How Do You Solve A Problem Like Bed Sheets?

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launderess

launderess

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Interested in hearing the various machines members use for doing their bed linen along with pros and cons.

Seems to me each type of machine has their drawbacks.

Front loaders even large laundromat versions can result in things rolling up into a ball. This can cause various degrees of OOB issues. With the Miele one often has to stop the machine, haul the mass out, untangle and restart the spin. Do this to prevent it from banging and clanging itself to death. The Lavamat is slightly better but still can have the same problem, thus must do the same. Happily at the laundryette even if things do get tangled into a ball/unbalanced those machines won't care.

When one had the Whirlpool portable (Hello MickeyD) often found sheets got the dreaded "air bubble" and wouldn't get pulled down for proper cleaning. Have been considering looking for a wringer washer for faster wash days but that issues bothers me.

Hoover Twin Tub? Just no! *LOL! Did several sheets once and when done had to take to one's bed afterwards. *LOL* It isn't just the tangles but you have to get things just so or they won't swirl/get the famous "boiling" wash action. Just get wrapped around that impeller possibly being damaged if left to long.

How are other members linen wash days?
 
With our linens, it depends on which type we're washing.  The fleece ones like to ball up, but the cotton & blends not as much.

 

The most aggravating thing with our Affinity FL is that once it has begun its seemingly interminable balancing act, one can't just pause the machine and gain access.  It waits like three minutes before unlocking the door.  That can seem like an eternity when one is already annoyed with the machine for its mishandling of a simple set of sheets.
 
At least you *can* gain access rather easily.

With the Miele long as the water level is low enough just have to hit the "door open" button. The Lavamat however is another matter. Once a cycle commences it is held hostage until the thing is done. There are periods early in cycle as machine is filling when you can still open the door. That and before the final spin as well (to remove items you don't want spun?). But otherwise you have to use the "emergency" door opening mechanism located at the bottom of machine.

I keep a quarter on top of the Lavamat for just this purpose. *LOL*
 
Well, Reverend Mother Launderess,

Our previous washing machine, an early 2000s Whirlpool Direct Drive TL was an absolute abomination on bed linens day. (Really, any day.) It would twist, tangle, turn, and the damned thing would go out of balance if you looked at it crossways and would attempt to dance a single footed Watusi right out of the blasted laundry room!

Now with the early 1990s Maytag belt drive, the bed linen washday woes are blissful memories. I have yet to have an issue with tangling of queen size sheets or with the fleece blankets. I also have yet to have a single load of any sort throw that marvelous machine out of balance. Even if that were to happen, it would simply shut itself down instead of marring my floors and wreaking havoc on the beams below.
 
What bed sheet problem?

Going back to even the Samsungtag I never really had an issue with balling up, it did a pretty decent job at not doing that.

Now with the Queen resting on her throne in the kitchen, I never have any problems with sheets balling up. I usually wash on the medium level which gives ample room for circulation. The fleece type blankets do very well too, I usually wash 4 of those along with a small area rug all from the family room.
The only thing that is questionable is the heavy comforter from my bed which gets air pockets in it, so I toss it in before letting the tub fill and compact it down as good as I can and then it turns over just fine.

This bitch would scream if he had to wash sheets or comforters with a DD Whirlpool type machine. I've used them quite a bit and am glad I never had one of my own.
 
Launderess, the machine in question had a two piece "corkscrew" style agitator. It was bloody murder on anything you put in it that was larger than a corset or pair of knickers. LOL
 
I wouldn't call my bed sheets linen after a dog and a cat want to tear it up daily. I put my sheets, towels and any white load in my old Maytag on hot, which is somewhat warmer tap not hot, regular cycle and they are fine to hang out or put in the dependable Maytag dryer. Set it on auto dry less, it buzzes and I don't want to take care of it until later when I am good and ready and then everything is full of wrinkles but I don't care because I am the only one that will see it.
 
Yeah, the Speed Queen TL just kind of cruises right along. The BIGGER issue is with the Whirlpool Duet dryer. Man alive that thing twist things up.
 
I've never had any major issues with any washer washing sheets and/or blankets, the front loaders we've had are almost painful to watch in their balancing "act" but eventually do get the job done. I guess the biggest problem I've had that was using the Maytag Performa washer and washing sheets, they'd always get an air pocket under them, refuse to circulate, then tangle. That washer moved on. The Whirlpool DD always washed sheets fine, but would tangle them with the corkscrew agitator, but it did great on larger blankets and comforters. The Maytags that have taken over the laundry room lately do fine on everything as long as they aren't overloaded. Worst as far as drying was the time I melted a (wash and dryable) mattress cover in an old GE (filter flo era, 80's?) dryer we had. I guess tumble dry low actually means use the low heat setting, not medium. What a mess scraping that off the back of the drum! Also melted a fiber fill comforter once, it was set to low but I think by that point the cycling thermostat had gone out and it was cycling on the high limit. (had I known then what I know now it probably would have been fixed, but it was quite a few years ago and it was getting far too hot, and scorching clothes, so it went)
 
Sheets?

Sheets are no problem in the Duet, especially on the whitest whites cycle. However, my Kenmore 80 series dryer is FAR better than the matching dryer would do. You must dry half the load of sheets at separate times to prevent tangling issues. The full load of sheets in the Duet dryer is a mess IMHO. My DD Kenmore was not all that great with sheets.
 
Depends on if I am at work or home...

I work part time at a hotel. We have 2 60lb Milnor Hard Mounts. You can put about 20 queen sheets in a load (fitted and flat sheet plus pillowcases) . Careful loading is needed to avoid tangling. I find it works to take a sheet and ball it up (not too tightly) and put it in. If you lay the sheets in flat, they will fold over on themselves and then you get a giant wad of sheets. We split the load in half for the dyers, this property does not have reversing dryers unfortunately but I have used them and they are amazing for drying sheets.
At home I use my Maytag Maxima usually on the sanitize cycle. That cycle uses the aggressive tumbling pattern which pulls the sheets apart as they tumble. I've never had an issue with them balling up in the washer and causing balancing issues.

cam2s-2015112105211801531_1.jpg
 

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