Question: Steam in a washer, something useful or just marketing hype?

[glenfieldmathk1]

Depends how the steam is made...

If its from a generator and pumped in at the top of the drum, steam rises, so not going to really go anywhere, and it'll soon condense as the drum is cooler anyway. (LG/Miele technique)

However if there's not a generator, and its the bottom of the tub that fills with water to just below the drum, and the internal heater heats up to boiling to create the steam. The steam rises through the clothes, and actually can loosen stains before washing, refresh clothes, remove creases, or help with allergy removal/hygiene. (Hotpoint/Electrolux technique). Personally I think this method is better, but anyway, a pre-wash or a high tempo wash can do just as good.

 

[imperial70]

I have the GE Profile PFWS4600LWW with steam assist and steam refresh. I actually got this machine for the sanitize wash (NSF 160 degrees F....)
I use the steam for stain/ordor removal as well as taking out wrinkles.
It has the nozzel at the top but the steam really penetrates the clothes as they come to the top. The basket fills with steam. The condensation process doesn't seem to impact the performance.

So I say yes to a steam washer. Works great. There are still some PFWS4600's out there on clearance at Home Depot.

 

[passatdoc]

Electrolux 60 steam washer update

There are three options for extra stain removal in this machine. One is Prewash. The second is Stain Removal. One of them involves starting with cool water and heating it to warm/hot; can't remember if that's prewash or stain removal. Anyway, third option is Add Steam. I"ve tried all three on my work clothing (100% cotton/no wrinkle fabrics from LL Bean) and find that the Add Steam option works best. The only issue I have wherein this washer (and the Frig 2140 that preceded it) are underarm stains. Most of the time not an issue because I wear white shirts only for dressy occasions. At work either a solid pastel or darker shirt, or else tattersall or university stripe where you can't see the stains due to the pattern.

Anyway, I opted for Add Steam as part of the Normal cycle. It adds about 15 minutes to the cycle. It does the best job of the three options, plus it likely uses less water because it's steam rather than a prewash. I am starting to avoid prewash for another reason. I tend to add several tbsps of borax to my wash detergent to aid in rinsing. Last time I used prewash, I found that some of the borax caked in the dispenser and wasn't carried down into the wash drum. My guess is that the prewash water must have moistened the powder in the main wash compartment, to where the water running through the dispenser couldn't move the powder out of the dispenser. So I think I'll be moving more in the direction of Add Steam when there are tough stains, rather than prewash (unless it's something you know has to be soaked in cold water, such as blood stains).

 

[nickers]

I think steam is worthless in a dryer, but useful in a FL washer. Not only for some additional cleaning of fabric, but also for keeping the outer drum clean. My concern is if I can descale my LG steam generator. Does it use line water, or water from the sump?

If the feed for the heating element is from the hot water input, I have no way to introduce an acid. If the steam generator takes water from the sump, I'll just run some citric acid.

I do have a steam dryer too. I have no reason to descale that unit.

 

[revvinkevin]

steam is worthless in a dryer?

 

 

I think steam has of more benefit in the dryer than the washer.   Specifically if you have wrinkled clothes and you want "unwrinkle" quickly.   I assume it would be easier to toss in the dryer for a quick 20 minute "steam cycle".   It's easier than ironing!

 

As for which "water" the steam generator uses, think about it.   If it used water recycled from the from the washer sump, the steam generator would so screwed up so fast, the company would have tons of warranty service calls due to non-working steam generators (if the customer even noticed it wasn't working, that is.   So it uses fresh water (cold) for the steam generator.   The dryer is the same, some require a water connection, others have a reservoir that must be refilled.

 

Kevin

 

 

[logixx]

The TSG (Turbo Steam Generator) on older LG washers is can be removed. Newer LG washers create "steam" by simply heating the water underneath the drum.

 

[nickers]

I've researched and found the wash water on the LG steam cycle peaks at about 140F . They don't get "truesteam" from 140F.

But if the machine is boiling a portion of the wash water, that's good. That means I can descale the heating element simply by acidifying the wash water during a tub clean. I also now know I can guarantee a hot wash (as opposed to the 'hot' water setting that only produces warm bath water) by pressing the steam button.

I like the way my LG front loader cleans clothes. I just wish I didn't have to decode how it works.

 

[logixx]

boiling a portion of the wash water

If your machine says TrueSteam, it probably has a dedicated steam generator outside of the tub. The current models went from TrueSteam to just Steam. Is there a yellow nozzle at the 12 o'clock position on the gasket?

 

 

[jerrod6]

 When steam is being used do the clothes tumble or do they sit still? Wouldn't a 190F or 170F degree wash clean as well as steam?  

 

[logixx]

They tumble. When you forward this video to about 19 minutes in, you can still see some dry spots on the clothes. Not sure what this is supposed to do when there's not even water ( -> detergent) on the clothes.

 

 

[newwave1]

I bought myself an LG Steam 9kg 1400rpm machine as a gift to myself when my 2nd son was born. I can confirm it was excellent for stain removal without additional stain removers and was great for sanitising at 40degrees for items that couldn't be washed hotter.

Darren