I own a brand new LG front load HE washer/dryer and want to keep it that way. Normally, I select whatever setting (delicate, normal, etc.), put ALL my clothes in (without separating them) and I'm good to go! I have found I am overloading my machine and not properly pre-treating stains, etc. so my clothes are not coming as clean or are having unnecessary wear and tear. Here is what I found:
First, lets talk about washing our clothes; then we will talk about machine maintenance. Make sure you look at the labels on your cloths. They are there for a reason :) Every fiber type has properties that determine how they react to water temperature and heat.
- Sorting - Before we do anything we should separate our clothes (something I wasn't really doing). I separate mine into whites (including white towels, or any clothing with a white background), towels and darks first. I then sort my clothes again into delicates and heavier fabrics. Towels are fine I don't sort those again, but for example, my darks I sort into my lighter blouses/thin sweatpants into one pile and jeans, sweatshirts and other heavy fabrics into another. I do this because when we get into drying temperatures you will find out :)
- Pre-treat Stains - Next I pre-treat any stains. I used to not do this and would just throw in one of those Tide like stain booster packs, but they we're not working. Especially for my husbands chronic pen stains on his pants! I typically use Shout or another spray on stain remover. I am looking over Pinterest for a cheaper homemade version and found a couple, but haven't tried any yet.
- Water Temperature -
- Hot Water: Hot water is for fast and powerful cleaning, NOT for bright colored fabrics or delicates. It's good for extremely dirty/stained clothes and bright whites. Bleach works best with hot water. This is the setting I use when I am cleaning my washing machine itself or when washing my whites.
- Warm Water: Warm water is good for clothes prone to wrinkles, darks and washable wool fabrics. This is probably the most used water temperature. Or SHOULD be. There are some who wash everything on cold water to lower their monthly heating costs, but that shouldn't be the case come to find out. I use this setting now for my heavier fabric piles like my darks with jeans, etc..
- Cold Water: Cold water is best for bright fabrics, colors that easily fade, or washing those colors that may "run" especially if its your first time washing a new item. Examples are reds, yellows, pinks and oranges. Cold is almost always the preferred rinse temperature as it cuts down on suds and helps your clothes rinse completely. This is always my rinsing cycle temperature and what I use when I wash my delicate fabrics.
Your items need to be very dry already before going into the dryer to
prevent unnecessary wear on your dryer and clothes. I use low/medium
for my lighter/delicate fabrics and high for heavier ones.
5. Drying Temperature - For my dryer I can choose a setting which uses an
auto time or I can set my time. I usually choose the later. Always make
sure your clothes, etc. are very dry/spun down before putting in the dryer!
This means less wear on your dryer itself and less dry time.
- Delicates: Delicates should be dried on a gentle or low setting. Low is also good for wrinkle release and can be used to "freshen" clothes before wearing.
- Heavy Fabrics: Studier or heavier fabrics like towels, blankets, jeans, whites, etc. should be dried on a high setting. Typically, I use "normal/medium" heat unless I'm having a hard time getting something to dry I will kick it up to "high." Then again I am doing smaller loads too.
- NOTE: Using an unnecessary high drying temperature is what causes extra wear and tear on your clothes. Especially if you are washing/drying delicate fabrics with heavier ones!
wears a suit to work everyday it seems ridiculous to me. We purchased
one of those home dry cleaning kits and use them in between bringing
them in to be cleaned. My husband typically sits at a desk all day so his
suits are not getting "dirty" or stinky so it works for us. We only put 1 suit
(pants/jacket) in at a time. I know these do not work well to get rid of stains
(despite coming with a stain spray), but they do freshen really well!
Tips:
- If you can, add the soap to the water to let it dissolve a second then add your clothes. It prevents direct contact with clothes. This is hard for front loading machines so I can't do this.
- Do NOT overfill your washer or dryer. The smaller the load the better as the machine is able to agitate dirt/grime and get your clothes cleaner. This is easier for me at the moment because since I'm sorting my clothes now, and I need to do laundry weekly for my husband and I, our loads tend to be just the right size! Overloading your dryer can actually break your dryer due to the extra weight and also cause you to have very long dry times.
- Fabric softener should be added at the rinse cycle ONLY. In HE machines with drawers for detergent etc., there should be a spot for fabric softener. I don't normally use any, but with trying out homemade detergent "recipes" I have been trying white distilled vinegar in there for towels ONLY. They say 1/2c of the vinegar, but I just fill my compartment as it won't hold quite 1/2c. I use Purex crystals in my laundry detergent "recipe" so my towels don't come out spelling like vinegar.
- Apparently, hydrogen peroxide works well for whites ONLY. I haven't tried this yet, but plan on it. I think its 1/2c as well. Cheaper than buying bleach, not that bleach is expensive.
- Always wash new items by themselves. I will take all new items and divide them up just like I sort my regular laundry. Some items may need to be washed separately several times until they are done "running" or "bleeding."
- They make laundry "shavers" and they are amazing! I have some sweaters, sweatpants, etc. that get those little "pills" all over them. These electric little things get them all off without pulling or ruining my clothes! I think you can find them at Walmart or check online.
- Always use a little zippered laundry bag for underwear (thongs, etc. especially lacey stuff) and a special bra bag for bras! This keeps them from getting ruined. I also only wash these in a very small load of delicates.
- Empty the dryer lint trap after EVERY load in the dryer. This prevents the lint from going back onto your items and is a fire hazard if not done.
Now onto laundry machine maintenance. I haven't yet checked my owners manuals to see if my machines should get an annual "checkup" or service. Does anyone do this? But there are some things you should know about your HE or front loading machines to keep them cleaning well.
- ALWAYS leave the door of your washer ajar when not in use! I just leave mine open. This prevents mold, etc. growth in the machine that causes it to smell.
- After every load, wipe down the "seal" on your washing machine. I admit, I don't do this after every load, but I do it about once a week when I'm finished with my weekly laundry and I'm cleaning my machine.
- Clean your washing machine AT LEAST monthly! I tend to do this weekly. Instead of buying those washing machine cleaners which are pretty much just bleach I have started to try to use vinegar (white distilled) and baking soda. I fill my soap dispenser with the vinegar, add an additional 1/2c to the drum itself and add 1/2c baking soda to the drum as well. I run my "express" setting with an extra rinse. This is basically a 20 minute wash cycle using hot water and an extra rinse. I then wipe down the whole inside of the washing machine and seal with paper towels.
- Some washers have a little trap with a hose. Mine is located right in the front of my machine. I empty this completely every time I clean my machine weekly and after running any cycle using bleach (or peroxide once I start using that).
