Using STPP

[esty]

stan and gary

Thanks so much for the advice. You may have a point there. My washer is fairly new, however there still may be a build up. I am using the unscented arm and hammer as I mentioned above for my kids with sensitive skin. I use tide liquid for the rest and Persil pearls for the whites which is amazing.
I also use warm water washes and rinses. My plumber actually installed an interesting hook up with a "y" brass garden attachment, put onto my hot water inlet and a "y" hose on the cold water side with a back flow preventer which gives me warm water rinses. I once posted a picture of the hook up connection on the delux forum when someone asked about a way to get warm water rinses.
Thanks again.

 

[mamapinky]

hi Beth

I doubt you used too much STPP..you said you remember your mother using detergent with phosphates did you ever have a reaction than? Course that doesn't mean you haven't developed a sensitivity since than so although odd I guess we shouldn't outrule a sensitivity. I tend to agree with gary about possibly a old buildup of detergent. ..STPP could have loosened it up and it was on the laundry. I also recommend you run a empty load thru with only Stpp and hot water just to clean things out a bit..than I would do a load of rags or throw rugs something you don't wear against your skin with detergent and stpp..but line dry rather than machine dry and see if you still get a reaction. Also are you using the persil from walmart and is this a new detergent for you? If so perhaps that's the cause of your reaction..? Just thinking here...whatever you choose to do keep us posted..good luck Cheryl

 

[stan]

The Super Washing Soda

Will work on cleaning out the machine. Run a empty load and hot water. The Washing soda is bit more alkaline than STPP. And is less expensive to use for that purpose. You really don't want to waste your STPP. Since your rinsing more than once, maybe a little vinegar in one of the rinses will help.

 

[d-jones]

All this talk of STPP has got my curiosity piqued, so I ordered a couple pounds to play with and see if it lives up to everyone's comments. It should arrive this week. I've got some shirts with light stains that I'm going to try it out on. Fingers crossed.

 

[stan]

David

From what I understand, due to our drought your area will be receiving more water from the Colorado River, instead of the water from up here that comes from the Sierra snow pack. Therefor your water hardness is likely to increase, (possibly as much as 25% harder) so your STPP may come in handy to compensate. This may be useful to you for laundry and automatic dishwashing needs.
Don't know if leaving stains in the fabric til you receive your STPP is a good idea. STPP is useful no doubt...but IMHO the old rules still apply. AKA pre soak, and pretreating, and correct wash temps for types of stains and types of fabric. As well as a good detergent/soap.
I wouldn't rely on the STPP to replace those preventative steps.

 

[esty]

hi all

I did some more loads with the stpp and I am loving it. Even the colored load looks so much better. Things start to look new again. They also feel cleaner. I don't think it's all in my imagination. I did use half the stpp this time from my first load. So its about one ounce stpp. No irritation this time.
Question- my friend would like to start using stpp. She has a maytag dependable that is about 20 years old. She is wondering if when she starts using it all the buidup from between the tubs will start to come up and get on the clothing with the stpp. She has hard well water, and she tried to clean out her machine once with an affresh tablet and her tub turned brown. Can the stpp do the same thing to her machine? Any advice for her would be appreciated.
Thank you.

 

[mamapinky]

hi Beth

Glad your having good results with the stpp...I can't answer about your friends washer and the stpp but I can tell you about mine...I inherited my roper top loader in my moms home in 2009 I think she bought it in 2001 new..so its about 14 years old. Last summer I threw a load of darks in and when they came out they were covered in a slimmy goo this was a large load..I did some research and decided it needed cleaned so I followed a tutorial on the web and managed to get the drum out..omg you should have seen it it was caked in inches of black slime..I scraped tons off and scrubbed with bleach until that baby was spotless..how did it get this way well my mom only used tide powders and bleach but she was a heavy downy user I figured that caused it but after talking to a service repairman on the phone he said all top loaders have this problem after years of use...and no I was not using STPP at the time..my son did wash a load of towels several days before that and used Tsp (I've since convinced him that's the wrong phosphate) someone else will be able to give you better advice but if your friends washer is that old it probably needs cleaned.Theres a lot of people here that know their stuff about washers so someone will advise you.I also have to get advise about a problem with my washer I just have to figure out where to post it..lol..take care Cheryl

 

[stan]

Beth

That's a question that's a little complicated to answer
What's making it complicated for me is the fact that your friend has well water. Now we know that STPP will no doubt be useful to her laundry needs, because STPP "complexes" with hard water minerals. The problem I see, is that if there is hard water scale already built up in the washer, then I doubt STPP will loosen what's already hardened up. If she's been a fabric softener junky, or uses mostly cold water washes, and cold rinses, then she might have two problems (the gunk and the scale)
The best way, is is to do what you did, and get the cabinet off and look. While the cabinet is off and she sees gunk then she can try to scrape out as much as possible, then get the cabinet back on (sometimes is easier to get off then back on) then fill with hot water and use a cup to a cup and a half of washing soda as I mentioned above. (The soda is cheaper to use for purpose than the STPP)
After the gunk/sludge is gone, then she may half to go after the hard water scale with filling the machine with hot water again and using CLR or 3 cups of white vinegar, and running another cycle. At that point she should be good to go provided she uses the STPP with each load she dose to keep the machine that way.
In the past I helped a friend with a similar problem, and we did the washing soda thing. But have also gone further with another friend by removing the cabinet, the agitator, and took inner tub completely out, then you can really see everything and clean everything without filling and re filling and going through all that. To do the later requires some tools specifically a tool needed to remove the tub nut.
Watch! shel get the cabinet off and look and all is fine and there won't be anything in there. LOL

 

[stan]

Sorry Beth

I meant to be answering Cheryl I'm getting you two gals mixed up! LOL

 

[gpevas]

Downy!

