Test Load Results: Speed Queen AWN 542

[frigilux]

Heavily-stained load of kitchen whites: Here is the information for loads done in both the front-loader and the Speed Queen top-loader

<span style="text-decoration: underline; font-size: medium;">2010 Frigidaire Front-Loader: </span>
<span style="font-size: medium;">Cycle: Sanitize + Extra Rinse </span>
<span style="font-size: medium;">Cycle Time: 112 minutes </span>

<span style="font-size: medium;"> </span>Detergent + 1/4 cup liquid chlorine bleach
<span style="font-size: medium;">Hot Water Used: 6 gallons </span>
<span style="font-size: medium;">Total Water Used: 21 gallons </span>


<span style="text-decoration: underline; font-size: medium;">2013 Speed Queen Top-Loader</span>

<span style="font-size: medium;">Cycle:  Soak + Normal (heavy soil setting; warm soak + hot wash)</span>

<span style="font-size: medium;">Cycle Time: 24 + 37 = 61 minutes</span>

<span style="font-size: medium;">Detergent + 1/2 cup liquid chlorine bleach</span>

<span style="font-size: medium;">Hot Water Used: 28 gallons</span>

<span style="font-size: medium;">Total Water Used: 60 gallons (did not use maximum water level)</span>

 

<span style="font-size: medium;">Here's a photo showcasing the stains.  All the usual suspects are here:  Ketchup, mustard, barbecue sauce, chocolate cake batter; chocolate syrup; strawberry syrup (for Italian sodas); Worcestershire sauce; coffee; baking cocoa; spaghetti sauce; blueberry jam; ground-in dirt.</span>

 

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[this post was last edited: 10/13/2013-21:31]

 

[washer111]

I can't see the photos!

 

[washman]

Did the Fuller 86 detergent arrive yet?

Can't wait to hear how it performs.

 

[frigilux]

 

<span style="font-size: medium;">Since I use a special cycle when washing these heavily-stained loads in the Frigidaire, I felt it only fair to give the load a soak cycle in the SQ.  Plus, I wanted to see how the cycle worked. Here's a photo of the load mid-soak.</span>

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[this post was last edited: 10/13/2013-21:20]

 

[frigilux]

Results:  I am highly impressed with both the Speed Queen and Wisk Deep Clean Original!  All but a few stains were completely removed.  Light traces of the spaghetti and barbecue sauces were left behind (they barely show up in the photo; easier to see with naked eye); ground-in dirt on bar mop easily visible.

[this post was last edited: 10/13/2013-21:20]

 

[frigilux]

Bar mop

 

[frigilux]

Chef's apron (remains of spaghetti sauce stain in upper left quadrant).

 

My take:  Honestly, I was a bit stunned during the post-wash inspection. I did not expect the results to be this good, even with the addition of the soak cycle.  Very impressed!

 

The downside:  Although the cycle is a little over twice as long, the Frigidaire front-loader would have vanquished every stain completely using a tiny fraction of the hot water and about  one-third of the total water required by the SQ. It would have also spun the load much drier.  I used a "standard/medium load" dose of Wisk in each of the soak and wash cycles for the SQ, so more detergent was used compared to the single dose needed for the front-loader.

[this post was last edited: 10/13/2013-21:27]

 

[frigilux]

Bath Linens:  This is a fairly typical week's worth of towels in my house. It's one very full load in the Frigidaire front-loader. Half of the total items constituted a full load in the SQ. The maximum water level was needed for the load. (It would appear I managed to crop the wash cloths out of the photo.  They are stacked just to the right of the hand towels.)

<span style="text-decoration: underline;">Total Items</span>

8 bath towels (52" x 26"; dry weight is 1 lb. + 10 ozs.)

14 hand towels (28" x 15"; dry weight is 6.5 ozs.)

10 wash cloths (13" x 12"; dry weight is 2 ozs.)

