spray only rinse/Speed Queen

[cehalstead]

If this topic has been discussed before, please forgive me. Is the SQ spray only rinse effective? I would like to use it at all times to conserve some water, but I don't want to risk getting laundry that has not been rinsed well. I don't use fabric softener, so not being able to when I use the ECO cycle is not a problem. At this time, I only use the ECO cycle for things like cleaning rags and washable rugs. All input will be appreciated. Thanks!

 

[combo52]

Speed Queen top load Eco cycle

The majority of our customers use this cycle, most of the time from talking to them, and I have not heard any complaints.

It would sure be a lot easier on the washing machine not to have to fill up and agitate again, your main seal and bearings will certainly last longer,

John

 

[gelaundry4ever]

Spray rinse

I'd stay away from the spray rinse. You'd be better off doing a real deep rinse. It will conserve many times over because you will get all the soap rinsed out, period. Besides, I use fabric softener anyway.

 

[Chetlaham]

I'm not going to lie, this is something I think about. Having 3 or more 30 second spray rinses with 2 minutes of spin in between is a rather elegant and efficient way of rinsing. In theory the cycle can also be shortened in that the fill times also count as rinse time.   

 

WP resource saver re-circulates the water and they have shown that moving water through the clothes during spin is as effective as deep rinsing. A spray rinse in theory is not far off.  

 

I sometimes wonder how WP DD, WP BD and Maytag DC would have worked if they implemented a spray rinse system entirely. Something like below where the deep rinse is replaced with two or more spray rinses with spins in between. Cool down replaced by a continuous spray that starts upon pressure switch reset. I wish I could test this concept in a lab.  

 

 

   

 

[gelaundry4ever]

washer testing

I wish I could test washers and dryers in a lab too, especially with everyday loads of sturdy cottons.

 

[Chetlaham]

[No message]

 

[Chetlaham]

@gelaundry4ever: We'd be the best wet lab techs, we know what great cleaning results look like. 

 

 

An interesting test would be to have one  set of washer use a spray rinse system another set using deep rinse with all identical fabrics and wet ballasts in each washer. Then test each cloth and compare the residual detergent for each set in a new rinse bath. Analysis of water extraction time, carry over, and carry away in determining the optimal number of rinses, time allowed for each rinse and interm spin. Optimal flume design would be another goal. 

 

 

Data is wonderful, not enough of it seems to be driving appliance engineering. 

 

 

[panasonicvac]

Does the normal eco cycle only use cold water?

 

[Chetlaham]

[No message]

 

[panasonicvac]

That'd be good for washing outer bags from vacuum cleaners that I'd service.

 

[Chetlaham]

Yup. Good way to save on water especially for more casual fabrics or curtains.

 

Interestingly I just found out that Maytag did a spray rinse PP cooldown on their commercial machines- a 1 minute spray after 1 minute of spin draining. 30 second spin after the spray. With some tweaking such a cool down would fit a home-style washer perfectly. 

 

 

 

 

[gelaundry4ever]

real normal cycle

In my opinion, the real normal cycle is the heavy duty. I'd stay away from eco anything, as it doesn't rinse out anything. I use fabric softener anyway so I see no point. With heavy duty, I get a real rinse. Call me old school, but I know how my wash should get done. It's like me having a ping ride cymbal as opposed to the washy one which loses rhythm and only has just built-up noise. Same thing with rinsing. You lose cleanliness with eco rinse. I want deep.

 

[pinkpower4]

Normal Eco...

Normal Eco is useful for quick washes and lightly soiled items. A cooler wash temperature and spray rinse works fine. Since I use a spin dryer, this is probably effective in removing any last bit of residue before placing items in the dryer.

Washing with cooler temperatures where practical made a noticeable difference in my gas bill. The spin dryer allows me to dry the items at a cooler temperature and for less time. Electric bill is less, and elastic items should last longer when dried at lower temp.

