on my 4370 and it spent a good 1/4 of the main wash on the normal cycle just saturating the load. Glad I went with the TW models as opposed to the ones without.

 

[rolls_rapide]

"saturate the load very slowly"

It must be poor programming of the software. Nay - not poor programming - shoddy programming.

I remember reading absolute yonks ago, that the aim by certain manufacturers (Bosch, Hoover, et al) was to 'wet out' the load as quickly as possible - to reduce friction damage.

And I think some manufacturers could improve the wetting-out phase further still.

For example, if a machine has a recirculation pump, then why not switch it on too, say five seconds after the machine starts to fill? That way, any detergent flushed from the dispenser drawer would be immediately mixed, dissolved, and injected back into the load, in quick fashion, rather than languishing in the sump.

The optimum water level/absorbency problem would also be achieved much quicker, without all these 'stop-starts' which some machines seem to delight in doing.

Frankly, I could do a better job of programming the machine's software. In fact, I think most of us on here could. I just dunno what goes on in the heads of some machine designers.

Regarding garments, personally, I turn large garments inside out (t-shirts, polo shirts, jumpers, trousers and shorts). Smaller items get washed 'as is'. But sometimes, it appears to be down to the type and weave of fabric. Some will pill/bobble more than others.

 

[lotsosudz]

LG

I find it odd that so many people claim that LG washers {FL} have all these issues! I have A pair, with no issues. I generally load by color, and fabric type, with no issues. Unless it is a singularly flawed washer, I would question if it is due to
overloading. I am very careful, as most of us are, as to how I wash clothes. Mine does have Turbo Wash, how ever there has been times when the other half , runs a load or two with out TW off, and have never experienced any of these problems. I am not saying it is not the washer, but generally find that it is what we do with them, that causes the issues, most of the time.

 

[uncledave]

In FL's with plastic ladles this effect often becomes worse over time.

As heavy loads with zippers drag across the ladles the surfaces become lined with pits and scrapes which then drag across your your clothes thousands of times multiplying the effect and tearing up your clothes in an accelerated fashion.

The load is never heavier than when its its wet and the constant friction from the ladles is a a killer.

Mieles stainless steel ladles really stand out offering the best resistance - of course at a cost.

UD

 

[henene4]

Never saw any FL that was used normal that had any deeper scratches on plastic parts inside the drum, no matter which price point.

Your point is insanely easy to disprove. If metal zippers could easily scratch plastic lifters to the point they become problematic, they would easily scratch through the fibres in the load directly.

Cotton is less cut resistant then plastic.

 

[launderess]

"if a machine has a recirculation pump, then why not switch it on too, say five seconds after the machine starts to fill? "

Cannot speak for all machines, but on my AEG Lavamat recirculation pump comes on soon as filling ceases. This wetting down of load will go on for several minutes pausing if machine senses load needs topping up. Once all is said and done, recirculation ceases during heating phase of wash cycle.

 

[liamy1]

Now

You mention it, after thinking really hard, I would say my Samsung and the LG non TW before that, did make clothes a bit more bobbly than my current older Bosch which uses more water of course (it does also have metal paddles, but I honestly don’t know enough to say this would have an effect or not).

I remember posting on here a few years back about it, swearing that it was Daz detergent that was doing it.

Also as mentioned by @Rolls, those 2 machines LOVED doing the stop start fill every blinking second too - it drove me MAD.

Suppose the one rule I live by to prevent/minimise bobbling is to NEVER wash towels or jeans with any other item of fabric. Or anything to heavy/robust with lighter fabrics.

 

[rolls_rapide]

The Zanussi 'IZ' I had, switched its recirculation pump on a short time after it started filling. A single stream jet, it was even effective at sluicing liquids and gels out of the dosing ball.

And whilst the plastic paddle/lifters/ladles certainly became scuffed and scratched over the years, none actually had any burrs to snag material.

What I have noticed though, is that garments or towels with errant threads (badly finished hems, etc) can get caught between the plastic lifter and the metal drum.

