Vinegar in washer.

[maytagneptune]

I use White vinegar 1/2 cup for towels. 5% acidity. I wanted to know if the acid is really strong enough to eat through the Door boot of my LG FL washer or the Tub Seal on any of my machines. I HATE replacing bearings. It's really tedious to do it. I add Baking soda to the start of the wash. I add the vinegar when the machine is towards the end of the wash or into the bleach dispenser. I never use LCB unless it's dead necessary. The vinegar is only in the machine for about 2-5 minutes then the machine drains it. I use less on HE machines.

 

[maytag85]

If you want to increase the life of the bearings (along with other seals and rubber hoses on the machine) only use warm or hot water along with good detergent such as Tide to prevent gunk from building up on the surfaces of the inner and out tub. I suggest also running a cleaning cycle through the machine to keep it spotless and in tip top shape.

 

[qsd-dan]

Vinegar is best used in the rinse cycle rather than the wash. Some here state that vinegar is hard on rubber parts, like seals. This may reduce the life of the seals and prematurely destroy the drum bearings. Replacing bearings is a big job on most front loaders and I believe LG now designs washers with non replaceable bearings.

 

Become familiar with the cycles on the machine and use the hottest temps fabrics will allow. Use STPP rather than vinegar. <span style="font-size: 12pt;">Baking soda generally causes more problems than it solves. It's also </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">difficult to rinse out. Purchase</span> white towels only and use a quality oxygen bleach with 150F temps and the longest cycle possible.

 

 

[yogitunes]

your better off with HOT140+ or WARM110 wash water, a good detergent....that is IF you want your machine to last!

and if additives are needed, Borax, Ammonia, or Bleach should be your dedicated Go-To boosters...

no matter what comes out on the market as new products, we have tried them all, and only to return to the basics every time...

basic laundry techniques will allow the machine to clean itself.....

 

[launderess]

Adding white vinegar or any acidic substance to a wash cycle where detergents have been used is next to useless.

Nearly all laundry detergents in general use have an alkaline pH, some higher than others but still there you are. Addition of various so called boosters only increases pH level. Thus a dilute acid such as white vinegar which is already weak, will be weaker still and have basically no effect.

Using some sort of acid in final or next rinse where alkaline detergents/products have been used may have some benefit. But as noted there are conflicting opinions as to what acid substances do to rubber and other bits inside washing machine.

Was reading an older owners manual for Miele washer and it strongly cautioned against using acids for descaling or other purposes in washer. Miele stated it could harm rubber and other internal parts. Suggested limescale be kept at bay by use of sufficient amounts of proper laundry detergent.

That advice rings true in that detergents long have contained substances to deal with mineral content (builders), so one didn't need anything else.

As for "souring" laundry in most areas of country water tap water is near neutral, thus sufficient rinsing should bring down pH to skin friendly levels. But if one is going with just one rinse, and or has used some very high alkaline products in wash, then some benefit might come from using a "sour" in rinse.

[this post was last edited: 11/4/2021-03:30]

 

[sudsmaster]

I have sometimes added a bit of white vinegar to the rinse cycle, but not lately. The last load of bath towels I washed were horribly over sudsing, through all the three rinses. Dang. I didn't think I had added too much liquid detergent (Kirkland Ultraclean) but the suds would just not go away. The odd part is that the hot wash cycle wasn't over sudsing, but the cold rinses certainly were. Finally after the last spin, I reset the washer to do another two cold rinses, and that seemed to do the trick. Next time I'll add just a thimble full of detergent.

 

[launderess]

Find it interesting that using sours (usually white vinegar) is gaining use for domestic use, while OTOH commercial/industrial laundries are scaling back use of same.

As with domestic laundry liquid detergents and or lower pH products are gaining for industrial laundries for several reasons. Prime reason is all that high pH, temperatures then acid final rinses takes a toll on fabrics.

Other reasons range from savings in water (by using less rinses), and chemicals.