On the TC5003WN, one can select Normal Eco and Heavy. This allows one to choose the water temperature including hot and will be an extra long wash cycle (it seems like it is a combined presoak/wash). I use this all the time for a small load of whites.

With whites, I do run a Normal Eco again for a half tub rinse. If I use Lysol laundry sanitizer, I usually try to let the clothes soak 15 minutes in the solution. Some say that is not necessary as long as the clothes (even spun) are wet/damp at least 16 minutes before placing in the dryer.

I also do this with the Maytag commercial residential, but it does not have a hidden super cycle. Normal Eco is Normal Eco with a cooler wash temp and spray rinse. If you choose other options, it becomes a regular full-tub wash cycle where you an choose wash temp with (ironically) two full-tub rinses (I think?). It's been a while since I've tried that.

I don't use fabric softener or dryer sheets.

I was using Tide powder bleach and original but switched back to Persil stain fighter (whites/heavily soiled) and Persil Intense fresh. Clothes smell great and seem softer. If you have sensitive skin, try Persil for that or you made need to run a half tub rinse.

 

[Chetlaham]

Yesterday I ran an extra small  kitchen towel load with a single tide pod. Lots of suds. I reset the machine to the spray rinse increment twice giving about a 1 minute per spray before letting the timer advance into a deep rinse. In the deep rinse the water had no suds and was clear. I'm starting to think that spray rinse could have been a viable alternative for all top load washers starting in 2009 vs playing around with low water levels, auto fills, partial deep fills and grey water rinses. A spray rinse adds no complexity whatsoever vs what manufacturers were doing around that time. I'd go as far as saying Whirlpool would not even been required to change their fill flume. Or any washer maker for that matter. 

 

[frigilux]

I used the Normal/Eco cycle on my 2017 9-Series top loader for small-to-medium sized loads and the spray rinse was adequate under those conditions. I tried using it on full capacity loads and I didn't think the water spray was aimed to hit the whole load when it was plastered against the tub top to bottom.

 

[Chetlaham]

Small vs medium vs large loads would be a good idea to test.

 

 

I timed the deep rinse fill on my Speed Queen at 4:45 (4 minutes 45 seconds) on a medium load but water level set to max. I paused the timer at 2:00 minutes of filling and the tub was less than half full. 

 

After I set the timer manually to the spray rinse increment (which ends up giving a spray lasting about 2 minutes 14 seconds instead of 30 seconds) the washer spun for for 1 minute 38 seconds before stopping for the deep rinse. At this time the periods/amount of water being ejected from the drain hose had significantly declined. I would say 2 minutes between each spray is enough to get the clothes reasonably dry.  

 

 

@frigilux: The spray not hitting all the clothes is ok in theory. The spray is to saturate the clothes with water and then have the spin extract the saturated water. The water would migrate up and down through the un-sprayed clothing before finding its way out the inner tub holes. Spraying the clothes just to the point of terminal saturation, extracting them dry, then repeating the cycle several times maximizes water. A continuous spray would bounce some water off the clothes once terminal saturation is reached instead of being absorbed into the fabric then pulled out.

 

4 30 second spray rinses with 2 minutes of spin in between would in my opinion work best for a large load. An extra rinse switch could add one or two extra sprays.

 

Cycles could also be made to take fabric density and load quantity into account. Delicates would get 4 15 second sprays with 1 minute interm spins, casuals 3 30 second sprays with 1 min 30 second interm spin, normal 4 30s sprays with 2 min 30 second interm spin, heavy duty 4 45 second sprays with 4 minute interm spins, ect. Spray to absorb- stop at terminal saturation-extract to dry % of weight, repeat a number of times determined by amount of detergent added in the wash. 

 

In theory flow sensors in the drain port, fill flume and current measured in relation to load could be used to control an internal logic algorithm for determining the precise amount of water needed for a total spray rinse system.  

 

 

 

 

[gelaundry4ever]

heavy duty

I'd stick to the heavy duty cycle for everyday loads as I get a real rinse, and I use fabric softener anyway.