Whatever happened to washing machine lint filters?

[iheartmaytag]

My opinion

This is only my opinion with no specific proof to back it up.

 

The GE Filter-flo was more efficient at handling lint not because of the filter pan, but because of the spin-drain.  Same with Maytag.    When we moved to a house and had a Whirlpool neutral drain, you would find a layer of lint on top of  your clothes.

 

[brucelucenta]

That makes a fairly valid point that solid tub washers with overflow rinse and spin out at the top of the tub does get rid of lint.

 

[wishwash]

Those higher end WP and GE top loaders with the recirculation spray could easily have lint filters added, but imagine all the complaints from customers having to take the extra step. A more practical approach could be used by the likes of LG with their Waveforce system. If their washers are designed to spin a full load up to speed to spray water back down over the clothes, then a spin drain wouldn't hurt at all.

 

[launderess]

One thing did not like about the "convertible" WP co

Was the neutral drain system. Was told it didn't make a difference and or the spray rinses both after wash cycle and or final rinse would assist. This and or the dryer is where much lint was removed anyway. But still didn't like the thing.

One didn't notice much on whites/lights, but dark or black items came out of the wash coated with lint, not all of which was removed by dryer.

Going back years good laundry practice dictated *not* to drain water through laundry. One good thing about wringer washers was that one lifted things from mucky water and thus left much of the lint, scum, dirt, hard water minerals, or whatever behind. I believe overflow rinsing on some automatic washers was, in theory, meant to provide same benefits.

 

[pierreandreply4]

brush lint filter on older inglis whirlpool washers

anyone remember the old brush lint filter on older whirlpool inglis washers those would be a pain to clean before they switch to bed nail type lin filters credit to original members who originaly posted these pictures that i saved on my pc

 

[DADoES]

 
I've not noticed lint to be an issue for all the 37 years that my clothes were washed exclusively in Whirlpool-made neutral-drain machines and the occasional instances following ... including 8+ years of Calypso which technically is a neutral-drain machine and technically strains all the wash and rinse water through the clothes.

 

[DADoES]

 
Hmmm.  Just came to mind that the period between the WP neutral-drain machines and the Calypso was handled by F&P which are also neutral-drain.  Seems I've successfully avoided lint in all cases.

 

[brucelucenta]

The whole thing is kind of ridiculous in reality. Lint filters on washing machines did so little to help lint that it is kind of pointless. They were only selling tactics and another feature for machines of the day. Dryers were and still are the real lint catchers and anything you dry on the line is going to have some lint still on it no matter what washing machine you use. The more aggressive the washing action, the more lint you will have in top loading machines anyway. DD Whilrlpool/Kenmore, Norge/Monkey Wards/Magic Chef, GE, Frigidaire(at least the jet action agitator) and a few others were worse about linting. But the whole concept of top loaders was to really sort of "beat" the dirt out of clothes with the agitation and did promote lint. The only really good washing machines for getting rid of lint are front loading ones, partly because they don't promote any linting at all with their tumbling action.

 

[alr2903]

I wonder if a manual clean lint filter made people with suds savers feel  better about reusing wash water? 

 

[launderess]

Though for many there was a *yuck* factor

Associated with suds return washing machines, those who sought them out had their reasons. Many were either die hard wringer/conventional washer users, or needed to conserve water (hot and or cold) for various reasons. As such don't think lint the lint issue (manual filter or no) was a huge issue for such persons.

After all if they had come from using a wringer washer (or worse, doing the wash manually with tubs), they knew what they were getting when wash water was reused in terms of lint/muck.

 

[panthera]

OK,

We have pets and there is zero question but what the Filterflos do an enormously better job of catching lint than does the Maytag, which is pretty good compared to the Whirlpools with their useless 'magic' filter.

It's easily seen when we put the clothes in the dryer - there's less lint with a load washed in the GE Filterflos than with the others.

It does make a difference, especially with pet hair.

