Sorting habits and programs we use

[mrboilwash]

I`m looking forward to heaps of cultural shocks from all over the globe so I decided to start a thread about my laundry habits.

Basically I have just three different loads of laundry.

Lot#1 is Cotton 40°C (Regular-Warm, max. extraction)
I use that for all kinds of clothes of mixed colors like t-shirts, jeans, sweaters and so on ecxept for undies and socks.

Lot#2 is Cotton 60°C (Regular-Hot)
Colored sheets and duvet covers and black socks and undies.

Lot#3 is Cotton 95°C (Sanitize)
Towels, tea towels, sport socks, rags and anything white or true color. I try to switch down to 75°C as often as possible to save energy.

Of course I also use the permpress and delicate cycles of my Miele every now and then for some special items like jackets or the shower curtain. But I think the above makes about 90% of my laundry.

 

[tomturbomatic]

Same here. I use the cottons cycle for almost everything I wash, just varying the temperature and slowing the spin speed a bit for PermaPress loads. I wash dark socks and shirts at 85F, white socks and t shirts at 140F and pastel sheets & shirts at 120F. I have to wash my bath sheets in one of the top loading agitator washers because the 3' X 6' size and the weight of the terrycloth makes a load of them tangle into a ball that will not come apart to spin. I wash 6 or 7 of them in a load at 120F.

 

[whirlcool]

We are a little bit more detailed:

All white underwear get washed on Hot with a cold rinse, "Regular Cycle" Pillowcases (most of ours are white) also get put in this cycle.

All bedsheets get washed on Hot with a Perm press Cycle with a Cold Rinse.

T-Shirts and colored shirts and pillowcases get washed on the Perm press Cycle with a cold rinse.

Denims get washed on Warm with the Regular Cycle and a warm rinse.

My uniform shirts get washed separately in warm water, Perm Press cycle and a cold rinse.

Towels get washed in HOT on a Perm Press setting with a cold rinse. This includes ALL towels and bath mats.

Last night we were washing denims (using Cheer liquid) and there was too much sudsing action. It took 3 rinses (and some vinegar) to get a clear rinse. Then I remembered a few weeks ago Laundress said that cold water actually may "lock in" the suds in the fabric. So we did a fourth rinse with warm water. Sure enough, tons of suds developed in the warm rinse. So we may be using warm rinses more often in the future.

 

[panthera]

quick reference

Thought it might be useful to convert a few temps:

100 degrees centigrade is 212 degrees fahrenheit.
0 degrees centigrade is 32 degrees fahrenheit.
Typical washing temperatures:
90 degrees centigrade is 194 degrees fahrenheit.
75 degrees centigrade is 167 degrees fahrenheit.
60 degrees centigrade is 140 degrees fahrenheit.
40 degrees centigrade is 104 degrees fahrenheit.
30 degrees centigrade is 86 degrees fahrenheit.

Generally speaking, most folks here in Germany reserve anything above 60 degrees now-a-days for when someone has had a contagious illness or something truly horrid has to be cleaned.

Sixty degrees is used a lot for whites and 'intimate' stuff as well as sweaty things. My impression of detergents in the last few years is that they clean just as well at 40 degrees now as they did at 60 twenty years ago.

Forty degrees is for everything, really. It is the program I use most often.

I listed the 30 degrees because that is the temperature to which my washer heats water for the certified wool program. Silks I wash at 40 degrees.

Normal 40 degree wash with spin, rinse, spin, rinse, spin deep rinse, final extraction (at 1200, not the newest machine) runs for 1:47 minutes. 11 Minutes more for the extra rinse.
Normal 60 degree wash runs 2 hours, 12 minutes...
and so on.

Supposedly, the machine can undercut these times if the dirt sensor show things are clean, but have yet to see that happen...

 

[foraloysius]

Towels: 60*C, extra water in the main wash and high water level in the rinses. Towels are only washed in the Miele frontloader

Whites (t-shirt, underpants etc.) 70*, with prewash and high water level rinses. Smaller loads of whites get washed in the AEG frontloader, no prewash, E button used which means an extended main wash

Bed linens: 70*C, AEG frontloader

Blue laundry including jeans: 40*C, sometimes Miele frontloader, sometimes AEG frontloader, depending on the load size. Bigger loads get washed in the Miele, smaller in the AEG.

Red laundry: 40*C, AEG frontloader

Green laundry: 40*C, AEG frontloader

Bath rugs: 40*C, delicate cycle, AEG frontloader

Shower curtain: 30*C permanent press, AEG frontloader

Pillows: 70*C in AEG toploader. Filled on Extra prewash to get a high water level than manually set to main wash. Mid cycle a long pause to kill the dustmites.

Duvets are sent out.

Special items get special programmes. This covers most of my laundry.