 

<span style="text-decoration: underline;">Frigidaire Front-Loader </span> (1 load for all items)

Cycle:  Normal (heaviest soil setting; hot water wash)

Cycle Time: 59 minutes

Hot water used:  8 gallons

Total water used:  20 gallons

Dry Time: 106 minutes (Towels cycle; maximum dry setting)

Detergent Cost: 14 cents (Wisk Deep Clean Original)

 

<span style="text-decoration: underline;">Speed Queen</span> (2 full loads required to wash all items)

Cycle:  Normal (heavy soil setting; hot water wash)

Cycle Time:  74 minutes (37 mins. x 2)

Hot Water Used:  44 gallons (22 x 2)

Total Water Used:  88 gallons (44 x 2)

Dry Time:  184 minutes (92 mins. x 2; Towels cycle; maximum dry setting)

Detergent Cost: 28 cents (14 x 2) Wisk Deep Clean Original

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[this post was last edited: 10/13/2013-23:00]

 

[frigilux]

So there is round 1!  For most loads, the Speed Queen will win in the time department.  The Frigidaire will win in the water/energy used department.  Both machines do an excellent job of cleaning given soft water and a highly-rated detergent.

 

Note: I washed only one of the loads of towels in the Speed Queen, took timings and doubled them. Since I'd already washed the whole load of bath linens in the Frigidaire, I used clean items in the Speed Queen.  It was either that or wait 3 or 4 days to complete the test.  I have absolutely no doubt the SQ would have cleaned the towels perfectly.

Lint: Even though the Frigidaire's Sanitize cycle (plus an extra rinse) is over twice as long as the Speed Queen's Soak + Wash cycles, there was more lint in the dryer's filter from the Speed Queen-washed load. There was less lint from the giant load of towels washed in the front-loader than in the half-load washed in the Speed Queen. Conclusion: The Frigidaire is much gentler on fabrics.[this post was last edited: 10/13/2013-23:13]

 

[yogitunes]

Great test and results Eugene...Thanks

for either load or machine...this is typical stains I have everyday from the kids....koolaid is a big one, next to ketchup....

but have found thru my own experiments, and wether needed or not, its just added as a precaution or extra kick if you will, rather than have to wash again.....

the soak, in any machine is a great help, especially overnight.....

but adding boosters to any load are a big help for cleaning the first time, no matter what detergent you use......I add one or several as needed

for colors--
Borax
Washing Soda
Baking Soda
Ammonia
Color Safe bleach...I find the powder more potent

for whites if needed--
bleach, but only after a soak...

but find a combo of Sears UP and Tide with bleach powder to take care of most everything as well...for a simple method

 

[frigilux]

Martin-- Since I have both Tide With Bleach and Sears UP in the house, I'll have to give your hybrid a try!

Ben-- Unfortunately, the Fuller 86 detergent isn't slated to arrive until sometime between October 18-21. I took advantage of Amazon's free shipping option, which is often much slower. Having spent so much on a box of detergent, I figured a few extra days' wait wouldn't kill me.

 

[aptone1]

The stains that remained were of two types: liquids with protein components and the ground in dirt. When the speed queen filled with hot water it cooked the proteins and bound them to the cotton fibers. Because the proteins were cooked the enzymes in the soap could not take them apart. The frigidare on the other hand filled with cooler water and gave the enzymes a chance to break up the stains before it applied the heat to sanitize the load. It is also Important to note that the higher temperatures also reduce the effectiveness of the enzymes in the soap. The frigidare effectively uses a cool soak to remove the protein stains before moving the temp up to get the others. As for the dirt stains I would bet there was some oil mixed with the dirt. Oil tends to wick the dirt into the hollow cotton fibers. Since there is very little flow into the center of the fibers the best method to get them clean is to increase the wash temp to get the oil to more easily flow out. The soak before agitation handicapped the queen, when the oil was most likely to move there was no water movement to help. When the water was moving the oil was cooler. While in the frigidare the cycle temp rises for the agitate portion, helping it to get the mops whiter. The frigidare like most newer machines uses its complexity to its advantage. If you run the right cycle in the queen it will match the frigidare but when the loads and stains get complex with various removal schemes it is likely that the frigidare will give better results. Also if you used detergents without enzymes the queen will give better results. It's design hails from a time soaps did not have enzymes. Without the soak I would guess the queen would likely get the dark dirt completely out.

