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Washing
- in cold water
Constant cold
water washing with regular laundry detergent may leave a residue of detergent inside the machine. Most detergent companies consider cold
water to be
above 85 degrees Fahrenheit. A water temperature of less than 85 degrees
Fahrenheit won't break
down regular laundry detergent and allow it to mix with the water.
Some detergent manufacturers now
produce special cold water detergents that can be used in areas where the ground
water temperature is below 85 Degrees Fahrenheit.
Cold water
washing does not use less water... only the electricity used to heat that water. This
must be weighed against problems associated with
constant cold water washing.
If you wish to be energy efficient and lower
electrical consumption then proper washing, sorting, and drying methods should be
your primary concern. Using these methods should lower electrical consumption many
times more than switching to cold water washing.
If you find a buildup of detergent
within your washer there are
products (Affresh, Glisten, Washer Majic, or Ysano) on the market that can help remove the detergent
residue.
Rinsing the clothes in cold water is
acceptable because the detergent should have already been washed out of the
machine.
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Washing
- losing socks
Place small or
light items, such as baby socks, inside a zippered pillow case so they don't
get lost as easily. Or use
a garment bag -- it's a mesh bag with a zippered end. Usually available in the
hardware section of most grocery stores.
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Detergent
- how
much should I use
The amount suggested on the detergent box is
only a general indication of how much you will actually require. It is dependent upon many factors
including: type of washer, how dirty is clothing, water temperature, water hardness, and mineral
content of water.
If your water is soft (4 grains or less) a lesser
amount of detergent per load will be required. If your water is hard (12 grains
or more) more detergent per load will be required to obtain a clean wash. If you
don't know the hardness of your local water supply contact your municipality or
a local water softening company for this information
For a further discussion of detergent see the
article 'Understanding your Laundry Detergent' in the Info Articles section.
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Detergent
- why
should I measure
Measure your detergent and you will probably
use less. When you find that perfect amount for your type of washing put a
mark on your measuring cup so you can be consistent. The amount of crystal
detergent required is not the same as the amount of liquid detergent required.
So if you use both types then separate measuring cups will be necessary.
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What
comes first, water, detergent, or clothes
Detergent manufacturers suggest the washing order
should be:
detergent first,
clothing second, and water last.
Firstly, place a measured amount of
detergent into the washer. Secondly, put in the clothing letting the clothes
fall in freely. Do not pack down as this will overload machine. Lastly,
start the washer and allow the water to enter. As the water wets the clothes
they will sag to the bottom of the tub. Do not be tempted to add more
clothes into this space or overloading will result.
This method allows the detergent and
water to mix properly. As water enters and mixes with the detergent it
will produce a more consistent mixture. As the water-detergent mixture rises
through the clothes they will received a more even distribution of the mixture,
resulting in a better wash. It also results in a
cleaner wash using less detergent.
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Detergent
on top of clothes - is this correct
The old method of spreading detergent onto
top of clothes will result in it being wasted and give a lower quality
wash. This old method produces large amounts of suds, but a poor water-detergent mixture. Suds are only air
bubbles, and air bubbles do not wash the clothes.
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Poor
cleaning
Many problems can cause poor cleaning of the clothes.
Before calling for service check the following:
-
Clothes properly sorted
-
Overloading
-
Proper water temperature selected for fabric
-
Filter (if accessible) not clogged or broken
-
Machine spinning
-
Can spray rinse can be heard during final spin
-
Have not changed detergent type recently
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Leaking
water
Any washing
machine that leaks water should be repaired immediately. If left
unattended additional and more costly repairs can result. Check
the water inlet hoses. If is source of leak replace both (not just one) hoses.
Also replace any hose washers and/or hose strainers. While rubber hoses are sufficient for most
applications stainless steel hoses are suggested for apartments, condos, or upstairs
laundry rooms. Stainless steel hoses are more durable than rubber hoses, but
also much more expensive. Check
the drain hose. Leaking can result from it rubbing against a wall or sink. Check
the standpipe (upright drain pipe used instead of a sink), or the wash sink connections. These will often be the actual
source of a leak. When they leak the water can roll under the washing machine causing
the machine to be
blamed.
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Lint
- on clothes
Check if your clothing types are being properly
sorted before washing. Cottons and polyesters don't mix well. One loves
to produce lint and the other loves to accept it.
