Hot rinses on a Aussie whirlpool

[smartdrive1100]

Was looking at a couple listings that have been up for a while and decided to take a closer look at the control panel on this Malleys whirlpool and noticed that it had hot rinses, found that to be really strange.
Does anyone know why they did it?

https://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/razorback/washing-machines-dryers/automatic-whirlpool-washing-machine/1257896796

 

[DADoES]

 
Of six selections, one labeled Work Clothes that provides a hot wash with hot rinse.

 

[smartdrive1100]

What are the benefits?

I think it would be similar to the 50s where dryers and washers had the UV light to get rid of viruses (pretty sure it was polio) but removed them because there were better detergents also it was expensive (I may be incorrect here).

I may be picking up something up this weekend but no spoilers (no, it’s not the machine we are talking about in this thread).

 

[ozzie908]

Hot rinses

Didn't they help when pure soap was used before detergent was the norm? Soap being a fat by product needed warm to hot water to rinse it out.

 

[jamiel]

Certainly not in the late 70s/early 80s; the vintage of this washing machine.

 

[DADoES]

 
It could be a holdover selection if soaps continued with some popularity on the Australian market, or maybe just a thing to better-handle grungy work clothes.

 

[brisnat81]

It would be to deal with greasy work clothes. Dad is a heavy machinery mechanic and I have vivid memories of the times mum didn’t follow her standard washing procedure and the plastic wash bowl turned grey with grease/oil.

Essentially she would run a hot wash with plenty of detergent and ammonia. She would then set the machine to stop at the end of the wash. Then She would then come back and let it drain and spin, before restarting with another hot wash and then let it continue to the end.

Dad generally wore overalls so it was only those that really needed the heavy wash treatment. The Aussie Simpsons with a manual suds saver, could be programmed to stop before they started to drain at the end of the wash, which was perfect for these scenarios. By the 80s a hot/warm cycle was hard to find, so it was just easier to do two hot washes plus a cold rinse.

 

[lakewebsterkid]

*drool*

Considering the cycle name and intent, I would imagine it is to keep the fibres wide open to allow for greater removal of dirt and grease in the rinse vs cold or warm. I can't think of any other reason.
I'm sure if you washed whites with that combo that they would come out blinding white. Zero residues to speak of! Lol.

 

[pierreandreply4]

one could even say it was the sanitize wash rinse temp

One could even say it was the sanitize wash rinse temp of the time and its rare to see at least from my point of view growing up with inglis whirlpool appliances to see a side opening lid whirlpool washer

 

[launderess]

Hot rinses or at least first rinse was or is largely when using pure soap instead of detergent.

With soap you want to keep it in solution to easily flush out of fabrics. Hence at least first rinse (and perhaps second) was supposed to be same temperature as wash (hot, very warm or at least warm) water. To use cold water would cause soap (and soil/muck from laundry attached) to harden between fibers becoming quite difficult to remove.

Laundry where soap was not totally removed soon took on a "tattle-tale" grey appearance. It also could develop a whiff about it from soap residue going rancid. Detergents made from synthetic surfactants are not so much affected by water temperature for rinsing, so warm or even cold water after a hot wash is fine.

On another note yes, warm water is slightly better for rinsing than cold. Warm water does allow for better removal of soils and muck because weave of natural fibers remains slightly open. Extraction of water is also slightly better with warm water over cold, and there is less (slightly) energy involved with machine drying or ironing as well.

When energy crisis of 1970's hit warm rinses were largely eliminated from American domestic washing machines. Everyone was told "cold" water was fine for rinsing, and while yes laundry rinsed in warm water used slightly less energy when machine dried, that had to be weighed against cost of heating water.

Commercial/institutional laundries usually have "warm" water at 100 to 120 degrees F. They do not rinse anything in cold water normally. When "cold" water is used it may be regulated to mean about 86 degrees F.

 

[launderess]

Laundry with heavy amounts of fats, oil, grease...

Plenty of hot water and strong mechanical action will aid in removing natural fats from fabrics, and to some extent petro or other unnatural from same. But addition of solvents actually will give better results.

Oils are hydrophilic, meaning they repel water, thus at some point regardless of water temperature and brute force they can be difficult to remove from fabrics. Solvents OTOH over come that obstacle and result in a better wash. This is why dry cleaning is often better for oily/greasy dirt than wet.

Laundry day was made easier with discovery of oil and refined products such as naphtha (think Fels Naphtha Soap among others).

Mr. Fels found a way to bind Stoddard solvent/naphtha to soap in such a way it remained largely so until used. Being a hydrocarbon solvent (basically addition of dry cleaning fluid to wash water), it cut fats, grease and oils both man made and petro rather easily.

Raising pH (alkaline level) of wash water by adding ammonia (ammonium hydroxide), lye, sodium metasilicate, washing soda, will work well enough for most natural fibers to shift natural oils, especially again when combined with hot to very water and brute force, but at cost of being harsh on fabrics. Again solvents will get you there with better results and less wear and tear.