washing machine settings

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1
Hi,

Can anyone tell if we can use the setting 'synthetics' to wash cotton clothes (e.g. cotton jeans). also is it advisable to wash cotton jeans inside out to keep their appearnce intact after the wash. for us, the pants appear died out after the first wash.

also which option should be used for T-shirts (we have Daunen(couvette), feinwashe (delicats), Baumwolle Eco(cotton eco), super eco, 20 min 3 kg as other options. of course there are also super eco 30 degrees. the words in the brackets are written under each option.

we seem to use the settings wrongly for our new clothes which reduce their appearance, durability.

it would be of great help if someone can also give an idea about the temperature we should use for the above cloth types (cotton jeans, t shirts etc)

cheers

happycreature

2
Unless clothes are heavily soiled or have special care instructions.. I just wash everything on the quick, 25 minute, 40 degree cycle, no separation of colours/whites etc, just throw it all in.. Modern detergents work just fine with that.

3
Jeans inside out - yes

Non-whites - liquid detergent- 30degrees - automatic cycle - duration 1:15

Whites - powder detergent- 30 degrees-cotton cycle - duration 2:15

Personally I don’t think the cycle option makes a huge difference, apart from the spin speed and duration.

For shirts I use a shirt cycle which has a low spin speed and only lasts about 50mins

Also the quantity of detergent you use, can have an impact. Pay attention to the quantity/dirt-level guide on the back of the packet.

4
And use about 50-60% of the recommended amount.

Tip: If you see soap suds after the wash (on door or seal) you are using too much soap)

5
Thanks for all the replies. We use tablets for washing , so cannot control the amount of powder. For us it looks like that we spin too much or wash at high temperatures not suitable for the particular type of clothing. The spin speed and temperature are set automatically by the option we choose ( although I think we can change them manually). Hence i was asking which option to use.

Alternatively if we use eco 30 degrees for every type of clothing, does it preserve the quality of the clothes? The main problem is some clothing tupes like cotton jeans or t shirts or pullovers look dead after the wash and this is what we want to avoid.

Cheers

happycreature

6
Using lower spin speeds and lower temperatures will mostly be better for your fabrics. If you’ve got staining, try treating/soaking by hand before you wash it.

I only use high temps (60C) for towels and bedding.

I don’t tend to bother with all the fancy special programmes, and just select temp and spin manually. Usual programme is an hour or so.

7
A wise old woman taught me this.

Turn all clothes inside out. Separate colours from whites. Choose a washing powder or liquid (not tabs) so you have control of the quantity and then use half the quantity the manufacturer recommends. Do not use fabric softener. Read the manual of the machine. Find out what you can influence downwards and then select: the shortest cycle (ideally something like "express" for 25 minutes) the lowest temperature (typically 30 degrees) the lowest number of revolutions the shortest spin.

Now wash a load on these minimal settings... and see what happens.

Try to hang the clothes to dry, and avoid tumbling.

Pull the clothes into shape as you hang them up.

Iron only the minimum (e.g. business shirts).

If you feel that anything is scratchy or dull, add 1 Tablespoon of cheap white vinegar to the next load.

If you then feel anything's not getting clean enough, increase the factors above in steps, one by one, until you like the result.

8
I concur. Even though T shirts like Lacoste say 40 deg, 30 deg is quite sufficent and will make them last far longer.

I read recently that a major hotel chain only washes towels at 30 deg. so now I never exceed 50 deg (except for an occasional maintenance wash to clear out bacteria).

9
I usually wash t-shirts at 40 because at 30 they come out smelly but you can do whatever works for you, less is better.

Underwear, socks, bedding and towels I do all 60°C to kill the bacteria and smells. These articles can usually take it just fine (I'm a man tho).

I definitely reduce the spin speed, the only advantage of it being fast is that they come out drier.

>also is it advisable to wash cotton jeans inside out

definitely. But jeans often aren't really dirty, and some people don't ever really wash them. If you have enough laundry at a time, you could wash non-dirty overclothes like jeans and pull-overs at 30°C with low spin speed.

Obviously, don't tumble anything ever.

10
Why not look up on the internet for the instruction book for the particular make and model of machine, they normally give the instructions you are looking for re. different settings etc. for different items of clothing.