 

[toggleswitch]

~Then I remembered a few weeks ago Laundress said that cold water actually may "lock in" the suds in the fabric.

I thought cold water supressed suds. Does this mean the detergent is in the fibers, but not sudsing up/out when cold rinses are used? I seem to remeber that warm rinses were crucial for soap, but not so for detergent. Would anyone care to clarify?

~Forty degrees is for everything, really. It is the program I use most often.
Well, since 37*C (+/-)is body temp., I'd imagine 40*C would dissolve body oils nicely.

 

[panthera]

Well, for those who run that high...

Me, I am a tad bit, shall we say, cooler...

Actually, if I understand the chemistry, at 40° all sorts of things work quite well, especially the enzymes which eat oils and greases (amylase).

Really, our clothes today are so clean compared to the coal dust and oil smut filled air of just a few years ago, I think the only really serious challenge is getting the smell of smoke out.

Gosh, I bitch alot about the US, but one thing I really miss is being able to go to a restaurant to eat without being smoked out.
Funny, really - we are very health conscious here in Germany otherwise, but (especially) the intelligentsia, the greens and all that sort smoke like chimneys...and get downright shirty if you dare to suggest they are polluting your air...

Sorry.
Anyway, I know you don't really need warm water to clean, but don't understand how cold water detergents work. Can anybody explain so my poor wee brain can comprehend?

 

[lavamat78800]

So, here I go

let´s start with delicates:

Delicate cycle 30/40, sorted for color
Woolens:Cold or 30°

Cotton:

Blacks 30° Short wash-cycle

Blues 40°

Red/orange clothes: 30°

Jeans 50° Easy-Iron

Coloreds (towels, underwear) 60°

Bedlinens: 60° - 90°

Whites (T-Shirts, trousers): minimum iron 40°-50°

white towels and other whites stuff: 60°, Prewash, Extrarinses

Boilwash:

heavy-soiled clothes

Boilwash for heaviest soiled clothes:

Firstable I start a 60° Cotton-cycle until mainwash is done (enzymepower), then I turn the machine off and select the boilwash-short washcycle with extrarinses

I hope that I didn´t forget anything

 

[foraloysius]

I don't wash extremely hot I think, but certain items like bedlinens need higher temperatures in this household because I have a dustmite allergy. Those beasties aren't killed easily, at the hospital they told me in order to get rid of dustmites such laundry needs at least an hour at 60*C.

 

[washboy2005]

As I do the laundry for everyone in this household, I can sort out due to the vast amount of laundry accumulated during the week. On average I do between 5 and 8 loads a week for 5/6 people.

Whites - School Shirts, T-Shirts, Lightly stained socks, white underwear. Cotton 40c with Wash Enhance selected. Cycle length 1hr50.
Wash at 40c for around 65 mins, drain and short spin at 800, stepped rinse (low level with slow tumbling, topping upto high level with fast tumbling), drain and longer spin at 1000, stepped rinse with softener, final spin. Usually lowered from the set 1600 to around 1000.

Coloureds - Pale Blue, anything pink, red, orange, yellow, or light green, light purple. Anything pastel or pale in colour. T-Shirts, Underwear, Pajamas, Bath robes, Tracksuits, sports gear, Vests, socks.
Genererally on Cotton 40c. Cycle length 1:30. Wash at 40c for around 40 mins, drain and short spin at 800. stepped rinse (low level with slow tumbling, topping upto high level with fast tumbling), drain and longer spin at 1000, stepped rinse with softener, final spin 1200.

Darks - Navies, Purples, Greens, Browns, Denims, Socks, Underwear. Anything of a deep colour. Cotton 30c. Cycle length 1hr21. Wash at 30c for about 31 mins, Wash Spin stepped rinse (low level with slow tumbling, topping upto high level with fast tumbling), drain and longer spin at 1000, stepped rinse with softener, final spin 1000.

Blacks - Anything Black in colour. Tshirts, trousers, Underwear, Socks, Pajamas. Cotton 30c. Cycle length 1:21. Wash at 30c for around 31 mins, Wash Spin, stepped rinse (low level with slow tumbling, topping upto high level with fast tumbling), drain and longer spin at 1000, stepped rinse with softener, final spin 1000.

Coloured Towels - Any towel that is coloured, Tea Towels. Minimum 60c.
Cotton 60c Cycle with wash enhance selected. Cycle length 2:00. Wash Spin, stepped rinse (low level with slow tumbling, topping upto high level with fast tumbling), drain and longer spin at 1000, stepped rinse with softener, final spin 1600.

