Permanent Press Cycles are Overrated

[Chetlaham]

Reading another thread about how Speed Queen combined PP and Heavy Duty into a single cycle, IMO this is another example of Permanent Press marketing strikes again negatively impacting performance and the environment.

While some washers over the decades did a half tub drain followed by two low speed spins, others spun on high with only a 10 second spray in the first spin acting as a cool down. GE filter flos did a continuous spray rinse, however my understanding is that clothes in the back bottom of the tub never actually had the cold water go through them thus still being hot at the end of the spin.

Of all the PP cycle variants in use, I've never heard or seen anyone being able to tell difference. Questioning people over the years, most didn't seem to know what PP actually did, or made the assumption that PP was a wash action between normal and delicate.

The way I feel about PP being that it significantly impacts washer performance, energy and garment life without providing anything in return.

What I think people have been assuming/looking for/ actually needed is low speed agitation and a high speed spin instead of high speed agitation followed by wet clothes, longer drying and wasted water.

How do others feel?

 

[bradfordwhite]

I think it was just a marketing ploy from the beginning to add the illusion of complexity to certain models. Like the enzyme soak and the "just push a button" campaigns.

 

[foraloysius]

This is what it was all about.

 

[DADoES]

 
Whirlpool's/Kenmore's vintage W-n-W/Perm Press cool down process with multiple drains/fills was helpful when line/hang drying.  The heated air and ending cool-down of tumble drying effectively eliminates the need for the special washing process.

 

[Chetlaham]

Wash n Wear

Wouldn't wash 'n' wear require delicate agitation and high speed spinning? I can't imagine 800 rpms causing thread breaking during the spin.

Also, wouldn't the dryer relax the wrinkles on medium heat then prevent them in the cool down?

 

[Chetlaham]

@dadoes: I missed your reply, but yes, I would say you're correct. The dryer would do all the work.

But I can see garments like this needing regular agitation. If anything whats being shown hear are fabrics that are some category between normal and delicate in terms of wash care.

 

[Chetlaham]

*can't see garments like this needing normal agitation.

 

[foraloysius]

You need high agitation speed to get things clean. The man made fabrics can handle that. Lower spin speed because they are dry in no time, those fabrics don't hold a lot of water. And you need some water left for the finish in the dryer. If they are bone dry the wrinkles will be set.

 

[adam-aussie-vac]

What about on machines that do not have a permanent press

Option? Does that mean we have to constantly change the The dial in between normal and delicates every so often just to try and recreate a permanent press cycle or do we just throw it straight on in regular short wash etc

 

[gelaundry4ever]

How I feel about permanent press

I don't use permanent press, so I find that cycle unnecessary. It was stupid of speed queen to combine heavy duty and permanent press together. They should've combined permanent press with delicate and heavy duty with normal and drop the eco altogether, or just have an eco cycle separate.

 

[adam-aussie-vac]

What on earth was speed queen the idea to combine that heavy duty and permanent press cycles together? heavy duty should be hot, hard, and fast * Temperature, agitation, spin speed*
(Get your mind out of the gutter) or they should probably just keep the cycle separate and call heavy duty “Commercial Clean” Because isn’t that what the hot normal cycle does?

 

[Chetlaham]

Dampness for Drying

@foraloysius: You're correct I believe. You know more about fabrics than I do. However, me being my captious self, I would say post spin dampness is not needed to prevent wrinkles from setting in the dryer.

In the 90s Whirlpool badge machines would start the final PP spin at low speed, than shift to high speed for the last several minutes of the cycle. Advertising brochures claimed that this method prevented wrinkles like a low speed spin while giving the extraction advantages of a high speed spin.

Being Whirlpool, I would guess they were confident in taking this gamble. Being that there was not fault out, I would say this offers at least some evidence that wet clothes are not needed for drying. In fact I'd go on a limb and say that this adds more evidence that PP cycles would be ok at least with a final high speed spin.

 

[windrivers]

Speed Queen can't combine heavy duty with normal, and they have to combine eco and normal.

The reason is that energy efficiency is tested on the "normal" cycle, so the "normal" cycle has to be the "eco" cycle in order to pass overbearing restrictions.

They could drop the term "eco" and just use "normal", but that would mislead the consumer into thinking it is a more effective wash, so they call it "eco normal" to indicate it is there to satisfy regulations, not to indicate that "eco" and "normal" are combined.

I don't know or care much about the other cycles as I can't recall the last time I've used anything other than "heavy duty".

 

[DADoES]

SQ Heavy Duty - Perm Press is equivalent to non-eco Normal, simple as that.

 

[windrivers]

Slight correction to my last post, it's called "normal eco" (not "eco normal") at least on the TC5.

 

[windrivers]

SQ Heavy Duty - Perm Press is equivalent to non-eco Normal

Yes, but they have to play word games thanks to idiot regulations.

 

[foraloysius]

@chetlaham

It all depends very much on the type of fabric. Back in the 50’s there were a lot of fabrics used that are totally out of fashion now. And some of them would look terribly wrinkled when spun on a high speed.

 

[gelaundry4ever]

combining eco and normal

They should've had an eco option. I am sick and tired of them combining permanent press and heavy duty. It was a stupid move. Suds do not come out of heavy items unless they're spun at full speed spin on the heaviest cycle like on their older models. Speed Queen, how stupid of you!

 

[blockeight88]

SQ TC5

I have the TC5 and I can attest there is no difference between Heavy Duty & PP. To my knowledge, PP on the TC5 does fast agitation and a low spin. I'm not sure but I think it also might do an extra spray rinse. It's pretty useless.

The Kenmore 80 Series washer I have does a 'Permanent Press I' which I can control the speed and spin followed by a spray rinse after the wash cycle.

Even with the partial drain, are wrinkles really gone?