11
Never wash jeans until they stand up by themselves. And forget it that your T- shirts are staying nice looking. The manufacturer puts a special chemical in so that they look all silky and beautiful when you buy them. One wash and that all gone!

12
Hopefully the OP is using color fabric soap.

13
Why? Have you noticed it's making a difference, and if so, in what way?

14
Bleaching agents and optical ehnancers.

I have enough space for 2 boxes in my washroom closet and the price is the same, so I didn't experimentally prove the difference because I don't care enough, but it probably exists given that every brand has the universal version and the color version.

15
I strongly doubt that 10 deg more or less make a difference here.

That's just plain disgusting and a health hazard. Quite pleasant thought of having remains of some previous guest's fungus on the towel.

BTW you should do a 95 deg run every few weeks to kill fungi and bacteria. Some machines also have a specific hygiene program and even tell you when you should run it.

16
Turns out it's the Dorchester...

From here .

17
Black t-shirts stay black for years instead of months.

Back in the days when I used to have to wash my own white cotton overalls for work, I experimented with a lot of washing powders and liquids checking for result and allergic reaction. I settled on Lidl's colour wash liquid (purple bottle) and have stuck with it because it preserves colours but does a good job on whites too and I'm not allergic to it.

Silly thing. I stayed at a friends house the other night and she loves everything to smell nice. I got 2hrs sleep because the fab con on the bedding had me sneezing and eyes watering most of the night.

18
Ok, here's what I do , but I have a few questions too!!

All color clothes in easycare,30°c

All whites in easycare,40°c

All blacks in easycare ,30°c

I use no fabric softner/fragrance liquid thing.

All linen ,undees ,jeans ,dirtier clothes in normal wash 40°c

All clothes ,except wools, go in the drier to dry. They come out nice and soft.

Someone here mentioned, "obviously, never ever use the tumbler for anything". Why? For me, (with the tumbler)they come out nice and soft,and hardly need an ironing.

I have heard it forever and from everyone, but I see no point in turning Jeans inside out in a washing machine. That makes sense to me only if you're drying jeans in the sun.

19
'Nice' darks - anything but jeans, socks, dogwalking or gardening clothes - are turned inside out, washed separately from other colors with a 'black' liquid detergent, at 20 degrees or on 'tap cold', cycle depending on the fabric.

Delicates turned inside out, washed on 20 degrees delicate cycle with a 'fine' liquid detergent. The delicate/handwash cycle still spins more than I would like, so very delicate stuff is hand washed the old-fashioned way.

Bright colors, turned inside out, are washed either 20 on 30 degrees, depending on the fabric. Occasionally on 40 if very dirty cotton. Cycle depends on fabric. Liquid color or fine detergent.

Jeans, work clothes, socks washed on 40. Usually use one of the cotton clothing cycles. Powder color detergent.

Bedding on 40 or 60, depending on fabric. Color powder detergent.

Towels on 60, powder white detergent. Heavy cotton cycle.

Dog bedding/towels on 60 or 95, heavy cotton cycle, powder color detergent. 95 is used whenever I need to sterilize for medical reasons.

The only loads that go through a full tumble dry are the towels, husband's heavy work clothes/socks, and dog bedding.

Nice darks, some delicates, colors go in for a 3 or so minute fluff, then are hung to dry. Most delicates do not go in the tumbler at all.

I find that a full dry comes out more wrinkled. A quick fluff, smooth or block and then hang, is IME the best way to avoid wrinkles in my stuff. Much is fabric dependent. Synthetics or fine naturals don't do well in the tumbler, even on low heat*, the fabric ends up faded or otherwise damaged quickly. And shrinks.

Sheets are fluffed or half-dried and then hung to finish, fabric content dependent. Also weather dependent - on a wet muggy day I likely need to tumble dry fully - and then smooth and fold immediately - rather than hang in the cellar. In an ideal world I'd like to hang sheets outside on a sunny breezy day, but that is not allowed in our Quartier.

*One of my complaints with the various driers I have had here is that none have had a 'cool dry' setting. The low heat settings are actually quite hot. Can any of you recommend a brand with a true cool dry setting?

20
Our Miele tumbler has proper "cool". You can also put it on a "basket" setting which doesn't toss it about too much.

The warm setting can also be adjusted from furnace blast to warm fart.