White Towels - Any White towels, Tea Towels, dishcloths, and heavily stained socks. Cotton 95c wash. Cycle Length 2hr30. Washes for around 1hr40. 15 minutes before wash spin, soaks for 5 minutes. After soak, tops up to high rinse level with cold water. Wash Spin, stepped rinse (low level with slow tumbling, topping upto high level with fast tumbling), drain and longer spin at 1000, stepped rinse with softener, final spin 1600.

All Sheets- Sepereated according to colour - 60c Cotton Fastwash - Cycle Length, 1 hour. Wash for around 25-30 mins, drain and spin, stepped rinse, drain and spin, stepped rinse with softener, final spin at 1200.

Duvets - Cotton 60c Hygenic cycle, Cycle Length 2:04. Wash for around 1hr14. drain and spin, stepped rinse, drain and spin, stepped rinse, final spin at 1600.

Pillows - AS ABOVE

Duvets and pillows get done twice a year. Duvets get done when they are changed fron summer to winter. (We each have 2 duvets, one for summer and one for winter.)

I think I covered the lot.
Below is a pic of my current detergent collection!

 

[brisnat81]

I've finally broken most of my family of purely cold water washing (Plus the Miele wont allow a cold wash on cottons) but here it goes.

Darks - Cottons 40degC, OmoMatic Colourlock, Calgon, Huggie FS. Light soil 40 mins, heavy soil, up to 2 hours

Whites - Cottons 50degC, DriveMatic, Calgon, Huggie FS. Light soil 40 mins, heavy soil, up to 2 hours

Shirts - Shirts Cycle 50degC, DriveMatic, Calgon, Huggie FS. 1:02

Sheets and Towels (2 Mixed loads) - Cottons 50degC, DriveMatic, Calgon, Huggie FS. Extra Rinse, 2:12.

Curtains get washed on a delicate cycle, pillows on the outerwear cycle.

 

[twinniefan]

My wash in the twintub

Hi folks,This is my loads usully done every 2nd or 3rd day,
1.Hot water-towels,bedsheets,whites.
2.Warm water-everything else, i.e. colours,underwear,everyday clothing.
I usually start the hot water items first which consists of a 10 minute wash on standard wash action (I rarely use the intensive setting on the switch as it tends to tangle the loads up a bit too much.),then once these have been washed,I spin the washwater back into the washtub, by which time the water has cooled a little anyway and then start the 2nd load washing,while I then fill the spinner with clean water for rinsing the 1st load and then spin this out and then spin for about an extra minute or two, by which time load 2 is ready for spinning.
With sheets towels and whites, if they are badly soiled with stains and or perspiration odour, I also add to the washwater a detergent booster and stain remover with the detergent(currently Radiant liquid, real nice fragrance which seems to last.).
P.S.The rinse water I spin into a bucket and use on the garden.
Cheers folks.
Steve.

 

[mattywashboy]

our weekly cycle seems to go something like this:

Wednesday: Towels accumulated from sunday, monday and tuesday- HOT wash, 12 mins with Dynamo powder, Fluffy f/s (sometimes).

Friday: Sheets, whites in one load (we have light coloured sheets), 12 mins Perm Press on HOT- Dynamo and Fluffy f/s
Also one load of colors- Perm Press 12 mins on WARM with Radiant Color liquid

Saturday: Work clothes and random colors as above
Sunday: Sofa throws- 18 mins on HOT with Dynamo

Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday- too busy to wash although if i run out of work shirts i will hand wash.

Matt

 

[tomturbomatic]

Whirlcool, what is the reason for washing towels on the Perma Press Cycle with the slower/shorter spins? Do they get further extraction before being dried?

As to the rinsing, I think that liquid detergents do not rinse out like standard powder types because the chemicals are different and harder to get rid of in water since it is not so much neutralizing an alkali with an acid or quantities of fresh water, but diluting a very complex detergent with plain water and dealing with water softeners, surfactants, and alcohols that are either water based, water miscible or carried by vehicles that are. Alcohol is water miscible, but not water soluble. It is in solution with the surfactants and maybe that is why the detergent is harder to rinse out of the fabrics. I have no good reason for for the rinsing dilema. I do not like liquids except for dark colors and cool water temperatures or some greasy soils. Some manufacturers of liquid detergents say that suds remaining on top of the water after what would be standard rinsing for a similar load in the same machine can be ignored. Well, fine, but that is different from water that is turbid with small sudsy bubbles indicating a higher detergent concentration. I guess liquid detergents can get away with this rinsing situation because deposits that are left after rinsing do not dry into a "solid" powdery residue like from powder detergents. Think how long liquid laundry detergent stays slippery when you try to rinse some off your hands. While inadequare rinsing might leave the fabrics slightly sticky feeling when damp, they usually dry OK and with the way most people use fabric softener, the stickiness when wet is probably covered up also.

