partscounterman
Member
I am not going to be specific about how long it has been since I have washed my king sized bedding because I am a little embarrassed. I had a bad experience at the laundromat the last time, so I put it all off for quite a while. Just to be clear I am talking about the deep bedding; I change and wash sheets weekly.
The last time I took pillows, mattress pad and comforter to the nearby Speedy Wash (Speed Queen equipped!) all my stuff came out reeking of chlorine bleach when I did not use any. I was particularly annoyed because I have those pillows from TV and they tell you not to use LCB; they reeked of chlorine for weeks afterward. I thought I was sleeping at a public pool. The only thing I can think of is that that attendant must have "cleaned" the machine by dumping some LCB into the rinse dispenser. I always seem to end up with a weird bleached out spot on my comforter and my mattress pad did not live much longer after this episode.
I've since replaced my mattress pad with one I paid way too much money for (Franklin!) because it promised not to slip off the mattress. It does seem to be of a little better quality than some of the other mattress pads I had. I have burned through a lot of mattress pads in my life. Anything you can buy now seems to be made of that stinkin' nonwoven polyester junk that goes to pot in a New York minute. What I wouldn't do to own the kind of mattress pads my Mother seemed to have with her for @ 60 years. These were heavy white cotton, along the lines of a quilted movers blanket. Because of how much I spent, I was quite reluctant to wash this pad so I have been vacuuming it every time I change sheets.
So finally the day came where the mattress pad was now visibly soiled and the pillows were greazy and disgusting. My Virgo nature could not even...! It all had to be washed.
I decided to wash everything in my Kenmore 60 series 24 inch wide "Extra-Large" capacity washer. I can't say it was easy, but I am very pleased with my results.
I started with "My Pillow". 2 King size. I filled my washer halfway with very warm (almost hot) water and added a full dose of Tide powder and a scoop of some dollar store oxi. I then manually squished and squeezed those pillows down into the washwater until they were mostly submerged. My little Kenmore was able to agitate these with some assist from me turning them over. Mostly, I soaked. I let them to soak for an hour. The wash liquor turned a nauseating greenish yellow and I wished I had prewashed at a lower temp first. I then rinsed twice; vinegar in the first rinse, baking soda in the second. I popped them into the dryer for 30 minutes and then hung them in the sun the rest of the day. I turned the clothes line around throughout the day. They turned out looking like new with no stains and they smelled so great!
Next I washed my navy blue comforter. This is an inexpensive piece I got at Family Dollar and I just needed a refresh. My washer handled this without a lot of attention from me.
Then I washed the two king sized polyester pillows from the shams. These weren't as dirty as the other two, but they were heavier-my washer could not agitate them. I had to provide the mechanical action, so I was just using my washer as a washtub that filled, drained and spun. Again, I soaked for an hour.
The mattress pad was the same deal; too big for the machine to actually wash so I swished it around manually and let it soak. My washer had no problem spinning any of these heavy items damp dry. The mattress pad was too big to dry right in my dryer (standard capacity Kenmore) but I live at 6200 feet elevation between the mountains and the high desert so everything got dried sweet in the sun.
My Kenmore washer is very capable at keeping two people outfitted with clean clothes and I'm really happy I was able to get through a special washday, even though it was a lot of work-I felt like a Pioneer Woman! Going to the laundromat is no picnic either and I am happier with my home results.
The last time I took pillows, mattress pad and comforter to the nearby Speedy Wash (Speed Queen equipped!) all my stuff came out reeking of chlorine bleach when I did not use any. I was particularly annoyed because I have those pillows from TV and they tell you not to use LCB; they reeked of chlorine for weeks afterward. I thought I was sleeping at a public pool. The only thing I can think of is that that attendant must have "cleaned" the machine by dumping some LCB into the rinse dispenser. I always seem to end up with a weird bleached out spot on my comforter and my mattress pad did not live much longer after this episode.
I've since replaced my mattress pad with one I paid way too much money for (Franklin!) because it promised not to slip off the mattress. It does seem to be of a little better quality than some of the other mattress pads I had. I have burned through a lot of mattress pads in my life. Anything you can buy now seems to be made of that stinkin' nonwoven polyester junk that goes to pot in a New York minute. What I wouldn't do to own the kind of mattress pads my Mother seemed to have with her for @ 60 years. These were heavy white cotton, along the lines of a quilted movers blanket. Because of how much I spent, I was quite reluctant to wash this pad so I have been vacuuming it every time I change sheets.
So finally the day came where the mattress pad was now visibly soiled and the pillows were greazy and disgusting. My Virgo nature could not even...! It all had to be washed.
I decided to wash everything in my Kenmore 60 series 24 inch wide "Extra-Large" capacity washer. I can't say it was easy, but I am very pleased with my results.
I started with "My Pillow". 2 King size. I filled my washer halfway with very warm (almost hot) water and added a full dose of Tide powder and a scoop of some dollar store oxi. I then manually squished and squeezed those pillows down into the washwater until they were mostly submerged. My little Kenmore was able to agitate these with some assist from me turning them over. Mostly, I soaked. I let them to soak for an hour. The wash liquor turned a nauseating greenish yellow and I wished I had prewashed at a lower temp first. I then rinsed twice; vinegar in the first rinse, baking soda in the second. I popped them into the dryer for 30 minutes and then hung them in the sun the rest of the day. I turned the clothes line around throughout the day. They turned out looking like new with no stains and they smelled so great!
Next I washed my navy blue comforter. This is an inexpensive piece I got at Family Dollar and I just needed a refresh. My washer handled this without a lot of attention from me.
Then I washed the two king sized polyester pillows from the shams. These weren't as dirty as the other two, but they were heavier-my washer could not agitate them. I had to provide the mechanical action, so I was just using my washer as a washtub that filled, drained and spun. Again, I soaked for an hour.
The mattress pad was the same deal; too big for the machine to actually wash so I swished it around manually and let it soak. My washer had no problem spinning any of these heavy items damp dry. The mattress pad was too big to dry right in my dryer (standard capacity Kenmore) but I live at 6200 feet elevation between the mountains and the high desert so everything got dried sweet in the sun.
My Kenmore washer is very capable at keeping two people outfitted with clean clothes and I'm really happy I was able to get through a special washday, even though it was a lot of work-I felt like a Pioneer Woman! Going to the laundromat is no picnic either and I am happier with my home results.