I noticed this in particular, on the Chinese made Panasonic, where its plastic lifters extended right to the back wall of the drum. Ever-so-slight backwards/forwards movement of the lifters was enough to create pinch points. I believe this became worse as the machine aged, and the lifters became slacker on their mountings. Not a big deal, but noticeable nonetheless.

 

[uncledave]

Never saw any FL that was used normal that had any deeper scratches on plastic parts inside the drum, no matter which price point.
Your point is insanely easy to disprove. If metal zippers could easily scratch plastic lifters to the point they become problematic, they would easily scratch through the fibres in the load directly.
Cotton is less cut resistant then plastic.

I have.

I have seen 5-year-old asian machines with scratched ladles a few times in shopping for machines for my sister and a lake house.

Metal zippers are one reason why Miele uses metal ladles - at least according to their US manager I discussed the ladle situation with.

Zipper do scratch through the fibres- especially the teeth on open ones.

Zippers are one reason I don't wash anything tat has then them with delicate fabrics or T-shirts.

An Open jean zipper will chew cotton up pretty quickly.

It's insanely easy to see what I'm talking about - take 17 pounds of jeans dry and soak them with water and the put that pressure on a cotton shirt with a bit of back and forth rubbing against the bottom of a sink or tub and watch your shirt pill and become trashed.

Or Just do like kids do and throw a few cotton shirts in with jeans and leave the zippers open and see what happens after a while.

UD

 

[tomturbomatic]

I close the zipper and button the waist to protect other fabrics from the zipper's teeth. I guess I never forgot the riddle about what had 128 teeth and held back a monster. My Duet was a destroyer of fabrics; I pulled out a work shirt the other day and was aghast at the damage that caused the shirt to be put in the work rag bin. Everyone said to check the paddles, but they did not look scarred enough to cause the damage. I think the main thing about fabric wear in the FLs today is the low water level compared to the WH and Bendix machines of decades past.

Those pilling shavers used to be in all of those catalogs like Lilian Vernon.

 

[launderess]

Nearly every washing machine owner's manual

Have read down the years advise closing up zippers and even turning such garments inside out.

 

[uncledave]

Correct Laundress- but sometimes they can open up.

Sometimes you miss one- other times like when the "kids" do their own laundry - they just don't follow the sagely advice given by the manual or their elders.

All I'm saying is that a wet load of jeans with an open zipper CAN and sometimes will scratch a plastic ladle - and if that happens then that scratch goes over and over all your clothes throughout the rest of time and that can exacerbate pilling.

UD

 

[rolls_rapide]

Personally, I think much of today's pilling is down to the washing machine. Whether it is the drum surface being too ribbed, too low a water level, too long a cycle, or lengthy tumbles to balance for spinning, or a combination thereof.

Add in cheaply made fabrics of inferior quality, and you're well on the way to destruction alley.

I've just spent the past couple of hours 'de-linting' my machine - I did a load of coloureds, and ended up with a white cotton 3" worm of lint in the load. It must have come from the whites load yesterday. The more I live with this machine, the less I like its foibles.

 

[iowabear]

In all the years I've been doing laundry in a whole variety of machines (GE filter-flo, classic Maytag, Whirlpool DD, Neptune FL and wide variety of laundromat machines) the only time I can remember clothing being seriously damaged is from over-drying in unfamiliar dryers that ran way too hot.

 

 

[this post was last edited: 9/22/2018-10:29]

 

[uncledave]

Dryer cooking happens, so does wash damage for me.

"seriously" damaging is rare - my 1215's 220V sanitize heat level would scour iron on transfers right off and wipe out delicate fabrics if improperly used (mainly by guests not knowing what they unleashed)

My old top loaders would occasionally yank something apart but that was rare.
My kids overloaded my 1215 and their clothes dragged across the lip wiping that piece out.

Ladle damage and scratches simply accelerate wear.
Less dramatic than outright destruction, but sub-optimal if you have nice clothes.

Particularly susceptible to rough edges and tub design/ damage are the delicate collar ends on dress shirts and the fold right at the neck

Damage here condemns the shirt to trash heap long before the rest of the item is even close to being worn out.

UD