May be because the lint not
being captured during wash cycle. Check your Use and Care Guide to determine if your machine has a
built in filter. It may be clogged or not functioning properly.
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Lint
- clogging sink or drains
Add a hose filter (about $2.50 for a
package of two) to the end of the drain hose. When in the
package they look like a metal donut. When removed from package they are
unrolled and added to end of drain hose using the clamp provided. Usually available in the hardware section
of the grocery store.
Alternate method: Secure an old pair of pantyhose to the outlet end of
the drain hose. Attach waist of the pantyhose to end of the
hose with a clamp or large elastic band. Allow pantyhose to hang down into
the laundry tub. Change about once a month.
A drain hose filter can only be used
if the drain hose empties into a laundry sink. Do not use if it
empties into a stand pipe, floor drain, or sump.
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Lint
- balls (pilling) of lint on synthetic clothes
Pilling of
synthetic clothing is normal. It's the lint balls that appear on clothing after they have been washed.
All clothing fibers wear
because of abrasion that occurs during the wash.
Every time clothes are washed
small pieces of their fibers are left floating in the water. This cannot be prevented. It
is a natural consequence of the wear of synthetic materials and is common on
socks, sweaters and pants. On natural
fibers (wool, cotton) the broken strands will fall off and be washed away. On synthetic material
(nylon, rayon, most perma-press) the fibers break
and form balls on the clothing surface. When viewed under a microscope these lint
balls will have sharp edges and look like a bundle of fishhooks. When other loose
fibers pass over them they will grab and hold them, adding
further to the lint ball. Lint from other clothing can become attracted to these
pilling balls. Therefore, synthetic clothing and natural clothing should be washed separately.
When washed together the loose fibers from the natural clothes will be caught by
the broken fibers on the synthetic clothes. It's for this reason that we refer
to natural clothes as "lint producers", and synthetic clothes as
"lint catchers".
To help reduce the problem use a fabric softener. The
fabric softener will lubricate the fibers and retard the production of
the pilling. If pilling becomes excessive it may have to
be removed by the use of a lint brush.
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Washer
- are you overloading
Overloading is common. When properly loaded the clothes should appear to
tumble freely during the wash cycle. If clothes simply sit on top of the water then you
are overloading. Test
for overloading:
-
Open lid and watch clothes
during wash cycle.
-
Observe a brightly coloured
item as your test subject. As the clothes are being washed it should move
across the top of the water from the outside of the wash tub
towards the centre within about 15 seconds.
-
As it moves to the center of wash
tub it will come into contact with the agitator.
-
As the agitator pulls it down into
the water it
should disappear from view.
-
The test item should reappear again in about
30 seconds. If the test item doesn't consistently appear, disappear,
and reappear again, then you are overloading. If
sequence described above is taking too long, you are overloading.
-
Stop machine.
-
Remove few items (couple of
towels) of clothing
from machine.
-
Restart machine and
retest.
Using this method you will quickly
learn the optimum size of load for your particular washing machine.
Never overload the washer
even for the sake of speed or
convenience. Overloading can cause serious, and expensive, long term damage to
your washing machine.
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Washing
- jeans
To keep your blue
jeans blue, or your black jeans black, turn them inside out when washing.
This keeps abrasion to a minimum and maintains the origin colour.
Take extra care not to overload machine while washing jeans. They
absorb a lot of
water. Washing too many jeans at one time can quickly overload the washer. Persons new to doing their own washing (teenagers) will
often have this problem.
Jeans are extremely heavy when wet
and can easily throw a washing machine out of balance. If machine bangs or jumps
during the spin stop it immediately and redistribute the clothes. Distribute
jeans on opposite sides of the load.
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Items
that can cause machine problems
Some common items that can cause the washing
machine problems are, wool blankets, animal blankets, comforters, sleeping
bags, and rubber backed mats. Use extra care when washing these items. Their fibers can
begin to disintegrate when washed.
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Avoiding
unnecessary repairs
To avoid unnecessary repairs try
the following:
-
Turn pants pockets
inside out before placing into washer. This should stop any nails, screws,
hair pins, coins, etc from entering the machine.
-
Do not overload. Special
caution with heavy fabrics like jeans.
-
Clean filter after every
load.
-
If goes out of balance stop machine and
reposition clothes. If happens frequently check level of machine. Adjust
feet if necessary.
