This is the way we wash our....
IMHO,
The first time I used Woolite for my cloth bags was back in 1992 when I picked up my first old Hoover a model 28 with attachments at a local thrift for 5 dollars. The machine was flawless but full of dog hair and had smells to it that can only be attributed to vile waste floating in a retention pond.
My grandmother, being a normal vigiourously clean German housewife showed me the proper way to hand wash my DELICATE bag, even tho it was BADLY soiled. She soaked the item in lukewarm/cool water for about a half an hour in a washsink...agitating the item with her hands for about a minute. then dregged out the bag turned it inside out and hung it to drip dry over the tub using a plastic hangar.
She rinsed the sink and filled again with the same lukewarm/cool water and added a 1/4 cup of Woolite and dropped the bag back into the wash water. and let it soak for an hour and then giving it a brisk minute or so squeezing and agitation thru that water then dregged back out the bag and hung it over the hangar to drip.
She repeated the process with fresh rinse water until the water was clean and clear 2 rinses I remember, then a last rinse with the same amount of April fresh Downey as she used for the Woolite. Then after a GENTLE hand wringing she rolled up the bag in a large OLD bathtowel and let it sit for like five minutes or so. Then she unrolled out the bag and stretched it with her hands and placed it on top of a warm runnning dryer. for 15 minutes. Becasue it was a cool summer day she hung the bag out in the shade until it was completly dry...and the bag looked like new.
I dont rememeber if it was me,that told Jeff of this method and maybe it was or was not..but I always hand washed my old cloth bags after that day, and more importantly; back then becasue everyone either had a Maytag, Kenmore or a Whirlpool top loader..And to me and grandma, it stood to reason that if you used a fast action agitator or an agitator of any kind it would wear at old fabric like if one would have just taken a wire brush to it.
Now in 2006 my feelings on the subject have changed. IMHO if you use a gentle cycle, cold water and Woolite...I for example use my Frigidaire Gallery FL washer ...all my older cloth bags come out spanking clean. I have never had one shred or tear..and tho you may get some color runoff...that will happen whether you hand wash it or machine wash it. There's no gray area or middle ground. It's bound to happen.
I for one have washed of all things SAFELY in the cloth bag category all using my Frigidaire-
My Apex Model A3 (which has the green cloth bag w/the delicate stenciling of the Rotarex washer and the vacuum cleaner as well on it), Apex model 501 ( the blue model I got thru Jeff), Air-Way Sanitary System ( the woven cotton style outer bag with the dark green Airplanes on it..again thru Jeff)My Eureka upright model D272 witht the sideways burgandy bag with Eureka on the front panel)My Premier Commercial model 9000, and my Kirby model 505 w/ the orig bag. For these I used nothing morethan Woolite and the Cold/Cold cycle with the extra rinse..and in the final i add a (SMALL) amount of the AF (april Fresh)Downey.
If your careful and mindful as noted you can have superior results with an automatic machine as noted. And as of recent...I picked up a complete Kirby Heritage II system thru work and washed the outer bag several times without duress of any kind...except stretching that gosh da*^ed garter spring back over the Sani-Emptor.
Where some might make the mistake is using a dryer to dry them after. NEVER use a dryer unless you're using ONLY the "air" cycle to get the process moving. Or again if laid flat over the top and the heat thru the top lid to kind of give it a warming of a sort.
I have used the same machine on the Hot wash cycle to do most of my vinyl style bags UNLESS they were of the cardbord boxtop variety. Then, without discussion that's a no no and you have to hand clean those for sure or the boxtop will be ruined. Doing the methods above, you have had NO problems. My machine however only offers a warm rinse option (Hot/Cold - Warm/Warm - Warm/Cold - Cold/Cold) and after filling for the hot wash..I flip the selector over to the WARM/WARM setting to finish off the deal. It removes deep seated crud that you may not be able to get out in other methods. Again tho I use the gentle cycle.
And for those who wonder I learned how to wash out the vinyl's from Jeff as he clearly knows what he's doing and you can do it in a top loader too as he had when I visited a stainless tub Amana. Picture's dont lie...it can be done.
Anyway ALL caustic cleaners should be avoided..and if you wish NOT to use Woolite, just use an off brand from Wally-World..or another one I have tried is the Miele detergent "Persoll", which is their Woolite derivitive with the same results.
That's my seventeen cents worth
Chad