I totally agree with Stan about using washing soda like Arm and Hammer washing soda you can find it at Wallmart it seems to be getting harder to find though. Don't be confused with baking soda this is different from washing soda. Downy if used will build up a gel type gunk on the walls of the washer tub not the tub with holes in it but the tub that holds the laundry water. I no longer use it if I want softer towels I use white vinager in the rinse water. I also use NO fabric softner sheets like bounce it coats the fibers and makes the item less absorbent. A trick I used to clean my automatic washer was to set my water heater to the hottest setting then did a hot water wash to really get the gunk off the walls of my washer.

 

[mamapinky]

lol

Not hard to get people confused here..as far as that special tool needed to get the tub out are you talking about the spanner nut wrench? Lol I didn't have one sooo I used a hammer and a pipewrench and gently tapped counterclock wise probably not the wisest but I wasn't willing to wait for a spanner wrench. I'm sure my build up came from downy and cold water washes, moms hubby had the hot water valve shut off to save costs what a jerk so cold washes all the time with extre downy ....and factor in that this washer doesn't fill up the whole way on wash or rinse cycle (I'm suspecting moms hubby rigged something) its no wonder this roper was so nasty.
Beth for gods sake do what Stan suggests. .lol. but really find out if that washer used cold water washes and rinse predominantly and if downy was used regularly. .....smiles Cheryl

 

[esty]

Now that I have been using the stpp on my loads, it really has been working very well. The clothing come out with similar results as with the Persil pearls. Persil pearls clean so well that now I am wondering if there are phosphates in it. No where on the bottle can I nor my husband find where it says phosphate free like the tide and arm and hammer does. It just says that it's assembled in America with foreign ingredients. Now I'm wondering what the foreign ingredients are. Would anyone happen to know or have more information on the subject?
Thank you all!

 

[stan]

Hi Beth

Laundress may be along to answer that question, shes well informed with detergents, and in particular that one.
I doubt that it contains phosphates, but is complex enough that it makes up for the lack of. (As best a possible) Thats just my guess?
I'm curious about the one ounce of STPP dose you've settled on? Is the one ounce measured in volume, or weight? One ounce of STPP by weight is about three Tbs in volume. Where as one ounce of Washing Soda by weight measures out to only be two Tbs.

 

[esty]

Hi Stan

I am using the two ounce measuring scoop that the stpp came with. I am just using half a scoop, so I guess thats volume. That seems to be enough for a regular load for me. I have to say that when I did you two ounces, the clothes may have come out brighter, however I can't waste so much water doing so many extra rinses so as not to irritate my hands.

 

[stan]

Gotcha

Let us know how it goes for your Freind, and her washer

 

[hiandry]

Front Loader.

Unfortunately I have a front loader and I'm stuck with it and i've never liked it.

I was wondering if I understood correctly. If I use STPP with regular instead of he detergent..if I mix 30% by weight stpp and 70% reg granular/dry detergent..will it not suds too much? Also... should I run a cup or two of sttp alone with no cloths through on hottest temp once a month or so?

I would be grateful for any and all input. I'm lost with this FL and it has stink problem.

 

[stan]

Hi Laurie

Are you thinking that your machine has a build up?
If your trying to clean out the machine because your suspicious of detergent or softener build up, then IMHO I would think washing soda by itself will work. Don't see the point in wasting STPP, save the STPP to add to your detergent when your actually doing laundry.
The STPP can cause some extra sudsing because it's softening (or complexing with) the water. Also depends on the detergent your using, how much, what temp, how hard your water is and what your washing.
So if using STPP... then you may have to adjust the amount of detergent down a bit.

 

[joeypete]

I've been using STPP for a few months now and I have to say that I notice it more in my dishwasher than in my clothes washer. My dishwasher isn't even a year old yet but it was developing that white film on the heating element. After using a small amount of STPP in each wash, the film is gone and the inside of the washer is sparkling clean. It's really noticeable. For my laundry, it's harder to tell since my clothes don't get THAT dirty. I only wear white tshirts....usually no socks in summer so this winter will prove if it works well on my white socks. I did give a sample to my friend who is on well water and she was complaining that her whites were getting dingy and gray. The STPP has helped to whiten them up. I guess it just all depends on your situations.

 

[mamapinky]

Laurie, I use STPP regularly in my laundry, you can use HE detergent with it, is there a reason your using non HE detergent in your FL?

 

[hiandry]

I'm not using non he.

But I would like to if that's an option. What I have been using: ivory flakes with baking soda and or soda ash with borax..I did that for a long time. Lately i've been squirting some dawn dish liquid with tsp sometimes or soda ash with borax instead. I fill the softener cup with white vinegar for several years now and by reading what your all saying, my guess is it's the only thing that has kept it from clogging. I was just wanting not to have to use HE because it's difficult for me to get and expensive. I realize now to not use a soap base. So I will stop using the dawn or ivory and purchase a powder.. Unless someone knows of a simple homemade recipe for Front Loaders.

Thank you for you're responses and I very much welcome more.

My FL has been quite a difficulty and a disappointment, but I must make peace with it. I live in a tiny trailer with the dryer built-in on top to save room. I have no space for a side by side washer and dryer.