Many fabric softeners already have a pH in acidic range. Downy comes in at 3.0 to 3.7, and already contain various acids.

https://facilities.ofa.ncsu.edu/files/2016/07/SDS_DOWNY_FABRIC_SOFTENER_.pdf

https://pgproductsafety.com/product...A_DOWNY_FABRIC_SOFTENER_-_FREE_AND_GENTLE.pdf

Ultra Downy Free & Gentle Liquid Fabric Softener, 103 fl oz Ingredients and Reviews

Ingredients reviewed for Ultra Downy Free & Gentle Liquid Fabric Softener to be 82% Top Allergen Free and free of Fragrance, Gluten, Coconut, and Nickel

www.skinsafeproducts.com

 

[tomturbomatic]

I think the trend toward using less water is causing multiple rinses to be reduced by better extraction between the water changes. SudsMaster's experience of reducing foaming by a final spin sort of shows that getting the detergent out of the system is a help.

 

[foraloysius]

More interesting to me would be the reason for adding baking soda to the start of the wash. Is that an addition to the detergent you are using? I guess it's not necessary when you use enough of a good detergent. Baking soda is an ingredient for some cheaper detergents, but those are not particularly known for good washing results.

Adding a bit of vinegar to the last minutes of the wash could be helpful with rinsing, but I don't know if that is more helpful than adding it to the last rinse, if at all.

 

[launderess]

Problem with using vinegar or any acid in laundry is you're dealing with unknown science.

Household vinegar is 5% acidity. Thus a few ounces per several gallons of water may do nothing, or little. Without knowing pH level of rinse water it may take more vinegar (or less) to neutralize "X" pH.

If water is made too acidic and that isn't brought down by contact with pH substances (one cancelling the other to extent resulting in neutralizing), you've got acidic water that is going to be sitting in sump and elsewhere after cycle completes.

Doing another cycle at once, and not using vinegar (or any other substance to act as sour) should help neutralize any excess acidity from previous wash in theory.

With acidic descaling products for washing machines directions always call for running a full wash program afterwards. The rinses following descaling wash flush away whatever was removed, but also again the neutral pH of water helps raise pH to levels that residue won't cause harm.

There is a post somewhere in forum about one of our European members having to refurb a family members washer. One issue was the rubber hose that lead from dispenser to drum rotted away. Apparently someone was fond of using vinegar in rise compartment.....

 

[launderess]

Adding sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) to wash has a following. But what one doesn't understand is why but more to point residue of sodium bicarbonate is what prompts use of laundry "sours" in first place.

Sodium carbonate (washing soda) will break down into sodium bicarbonate and it is that residue which can cause problems. Things like yellowing of wash when subsequently exposed to heat (dryer, ironer, ironing...).

 

[lakewebsterkid]

Vinegar

Actually, my linen sheets feel significantly softer when adding a small amount of vinegar in the rinse compared to nothing. Otherwise I agree it doesn’t to enough to warrant its use in every load.

 

[guidelines]

P&G’s embraced vinegar too

We’ve been using Tide Zero plus 9 Elements fabric softener for several months now. I’m really happy with the results. When I recently pulled out clothes from last winter, I was shocked how strongly the scent remained from Tide with Oxi (which doesn’t actually have any oxygen bleaching agent!). Tide Zero has only the subtlest of scent to it. The 9 Elements softener is very thin and light (like vinegar!) and leaves virtually no smell behind. I’ve never liked goopy fabric softeners or the mess they leave in the machine over time. Our water is soft enough we’ve always gotten away without fabric softener, but I’ve found the 9 Elements softener give towels and sheets a nice feel.

 

[warmsecondrinse]

Borax, ammonia, and bleach are my go-to's as well. Someone's been a bad influence on me?????????

During the height Covid I used a disinfectant in the fabric softener dispenser. When I went back to plain white vinegar I noticed clothes were def a bit softer.

 

[launderess]

9 Elements Liquid Purifying Softener

Ingredients
Water, Plant Based Cleanser: Citric Acid, Plant Based Water Softener: Sodium Citrate, Plant Based Solvent: Propylene Glycol, Lemon Essential Oil: Fragrances, Vinegar

Contents are required by regulation to be listed in order of high to low. Thus you see acetic acid (vinegar) makes up rather puny part of this product.

Professional laundries or persons have other acids they prefer over acetic for "souring". Oxalic, formic, citric, carboxylic acids are all better choices alone or blended are often better choices. Then there is growing use of hydrogen peroxide (which is acidic) based sours, antichlors, and even disinfectants.

In many countries citric acid long has been used in rinse and or wash cycles.
https://www.quora.com/How-would-you-use-citric-acid-for-laundry-if-at-all