Twin Tub Usage
Twin tubs are very "hands on" but enjoyable, and do the wash well.
The basics:
Sort clothes properly, you won't loose much heat in the water for the first 2 big laundry baskets thru, so have all your hot stuff ready first.
Don't overload the washtub, speed makes up for small loads. Use half OR LESS of your normal detergent amount, this tub is TINY.
Many spin tubs hold only about half what the wash tub holds, don't overload. And always use the rubber screen/guard, always. For the first spin, put the drain hose back in the wash to get that detergent- and heat- rich water right back, and start a new dirty load in the wash side. The rest of spinning, with fresh water, should be exhausted down the drain. I always do one quick spray rinse down the drain and always get every drop of water out, then open the lid, rearrange the clothes(pull bottom ones to top, etc) and then do a second spray rinse and always a complete dry spin to get amazing amounts of water out.
Different models let you "automatic rinse" versus turning water on and off yourself, you'll get the hang of it. Nevertheless, re-arrange the rinse load halfway thru for cleanest clearest rinsing. Of course, heavier material needs extra rinsing compared to thin cottons shirts, you'll get used to how much rinse time and load re-arrange gets you clear-running exhaust water.
In using a Twin Tub for months now, I have found that it's easiest and best results to pour 1/4 cup OR LESS of softener in a two gallon bucket, fill it with water, then after one good spray rinse, I pour the softener bucket over the clothes, right in the spin tub, slosh them around a bit, then spindry it all, works well for me.
You'll find drying is very very fast. I end up taking dry stuff from dryer every 5 minutes, and at the same time adding in the new stuff from the spinner tub, kind of a contnuous process instead of normal 35 minute load in the dryer.
Tips: Blue jeans, do one at a time, or with some very small items. Long sleeves, etc, get tangled, oh well, so do sheets. Just set timer for 1/2 the time you want, re-arrange or untangle, then wash for the second half of the overall time. I often do a 2 minute wash, rearrange the load and let it soak while I finsh the softener in the other tub, then 2 more minutes of wash. It's kind of a constant process in the wastub and spinner and your dryer, very different than what you're used to, separate batch by batch.
Also, I used to worry that 4 minutes was so short from the average automatic machine with 8-10-15 minute wash: Well, with splitting the washload into 2 spin loads and re-arranging each spin load between rinses, and adding softener, etc, you can end up with wash load soaking another 3 or 5 minutes, so it sort of evens out to a longer genuine time in the water, clothes come out clean! If something has soaked and scum has risen to the top of the wash load, kick it on for 1/2 minute, what the heck, then take it out and into the spinner.
Depending on what you washed and dirt amounts, you can quickly drain out the wash side and refill fresh. Oftentimes, adding a small amount more detergent after every 2 loads does the trick for me.
Whites, bleaching: Save all your whites til the end. Either add bleach to existing water for this very final wash, or brand new hot water and soap and bleach, your choice. Then I wash 2 minutes, let sit for a good half hour or so while I catch up with the dryer. then 4 minutes agitation, and lots of spinrinses and softener, then drain all water out of the entire machine, yucky clorox down the drain.
With a bit of practice, you'll find you get 5 times more clothes done in an hour than any automatic, but that entire hour is hands on for sure, that's the difference.
Different brands have some various different features, but regardless of knobs and buttons, it's very hands on from wash to spinback into washer, to spinrinse down the drain, add softener, bleach, etc. Forget what you know of automatics, and realize you have an excellent machine that you can fine-tune to each type of material, each dirtiness, each small batch, etc. You can stop and start either side of the machine, take any few items out you don't want washing for 15 minutes, leave in dirtier items while you add new dirty clothes. Every aspect is decided by you, not by pushbuttons on some front loaded big-batch modern thing. Ewww.
Also, your floor is gonna get wetter than hell, the final bit of "washday" can be a quick mopping to give you the weekly clean kitchen floor!
Umm, that enough typing, eh? either Ive had too much coffee or I really enjoy my Twin Tub. Maybe both.
