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yogitunes

yogitunes

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Just wonder if any of you guys do a lot of Soaking?.....in or out of the machine?.....and what methods you use?, detergents, additives, water temp, length of time to soak?

I was having a tough time getting clothes clean in cold water, just to save energy, but with no luck! and the stains were still there!

then I figured out, If I SOAK in "temp controlled" cool water, for a regular load disolve in warm water, 2X the detergent, and maybe color safe bleach(whites got regular bleach).....the results are excellent, depends on the soil level if I let the machine run an automatic SOAK cycle or I shut the machine off for a few hours and then turn it back on to resume the cycle, having 3 machines makes this a lot easier than if I tied up one machine waiting for the whole process to complete!....
 
I soak my whites in the Maytag 806. I use warm water detergent is either Fresh Start or Sears Ultra Plus. I do a prewash first which is four minutes, then set it for a soak cycle. If the clothes are really dirty I will shut the washer off and let it soak for 30 or 45 minutes using detergent and bleach. Then I restart the machine let it finish the soak cycle after it's finished soaking it continues through the full cycle.

If the whites aren't very dirty I won't shut it off and let it soak. The soak cycle on the Maytag isn't very long, I'm guessing between 5 and 10 minutes long; I haven't really timed it yet.
 
I either use the pre wash or I stop the machine. Eventhough the LG does not use much water, it really makes a difference.

Years ago, my dad would start the Frigidaire 1-8 or Rapid Dry 1000, let fill, add detergent add the greasy work clothes, let agitate a few min. then stop the machine. Four or five hours later when he came home to go to work, he started the machine. It was amazing how clean these clothes came out.
 
I do recommend a pre-wash and a water-change before a soak. One does not want the soils that are removed from the armpits and the inseam areas redeposited on the rest of the garment(s).

Detergents do lose their ability to hold soils in suspension after a period of time.
 
At the end of the prewash on the Maytag it drains the water, but at the end of the soak cycle it doesn't and just continues on to the full wash cycle.
 
I use both my top-and front-loader to soak clothes. I soak only loads of heavily stained kitchen whites.

I regulate the water to about 115 degrees, and add SA8 or liquid Tide with Color Clean Bleach and either two scoops of Tri-Zyme (another Quixtar/Amway product) or a couple of those new Tide Stain Release Pacs.

I let the machine agitate a few minutes, then shut it off, allowing the clothes to soak for anywhere from 30 minutes to a couple of hours. If I'm soaking in the front-loader, I'll usually let it tumble a few times during the soaking period.

After the soak, I set the machine for the final rinse cycle so it agitates a few more minutes, followed by a spin.

If I soak a load for under 30 minutes, I usually don't change the water for the wash cycle. Otherwise, it gets reset to a full cycle. I always use liquid chlorine bleach in the full wash. If I don't change the water, I add it during the last 4-6 minutes of the wash cycle.

As Togs mentioned, detergents and additives can't suspend soil in the water indefinitely, so it's important to use fresh water for the wash cycle after an extended soak.
 
I'm A Soaker Too

I always pre-soak my sheets, pillowcases and comforter before a normal wash. I use hot water and a regular amount of an enzyme detergent, then turn off the machine and let everything soak for at least an hour. After that, I restart the washer to drain and spin the load. Next, I reset the washer for a complete regular cycle (hot wash/cold rinse) using about half the amount of enzyme detergent as I did for the pre-soak, along with color-safe bleach. Everything comes out clean and fresh without serious color damage.
 
This all sounds very much

like the normal 90-120 minute European 40 degree wash cycle. The machine doesn't just run up to the 40 degrees all at once, instead it gradually heats the water, permitting the enzymes time to do their work, then the bleach. Agitation is similarly adjusted. Of course, our detergents are designed to hold soil in suspension for that period.

I would guess the American HE detergents are getting better at that, too. I certainly see a big difference between those of 2009 and 2006 in how well they clean.

Of course, even the cheapest phosphate and enzyme based dtergent is 1000x better than the most expensive castrated non-phosphate stuff.

Chlorine bleach works just as well in cold water as in warm and if it doesn't shift the stain in five minutes, overnight won't help either. Soaking in oxygen bleaches does make a difference.
 
I soak everything!

Since I do standard cold washing, I let the machine run for 15 minutes before I go to work, then switch it off and switch it on again in the evening so that the cycle can continue until completion. The results are better than I ever expected. The only other adjustment I make is that I add some extra percarbonate to make the laundry smell fresh as if it has been boiled.
 
I can't remember the last time we soaked anything. For the dirtiest or badly stained loads, we give them some additional agitation time, 20-25 (rarely 30) minutes instead of 15.

