Maytag Washer Automatic Soak Cycles

[Chetlaham]

Does anyone know the history of Maytag's various Soak Cycles and how they differed from one another? Does anyone remember the soak sequence, especially in washers that automatically advanced into wash after the soak period?

I wish more washers offered an auto soak period prior to the wash. I know I have that need sometimes with stained clothes and towels.

 

[gelaundry4ever]

Does anyone know the history of Maytag's various Soak Cycles and how they differed from one another? Does anyone remember the soak sequence, especially in washers that automatically advanced into wash after the soak period?

I wish more washers offered an auto soak period prior to the wash. I know I have that need sometimes with stained clothes and towels.

My last GE did.

 

[Chetlaham]

My last GE did.

You mean WWSE3160AOWW? That model had a 30 minute soak option.

I myself still can't get model WWA8350P out of my mind (Courtesy and Thanks to DADoES):




Only thing I don't like is that the automatic soak cycle does not advance into the normal cycle. I wish it did, to me that would be optimal. I sometimes pre-treat and soak clothes before I wash them.

 

[Chetlaham]

Sean, did you scan those pages by chance?

 

[qsd-dan]

Sorry for the delay, I moved things around and it took a while to locate them. I'll scan them tomorrow.

 

[daveamkrayoguy]

I loved my 1992 Maytag’s automatic soak cycle and how you could control how long you could soak your laundry for… It automatically advanced into the regular wash cycle as well…

My Kenmore that came with this home had a soak that also automatically advanced or I think you could soak/prewash only and drain, but I’ll have to search for a pic of somewhere…

Surely a higher up General Electric would have a knob that lets you advance your soak cycle into your regular wash cycle or let you drain if it’s available on the timer dial…

Well, I did see a Hotpoint washer ad that put an emphasis on its soak cycle in that fashion much like the better Kenmore and even Whirlpool washers had, as well…



— Dave

 

[qsd-dan]

810

 

[qsd-dan]

710

 

[qsd-dan]

610

 

[qsd-dan]

712

 

[qsd-dan]

312/612

 

[Chetlaham]

Whoa! I can't thank you enough for scanning these. Very interesting to compare. The spin-spray cool downs and the soak advance to wash without draining tells me Maytag might have been trying to save water on latter models. To be honest Prefer the latter model cycle sequence to the earlier models.

I also can't help but think that the soak time also takes into account the wash time as both add up to about 27 minutes similar to the stand alone soak cycle with the spin. It is nice to know that you can both wash and soak your clothes are the same time and have them leave the machine rinsed and spun out.

 

[lakewebsterkid]

Didn’t Maytag have a machine that did intermittent agitation that acted as soaks? I vaguely recall a machine that had 4 speed settings, normal, normal intermittent, gentle, gentle intermittent. It would wash for 2 min, then soak for 2 min, etc.

 

[DADoES]

I've not seen such a model, although that is not to say it doesn't exist. The one-speed Fabric-Matic models have a Delicate cycle with brief (one increment) agitation periods and soaks between. A906's programmed Woolens cycle modifies the 10-mins Regular cycle wash period to be (at low speed): 1 min agitate, 4 min soak, 1 min agitate, 3 min soak, 1 min agitate.

 

[Chetlaham]

Not saying it does not exist, but I also want to see it!

 

[akronman]

I have a mid-70's Maytag A106S one-speed washer. The DELICATE cycle is 8 minutes long, and starts with one increment of agitation followed by maybe 5 or 6 minutes paused. Then another agitation increment before going into the pause before spin drain. I never timed the increments, but it's one of my favorite cycles on any machine. Of course being one-speed, the agitation is all full speed. I use it for clothes I just wear to my office cubicle, they don't need 6 or 8 or 10 minutes of agitation at all.

 

[Chetlaham]

I have a mid-70's Maytag A106S one-speed washer. The DELICATE cycle is 8 minutes long, and starts with one increment of agitation followed by maybe 5 or 6 minutes paused. Then another agitation increment before going into the pause before spin drain. I never timed the increments, but it's one of my favorite cycles on any machine. Of course being one-speed, the agitation is all full speed. I use it for clothes I just wear to my office cubicle, they don't need 6 or 8 or 10 minutes of agitation at all.

3 cycle single speed Maytags are my favorite washers of all time. There is something so elegant about how Maytag went about it.

Here is the cycle sequence for delicate as typical for single speed Maytag washers of the 1970s:



The delicate cycle is as follows:

Fill and soak 1 minute

Agitate 1 minute

Soak 4 minutes

Agitate 1 minute

Soak 1 minute

Spin 2 minutes

Spin and Spray 1 minute

Spin 1 minute

Pause Fill 1 minute

Agitate 1 minute

Soak 1 minute

Spin 4 minutes




I like it. I miss Maytag.