Worth noting: Many European detergents have enzymes which eat damaged cellulose pretty well.

 

I don't care what anyone says, the facts arebest lint removal  - GE Filterflo, Maytag, Thumper with overflo rinses and then useless Whirlpool 'magic'.

 

[lowefficiency]

I'll second the pet hair comments. A load of Guinea Pig bedding will bring any lint filter to its knees. Getting as much of it caught at the wash stage as possible is about the only way it's even feasible. There's just too much fine hair, on too large of a surface area, for a dryer to be able to catch or remove it all.

 

[brucelucenta]

I really can't say that much about pet hair removal, since that is not a problem I have encountered. I can see where GE or like machines would be helpful with removing that. Just lint in general doesn't seem to be any issue at all for me in the front loader. Animal hair might be a problem, I don't know. I used a lint roller on things that the dog laid on before washing it though. New towel lint and the like, I have no problems with in the front loader. It knocks loose any lint and pumps it down the drain and it creates no more lint in washing.

 

[arris]

Lint filters

I asked this same question a few years ago and was informed by John ( Combo52 ) when detergents removed " Phosphates " it caused the lint filters to become gooey and plug up...... could also be from the comments mentioned above.... I would like to see them come back....If washing pet items the hair seems to either end up in the bottom of the tub, or ball on the fabric... which led me to finding this site,and find a washer with a lint filter to prevent that as well as cutting down on lint when hanging cloths on the line in the warmer months....

 

[brucelucenta]

A sticky tape lint roller can be a wonderful thing when it comes to pet hair. I learned that in my dry cleaning days.

 

[daveamkrayoguy]

What must'a inspired development of Manual Lint Filterin

Me, if I get hair, lint & fuzz from handkerchiefs & Kleenex around my mouth (& caught in growing facial hair that needs a shave) my tongue is my Filter-Flo--just gotta keep my self from swallowing my goop...

-- Dave

 

[launderess]

Did a small load of linens last night in the Maytag wringer

Used the agitator with metal lint filter, and whoever said those things didn't "work" must never have used one.

The linens (two sheets and a duvet cover) were from a neighbor who is feeling poorly and couldn't get out to laundromat. Me being me, and having enough equipment at present to start a laundry volunteered. However since one knows this person has a cat, the things were not going into the Miele or AEG.

When all was said and done, after pulling the agitator out to clean and dry, took the metal mesh lint filter out as well. It was covered in hairs! Cleaning the thing was not fun, and even later today after the thing was dry a few hairs remained, but still am rather impressed.

 

[mark_wpduet]

I haven't seen

a lint filter on a washing machine since growing up with our Lady Kenmore TL washer. I remember in the mid 80s, that was replaced with a WP TL washer that had a "self cleaning" filter, although I never knew how it actually worked. Whatever it was was invisible.

I just washed some brand new shirts yesterday and the amount of lint on the dryer screen was crazy. That's usually always the case with new items though....some worse than others. Usually after a couple of washes there's just your normal amount of lint on the dryer screen.

 

[lordkenmore]

I once had a near-BOL BD KM to use. One of the things that I liked--no, loved--was the lint filter. Clothes could be line dried, and be about as lint free as something dried in the dryer. And it worked wonders when I got someone's pet's fur all over my clothes.

 

[mrsalvo]

I've always wondered how self-cleaning lint filters actually worked in KM/Whirlpool machines. Where were they located? Another great mystery of life! Lol.
Hotpoint had theirs mounted around the upper tub, it was pretty efficient if I recall correctly. Sure wish SQ TL had one. Dark clothes can be a problem if the load is mixed. SQ gets around this in their manual by suggesting washing only "like items" in the load, in other words don't mix it up. The center of the agitator is hollow, they could have developed something similar to what Maytag used years ago. (Pretty much a moot point now with even more stringent new government regulations coming into play, I would suppose.)

The GE Filter-flos kicked some serious butt, as did the rear mounted Norges.
Interesting thread.
Barry