That additional time makes a huge difference, especially loads of whites with adequately hot water (140F), enzyme detergent and enough STPP. Even the worst ground-in dirt simply disappears after about 20 minutes.
 
I soak everything.My laundry always comes out smelling so good that people on the street ask me what kind of cologne I have on. when I say "Gain" , they laugh and feel stupid.one time, a girl and her fiance',aproached me and she said she felt a bit embaressed but wanted to know what type of cologne was I wearing?As I told her it was Gain,her fiance'covered his head in disbelief and started laughing uncontrolably as I went and placed my order.The strange part is the clothes I was wearing I had on since the morning around 8AM. I had closed shop at 9PM.I had rebuilt numerous appliances that day and was dirty from the sweat and just being on the floor replacing different parts.So,I was surprised that the scent was still noticeable.
 
Oh Chuck, nothing smells better than Eau-De-Auto-Mechanic.

Well, maybe Eau-De-Athlete in some cases.
 
Cont'd

When I soak whites,I put them through a hot pre wash w/no bleach. Then,I spin them out and resatrt the long soak cycle agitating the load for 5 minutes in hot soapy water. I then add 1/4 C of Clorox Spill proof chlorine bleach. I don't have any idea what type of boster they use to get the cosistancy but it realy gets my whites so white, that when I hang them out,I need to wear sunglasses!!I let the washer agitate or tumble another 5 minutes then shut it down 3 hours.After that, I reset the wash for fourteen minutes and let it go having placed Gain fabric softner in the dispenser.Once they're done, I remove them shaking them as I put them in my laundry basket to hang or tumble dry.

I do colors the same but use warm water and no bleach. Prewash,soak,regular wash and extra rinse.My shoes only get washed in the front loaders and air dried overnight.With them,I use 1/8C Clorox bleach and 1 capfull of Lysol.They come out real fresh and clean.Laundry and cooking are tied in my favorite house chores.
 
I never soak a thing at home. Can't find anything that Viva,hot water, and a vintage machine can't clean.

At work we have a lot of sheets, pillow slips and towels to wash in an old "Filter-Ring". We get some pretty nasty stuff to run through it too, lots of blood, sometimes stomach purge, etc. We never soak a thing. Hot water, Liquid Tide, and towards the end of the wash cycle we dump in some regular Clorox.

Everything always comes out clean.
 
eau d auto mechanic

Just so you know,Jeff,There were days in July and August in Central florida that were ruthless when it came to sweatin' out the pounds.I do not get smelly because I shower twice a day.The only time I would get b.o.is while distance riding on my bike or after swimming in the ocean.Even though my building had A.C.,I only turned it on when it got too hot to bear.Usualy,I'd wind up hosing myself down. I'd wear my sandals and a tank top with casual shorts(Bermudas)and get soaked by hosing myself down.I made sure(incase my boss or his wife happened to pay us a visit.)I had washers in need of service out on the deck. That way I could say I was trying to fill one and it sprayed me. I had to laugh. One Saturday,I was getting wet after mowing the store's lawn and Tony,my boss, was driving the freeway on his way home from the gym downtown and saw me just drenching myself from the head down. I was trying to get all ths damned grass off me. He came in and out to the deck. I didn't see him as he turned the cold water off and turned the hot water on.He laughed so hard he cryed seeing my reaction.The hot water was only around 100F but,the hot Summer heat mixed with it was unbarable.Almost as bad as when my room mate,Orma, set the hot tub to heat the water and, when I dove in the pool assuming I'd cool off,it was around 110F!!Tony told me to go home and get in my pool.I miss that place because I worked alone and had a great boss that let me do my own thing.Had he not been doing some illegal practices like pocketing the money that was supposed to be sent to Maytag for service contracts we sold,I'd probably still be there.
 
If I'm washing a very delicate load on gentle, I'll set the timer for 2 minutes, after the first minute, I'll stop the machine for 5 minutes to give the enzymes enough time to do their job, then restart the machine and let if finish.

Ken D.
 
As much as I do not like P&G products, I will say that Tide powder makes for a great pre-soak. Fill washer/bucket/sink with lukewarm water (about 120), dissolve Tide, add garments soak for a minimum of 30 mins, drain, wring/spin, and then wash as usual. I have my attendants do this with particularly nasty drop-off laundry (from my better customers) at the laundromat.
 
I never soaked anything in my life, even dried on blood (if I have a cold sometimes my noose bleeds) or kitchen residues like oil or dough. Not even pre-treating stains (the only exception being oil); so far stuff always came clean and if it didn't come clean first time, it was a stain that couldn't be shifted (usually discolouration because of some house cleaning product that I spilled).
 