I am impressed with your spirit of experimentation. I know this was somewhat of a science class. Maybe this framework will help make sense of your results, at the very least from your testing alone you will have the cleanest laundry possible. Both machines are tools and each is different, stained laundry is tough problem. If there were an easy one step solution everyone would be using it. Great work.

 

[retropia]

Eugene, interesting test! Thanks for performing and reporting it.

I'm having a difficult time figuring out how much detergent to use in the top-loader, as it's been around 13 years since using one. It seems logical that I should use more detergent than I would in the front loader, since there is more water.

Currently I'm using Kirkland's HE UltraClean powder. For a large water level in the top-loader, it takes a full cup of detergent to give the water that slick feel when I rub my fingers together in the wash water.

 

[jeffg]

I'm confused, is this a review of the washer, Wisk or both?

Try the same washer and use Tide Free powder, a scoop of Charlie's (powder not liquid), and add some LCB five minutes before the wash cycle ends. For cotton use the hottest water you can throw at it.

We've not run into anything (including sauces) that stood a chance.

 

[frigilux]

Jeff-- It's a review of both, I guess.  This is the first time I've used Wisk Deep Clean, the highest-scoring detergent that is designed for use in both front- and top-loaders.  It came in second, and received an overall score of 80 by Consumer Reports.  Powdered Tide With Bleach HE came in just ahead of it with an 82, but that one claims to be for HE machines only.

 

Forgot to mention that I added liquid chlorine bleach to the SQ 8 minutes into the wash cycle (which is 15 minutes long).  Adding bleach at the start of the cycle cripples the enzyme-laden detergent.  This is why I prefer the timed bleach dispenser in the front-loader.

 

Just for kicks, I'm going to run a similarly-stained load of kitchen whites using the longest setting on the Normal cycle of both machines without any other options (no lengthy profile wash via the Sanitize cycle for the front-loading Frigidaire; no soak cycle for the SQ) and see which machine does a better job at removing stains under those conditions.  I think it just may be the SQ...but we'll see.  I'll use Wisk Deep Clean Original in both machines.  

 

Update:  I ran the items with stains remaining (along with a few more catch-all whites that had accumulated) through the Sanitize cycle using powdered Tide With Bleach HE and 1/4 cup of liquid chlorine bleach.  All stains removed.  The lengthy wash, concentrated detergent solution, and boosted hot water temp really does the job on greasy stains.

 

[frocco]

Based on these test results, are you saying it might be a mistake to have ordered the SQ 542?

Or is it a matter of using the right combination of detergent?

Thanks

 

[frigilux]

Frank-- Good heavens, I don't think it was a mistake for you to order the Speed Queen! It did a fantastic job of cleaning that tough load of whites. I have mechanically-softened water and used a top-rated detergent, which probably helped. If you have hard water and use a poor cleaning detergent like Xtra then I wouldn't expect excellent results.

The Speed Queen obviously uses far more water (particularly hot water), and dry times are longer so that means increased energy costs. You'll notice the front-loader spun that huge load of bath linens so dry that it took only 14 minutes longer in the dryer than did a load half the size that had been spun in the Speed Queen.

However, you had a top-loader prior to your SQ, so you probably won't notice a difference in energy bills. If I switched to using the SQ full time, my energy bills would definitely go up. The Frigidaire front-loader uses far less hot water, less water in general, and also saves energy in dryer time.

But was it a mistake to get the SQ? Absolutely not! [this post was last edited: 10/14/2013-10:39]

 

[frocco]

Thanks, I was getting worried that maybe I should have ordered a FL.
The cost was too high because my wife wanted the pedestals which added another 500.00 US

 

[rapunzel]

For that heavily soiled load I would have used the pre-wash option on my SQ, with tepid/warmish water, before doing a hot wash. Pre-wash offers intermittent agitation and soaking for approx. 15 minutes on my washer and, unless selected, it won't drain the water at the end and progress to the second fill for the main wash.

Occasionally I'll repeat the pre-wash twice before I advance the timer to regular wash, but usually not for the entire 15 minutes. 7 to 8 minutes on regular is more than sufficient to get the job done and that is without a second fill.

If I select the superwash option my machine will do a pre-wash - drain/spin, main wash, deep rinse, spray rinse and another deep rinse. That option I hardly ever use and mostly there is no need to do a pre-wash.