Hey guys....

[panthera]

LCB

Is a big problem for those washers which use aluminum alloys in high-load parts, such as the spider in the Electrolux washers sold in the US until (says Electrolux) 2004. The damage is documented and not something anyone questions, even the company admits it.

My late 1970's Miele toploader had aluminum components in the air displacement chamber which corroded under normal use and were ultimately replaced with all plastic, I think aluminum in the very high heat/very caustic environment of our European washers is just a mistake.

On a side note, talked this week to an English friend in Westward Ho!, whose cottage I've had the pleasure of staying at many times. Yup, Margaret said, of course we bleach stuff with chlorine occasionally in the washer. Everybody does, when there's nothing else to be done.

 

[mrboilwash]

I use the non terry type dishcloths for countless cleaning jobs to save on paper towels.
They get used as kitchen hand towels, to dry the dining table after using the sponge, to soak up the remaining puddles on cups in the dishwasher, for polishing the counter top, for stuff like coffee spills and even for my windows.
If one is particularly dirty, I wrap it up with a used towel before it goes into the hamper. Of course it has to be completely dry.
They get always washed together with my towels, white socks and things like that on a weekly 95°C boil wash in the Miele.
Paper towels are preferably only used for greasy stuff in this household.

 

[bosch2460]

favorit and panthera-- I figured out how to hack into my Miele and adjust all of the settings. lol. It now does a longer wash, and I can still use extended if I need to. When I got it, the default cottons 105, was 58 mins. Now that I adjusted it, its like an hour and 17 mins. I also have the cool down programmed in, and the auto load adjustment turned off. Just because I was a small load, does not mean I want a really short wash. I also have it set for the max water level for rinses. That puts the rinse level about 1/3 up the door. When I did the adjustment though, it changed 2 of my programs. Jeans went to Quick wash, and I believe that Dress shirts changed to a Mixed wash, or something like that. My 1966 will let me use a slower spin if needed. If it is less than 700 rpms, it will add an extra rinse. But I can use any of the speeds on a cottons program.

I do prefer not to use bleach in the Miele, just in case. I have the Filter Flo for that, if needed. Besides, I can get better results with a 140 or 190 wash in the Miele, vs. a hot bleach wash in the TL.

Thanks again guys...I rarely post here, and I never expected to get this many responses!

 

[panthera]

Stefan,

You approach it like most folks do here in Germany.
I long ago decided, as long as I have cats and dogs and ultra-grünen Roommates who think 'clean' is a cold-water wash of 7Kilos on Kurzwäsche with 1 Teelöf. Ecover, I will use paper towels.

To each his own, I just got tired of seeing the clothes used to wipe up the cat's furballs used to dry the dishes...

 

[hunter]

here, here Panthera.

Here, here.

I am certainly a person who believes in efficient use of resources (when I bought my house I replaced the old furnace with a 95% efficient, the water heater with a tankless, replaced the 60s vintage windows, etc.). I also avoid buying anything that has been processed more than minimally in food, shopping at thrift stores, etc. I've done this all my life.

BUT...I like paper towels. I like clothes washed in hot water.
My step daughter, who is 'green' does exactly what you describe - wiping up cat...mess....then washing the dishes with the rag.

No thanks.

(I'll stack my life style up against most of the uber-greens. I am NOT green - I just believe in being efficient)

 

[panthera]

Hey Hunter,

My mother collects egg shells to enrich the soil, made my dad bleed the deer over a bucket so the blood wouldn't be lost (and isn't it ironic that I, the vegetarian, 'got' to help dress the game, 'cause my brother, the pure carnivore couldn't stomach it...).
Waste not, want not. Fix it up or do without. When I was a kid, there were ZERO bookstores in Fort Collins and we had to go to Denver or Cheyenne once a month to stock up on stuff the local store didn't carry and wouldn't order. We learned to husband our resources.

But that didn't mean we had to be fools. Paper towels and disposable tissues are true weapons in the fight against preventable disease. Our generation is spoiled. We think there's an antibiotic against everything. This was never true and is becoming less and less so with every passing year.

Hmm, your daughter and my old roommate would have gotten along great A match made in heaven, no? To be fair, he's also an outstanding cook, which is a hoot, since he has to Ph.Ds in Lebensmittelchemie (food chemistry).

 

[rll70sman]

Joel, it looks like you've got a good thread going here . We all have our reasons for the way we do things and I'm amazed at the variety of responses.

I guess I'm sort of in-between on how dish towels and rags are laundered. They're typically washed once a week with my regular laundry, depending on color. However, if they get stained or turn sour, they're pretreated with Shout or liquid Tide and tossed in the hamper and clean ones are brought out. Whites are washed in hot and colors are washed in cool or cold water with either Tide Original Scent liquid and Arm & Hammer washing soda, or powdered Oxydol. Mrs. Stewart's Bluing is added to the rinse water for whites and vinegar is used when rinsing colored clothes.

I, like most of those here, have separate towels in the kitchen--one is a dish towel and the other is a hand towel. In fact, it drives me up the wall when I see other people using the same towel for drying hands and dishes or draping the dish towel over their shoulder while doing other kitchen tasks. If only they realized how many germs get transferred to dishes after that towel has sat on their shoulder, rubbing against their neck or brushing through their hair. Yuck! Just hang the dish towel back up if you're not going to use it right away!

 

[danemodsandy]

I Don't Think...

...That being "green" (well, greener) means giving up cleanliness or healthy practises. I believe in judicious use of what's needed to get the job done, but not in wastefulness. If you have sheets and towels to be done, by all means use the hot water and detergent and bleach necessary to get them truly clean. But make sure you're running a full load, measure those chemicals carefully so as not to use too much, and don't forget to turn the temp selector back to "Warm" or "Cold" when you're through. There are many things - from ovens to dishwashers to water faucets - that can be used less or used more efficiently, instead of giving them up.

I am also not a fan of running out to buy "green" appliances if older ones are still working properly or can be repaired to do so. Appliances, like cars, are very energy-intensive to produce, often using more energy in their manufacturing processes than they will during their working lifetimes. That means it might actually be far greener to make sure one's old dishwasher is full for each load, than to buy a new one that uses somewhat fewer resources per cycle run. I feel that the EnergyStar label has become the antithesis of what it was intended to be; consumers now buy such products to salve their consciences (which takes only money), rather than making any real change in how they live (which requires thought, patience and work).

I have a friend who uses his big oven to bake one potato for his supper. I've mentioned toaster ovens and microwaves to him, only to hear that he doesn't care for a microwaved potato, and doesn't want his countertops "cluttered up" with a toaster oven. The fact that his stove is a newer one that supposedly saves energy doesn't count for much with such a usage pattern, if you ask me.

Don't get me started on people who demand an SUV or a big crossover for the sole purpose of a solo commute to work - a job that could be equally well done with a Civic. If you need such a vehicle, fine. But if more people thought about their actual needs instead of fashion, we'd all be better off, IMHO.