Gabriele,

Remember, you are in Italy. Hot water for you is genuinely hot. You have phosphates, low-temperature boosters, four different enzymes, quick acting oxygen bleaches and machines designed to get the most out of these chemicals.

Americans, unless they are savvy people like the members of this board, have to get by with very cold water ("hot" in America is barely 40°), no phosphates, unsuitable programs for enzymes (in case the detergent even has them), oxygen bleaches without our activators and the chlorine hammer as a last resort.

It's always: Time, agitation, temperature, chemicals.

Since the chemistry is castrated by stupid laws in the US and the 110v weak electrical system makes proper heating cycles hard, you have to make up for it somehow.
Soaking does that.
 
We also have excellent stand-by water heaters. In fact even the concept of washers and dishwashers having their own heating capability was completely unknown to me until I was in my 30's. And no one in American "has to get by" with inadequate water temperatures, unless they're forced to by finances, or choose to voluntarily.
 
*LOL* and BTW since 37*C is body temperature, then 40*C is a fever of 104*F to 106*F. I assure you our water is hotter than that!
 
It's funny how so many people can't figure out why their washer doesn't perform very well, why their dishes aren't coming clean etc, then they tell you they keep their water heaters turned down all the way. Argh!
 
Supreme,

No limit here.I,just recently,repaired a Stayber. I had seen them but never even looked at their mechanism.A customer brought it here for salvage and i called Stayber and got the repair manual. It had been severely abused by the renters using powdered detergents (not HE) and overloading it.I had to replace its door latch,balance switch,Water level selector switch,sump hose and door lock. Once all that was replaced,it ran like a champ.I just got a Norgetag that was missing the knobs and its pump was shot.I replaced its pump and drive belt but it doesn't spin or agitate the right way and makes a bit of a noise not normaly made by those models.I may have to replace the motor assembly.The pully on the motor was full of melted plastic and rubber from the belt friction.I scraped all I could off the main pully but,evidently ,there's still some on it causing the slower speeds---I hope that's right.I rebuilt three gas ranges that needed serious redo.I had to order new oven thermostats,gas oven burners,burner grates and leveling legs.All but one (an O'keefe and Merritt)of them are ready to sell.I had to send it's clock out to have it rebuilt.I had to replace the igniters in two different gas refrigerators.One Servel and one Dometic.They were both sold 5 minutes after their repair for $1300 each.New models sell here for $1799.
 
But, Toggles,

That is the real life 'hot' which TLs end up with, at least I recall reading that fairly recently. If it's warmer than that, great. My experience is that AW.org members are not the norm in these affairs, we tend to be far more knowledgeable and competent. And modest.

Jeff, my parents have a booster for their dishwasher and FL that runs the water up to 148F. It makes all the difference in the world as their ranch style house has the water heater so far away, it takes nearly 10 minutes (not joking) to get the water above 110F at the faucet. That booster sits on its own 20amp service and was only possible because they had the capacity for it.
 
I Soak Too

I always soak my whites,
especially my labs coats as I want them to be a nice bright hospital white.
I soak my whites in hot water with 1.5 cups bleach and some borax, let agitate a few minutes, turn off and close lid. I let them soak until the water is barley warm, approx 3 hours. I drain the water out, If there are stains I treat them with Fels-Naptha, then put in hot water with Ultra-Plus, Borax, and Mrs. Stewarts Bluing. I also add the Bluing to the first rinse.

If I have extremely soiled colors I will soak them in Borax and Murphy Oil Soap in warm water for 2-3 hours.
 
I will occaisionally soak dress shirts, I load up the machine, it does a cold 60min soak, followed by a 30min 60degC wash and 2 rinses.

Anything else thats more than regular soil gets a 70minute wash at 40degC or 60degC and 3 rinses with a total time of about 1hr 50min.

No presaoker or booster used, just the regular does of a phosphated detergent.

When I had a TL as the daily driver, I would fill with hot, put the whites or Shirts in agitate for 5 mins and then switch off overnight. Then restart in the morning with fresh water.
 
we mainly soak white socks and dishrags. That way we can use the short cycle 60* on the miele and save time on washday (50 min cycle as opposed to 1:43) and everything comes out sparkling.
Depending on who sets it up, we use a capful of Sard Wonder colour safe and maybe a touch of detergent. Personally i just shove in a half dose of our regular detergent (Dynamo or Radiant usually). We soak in a seperate bowl that sits in the laundry trough.

Matt
 

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