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Do not allow to leak water
or oil.
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Clothing Labels
Read the clothing labels carefully. They contain just
about everything you need to know about washing that item properly.
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Stains
on clothes - how to remove
Unsure
how to remove a stain ? Check the detergent box. Most manufacturers
have a toll free telephone that you can phone for advise.
See also our 'Stain Removal' section.
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Stains on clothes - suspect washer
Carefully run
a clean dry white rag around the washer tub. If nothing appears on rag do
the same inside the dryer drum. You may be surprised which one is actually
causing the staining.
Lift off agitator
and clean underside. Also clean top of inner wash basket.
Check water temperature selector.
Non colour-fast clothing may bleed colour if washed at incorrect temperature.
Staining of one type of clothing by
another can often be avoided by proper sorting of clothing. Although proper sorting
requires time and patience it can be cost effective. The
average load of washing has a replacement value of $200. One or two stained loads per year can
cost you a lot of money.
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Out
of balance or jumping on floor
Usually due to an
overloaded or out of balance load.
Most common culprit are jeans.
Therefore, while
washing jeans be aware that an out of balance condition can occur more
frequently. If
machine jumps on the floor during wash or spin causes can include:
-
improperly level machine
-
worn of broken suspension
-
broken or loose foot
-
loose wash basket (tub clothes are
in)
-
worn belt
-
loose motor mountings
-
worn motor bearings
-
worn transmission.
Floor may be flexing and allowing the
machine to bounce slightly. When spinning on a floor that flexes
a resonance can build up between
machine and floor that results in the machine starting to vibrate.
A slippery floor material, such as vinyl, may allow machine to slide along the surface
of floor while spinning.
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Out
of balance - wash basket not straight
May be because washing machine has a floating suspension. This
type of suspension corrects itself when washing. It allows the machine to
automatically correct for slightly out of balance loads. A washing machine with floating
suspension may appear off center at end of cycle.
A washing machine with a solid
suspension will always return to center position at end of cycle. A solid
suspension washing machine that constantly wants to
migrate out of alignment may have a broken suspension.
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Front
loader - needs special (HE) detergent
Front
load washers require a special detergent. Look for a detergent that says 'HE' (High Efficiency) on the box.
All 'HE' detergents are formulated to
produce very low amounts of suds. When using this detergent it almost
appears as if there is no detergent in the machine. Also the amount
of HE
detergent required per load is substantially less than when
using a top loading washing machine.
Do not use regular detergent in a front
load washer. If regular detergent
is used it can cause the machine problems such as leaking
at the door, or poor washing. Excessive use of regular detergent may cause future
mechanical problems.
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Front
loader - water level low
Front
load washers often appear to have very little water inside the machine while
they are washing. This
is because as they begin to tumble a high
percentage of the water inside the machine is absorbed by the clothes.
Also the clothes are tumbling through water, not sitting
inside a large tub of water as they would be in a top loader. Consequently the amount of water in the machine is always
low compared to a top loader.
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Front
loader - shakes/noisy
Front load
washers can shake or move on the floor due to high spin speed.
If this occurs check the following before calling for service:
-
machine level
-
all shipping material removed (see installation instructions)
-
floor is weak, or not
properly braced between joists (does floor feel springy)
-
floor material slippery (vinyl
flooring or inside a metal leak tray)
-
floor material wet
Front load washers can shake if the load is too
small. Small loads may cause speed computer to become confused. It may think
it is empty. A regular size load for these machines is substantially larger than a top
loader of equivalent size.
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Front
loader - whistles
Front load
washers spin (up to 1200 RPM) at a much higher speed than top loading
washing machines. This can produce a whistling
or high pitch sound.
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Front
loader - leaking water from door
The water level
is below the door consequently it should not be possible for water to leak out the door. If
using too much, or incorrect type of detergent, the washer may be producing
too much suds. Too much suds can cause door to leak. If water leaking from the door persists call for service. Allowing a front loader
to leak can result in expensive repairs.
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Front
loader - leaking detergent from door
Usually because the detergent being
used is not the correct type. Or because too much detergent is being
used.
Changes to your water
hardness can affect the suds produced by any washing machine. If you have
recently added a water softener to the home too much suds can result.
Compensate by lowering amount of detergent used per load.
If detergent leaking from the door persists call for service. Allowing a front loader
to leak can result in expensive repairs.
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