Toggle, you just about have it right. Temperature not only affects how quickly and how well chemicals go into solution (dissolving sugar into hot versus cold tea), but also how much many natural fibers contract or expand. Flushing detergent out of fabrics is easier in warmer temperature water than in colder because the detergent in the fabrics goes into solution faster, moving from an area of higher concentration (the fabrics) into an area of lower concentration (the water),in the warm rinse water and warmer fibers that are relaxed give up detergent more readily than fibers that are contracted by cold water. It is true that you will have fewer suds in cold rinse water than in warm, but are you wanting to see clear water or to have detergent flushed out of the laundry? Also, in the problem checklist in Whirlpool owner's manuals one of the solutions for clothes not spun dry enough is to rinse in warm or cool water rather than cold because the relaxed fabrics pack tighter to allow more water to be extracted. Cold water is meant to describe water below 65F like from the tap in winter. It is easy to see the effect of temperature on fabrics if you put cotton fabric, wrinkled, cold and stiff from the spin after a cold rinse, into the heated dryer. As the cotton warms, the fibers relax and wrinkles fall out.

 

[DADoES]

Whites/Lights (non-synthetic) -- bath towels/washcloths, socks, dishtowels, underwear. Typically takes 2.5 to 3 weeks to get a full load (when I run out of socks). Hot (140°F), sometimes LCB (Calypso), sometimes oxy-booster with soak (F&P). Usually softener.

Colored towels, underwear, & old cotton shirts for yardwork and such. Warm or Warm/Hot (115°F or 125°F). Usually softener. Sometimes done with the whites (when not using LCB).

Casuals -- shirts, shorts, some underwear. Warm (115°F), creasables option. Usually softener (prefer Downy Advanced, but am just about out of it).

Jeans. Warm (115°F). Usually softener (Downy Advanced is great on jeans).

Sheets. Warm (115°F). Always softener.

Have done pillows a few times in the Calypsos. Blankets, quilts, comforters and throw rugs work nicely in the Calypsos as well.

Sometimes casuals tagged for cold are done separately, in either tap cold or Warm/Cold (95°F). Sometimes not. Once done in warm, what's the use of switching back to cold? LOL!

Sometimes use vinegar rinse instead of softener. Have never used dryer sheets (except maybe a sample once).

 

[logixx]

Whites get washed at 60 deg. with pre-wash, Ariel powder and Bounce dryer sheets. Colors at 40 deg with pre-wash, Ariel color powder, ASDA pine sanitizer and Bounce. Unfortunately, those Bounce dryer sheets sold over here in the UK are NOT the same as the ones sold in the US - so even throwing 4 sheets in the dryer leaves the clothes with absolutely no smell... :-(

I always use the High heat option on the dryer as they are factory-set to run for 30 minutes so nothing dries on medium heat. Actually, I find myself running everything through the dryer twice.

My laundry room has Speed Queen Horizon FL washers and stacked dryers.

 

[joeekaitis]

Two loads: Whites 'n' Colors

No, I'm not a segregationist.

-----------------------------

Whites:

Pre-wash: Quick Wash cycle, Cold/Cold, Normal soil level, No Spin. Full dose of detergent, no bleach

Main wash: Heavy Duty cycle, Hot/Cold, Heavy soil level, Maximum spin speed, Stain Clean (soak), Extra Rinse, Extended Spin. Half-dose of detergent, full dose of bleach.

--------------------

Colors:

Heavy Duty cycle, Cold/Cold, Heavy soil level, Maximum spin speed, Stain Clean (soak), Extra Rinse. Full dose of detergent, no bleach.

 

[pulsator]

Dark colors go in anything but the Miele, normal cycle, warm wash, cold rinses. Tide w/Bleach powder and Downy April Fresh out the wazoo, dried on low heat.

Bright colors go in anything but the Miele, normal cycle, warm wash, cold rinses. Tide w/Bleach powder, a teensy bit of STPP, Downy April Fresh out the wazoo, dried on low heat.

Whites without buttons/zippers/clasps of any kind go in the Miele. Extra White cycle, if there are any elastics in the load, then hot wash (60C) if not then sanitize wash (95C) with Persil, Oxi-Clean powder, Clorox 2 powder, STPP, and Downy April Fresh out the wazoo, dried on low heat.

Whites with buttons/zippers/clasps go in the Haier FL with a hot wash, Persil, Oxi-Clean powder, Clorox 2 Powder, STPP, and Downy April Fresh out the wazoo, and, of course, dried on low heat!

I spin everything out at at LEAST 1,000 RPM if not more depending on if the load contains buttons/zippers/clasps which I won't allow in the Miele or Amamna Enlighten, little bugs me more than scratched stainless steel!!! I wish I had my old trusty Spin-X back!!!!! 3,300 RPM BABY!!!