Gettin' horse whipped!

[ecoclean]

Does anybody out there have any recommendations for a washer capable of cleaning horse blankets??

I have a sister in law in Vancouver that runs a small riding school and she has had it with the local service supplier charging her mucho dollars for cleaning all the horsey stuff. She wants to start cleaning it on-site instead, but despite my protestations, she isn't willing to invest in a Miele just yet. (Probably more to do with my cheap ass bro trying to avoid having a financial heart attack!)

I guess she also needs any info on suitable detergents for all things equine too, so any and all help would be greatly received!

 

[ecoclean]

Gansky, great picture! Unfortunately, I doubt she would have neither the patience nor the time to appreciate a beauty like that. She's more of a 'get it in and get it goin' now' kinda girl'...think thats why my brother married her !! ;-)

 

[sudsmaster]

I woudl think that any of the new large front loaders could handle a horse blanket as well as a Miele. Maybe not for as many years, though. Probably an HE3, HE4, or HE5 T would do the trick, or the Duet/Epic equivalent.

 

[gansky1]

I can't imagine doing horse blankets in the small tub of the '57.

My Duet has an active soak cycle that uses water up to the glass door - good flush out of heavy soil, is that something that would be desired?

 

[panthera]

rinsing thoroughly

More important than the cleaning ability - much more important - is the rinsing factor.
And that is where the a real Frigidaire (a thumper that is, not the TL trash White calls Frigidaire) would certainly be preferable.
Horses have surprisingly sensitive skin, a machine which does not rinse completely would be a very bad idea. Her cheap-ass husband should put the horse's health ahead of his wallet and go with either the Miele or something vintage.
If she does have to compromise, than she needs to run the rinse cycle a few times...and ask their vet which brands she recommends.
A Frigemore FL with extra rinse should have both the capacity and the rinsing ability if a compromise is inevitable.
But the stable where I ride uses a 1960's Miele...I daresay it has paid for itself, no?

 

[frigilux]

I'm with Gansky on this one; A frontloader will definitely be the way to go when washing blankets. The old-school, first-generation Electrolux-made 3.0 cu. ft. frontloading Frigidaires are cheap and they use more water than the newest FL'ers do. They spin at 1,000 rpm.

 

[golittlesport]

Whatever front loader she ends up with....and that is the way to go to clean blankets...she should use one of the "free&clear" HE detergents and not too much. I believe Tide and All have those versions....may be some others. Her horses should not experience any skin irritation of she uses a detergent free of dyes and perfumes, an extra rinse, and has the high extraction of a front loader.

 

[ecoclean]

Thanks for the advice! One concern I would have is the amount of horsehair that would come off the blankets during the wash. Surely that would play havoc with the filter and pump systems?

Incidently, I have a Miele honeycomb washer at home, and sadly Im always left with a hair-filled drum after washing my dogs bedding in it. From my experience, the rinsing qualities of the old style drums were far superior for heavy soil applications such as this.

 

[peterh770]

Holy cow! If your horse blankets are anything like the horse blankets I see come into my laundromat, I would NEVER use any sort of domestic washer to clean them! There is NO WAY any home washer could handle them!!!

See my cmmts in the other thread...

 

[panthera]

I think you are going to have hair problems

And other interesting clumps, true. That Miele I mentioned has an easy access filter which gets cleaned out after every wash.

I agree with the high water temperature. 60°C minimum...140°F.
Hypo-Allergenic detergent, extra rinses and (of course) absolutely no fabric softener.

I hesitate to recommend my current washer, given the horror stories everyone tells about LG service in the US, but I bought mine seven years ago because it was given such a good rating at getting rid of animal hair and sand. They have models with big enough drums, too. Never broke, always cleaned very well, got rid of the hair and sand perfectly...But, gosh...after reading all the problems with their service and then listening to that idiot salesman at homo-depot explain they had the best service in the world, no customers ever had any problems...I am really, really unsure making this recommendation.