Question about doing laundry

Willowy said:

I've noticed the European members are talking about specific temps---do European washing machines have temperature controls? American washers only have "cold", "warm", and "hot", no mention of the actual temperature. I have no idea how warm "warm" is! :lol3:

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Yes, they do, ranging up to 90°C (194°F). Most are front loaders, too, and only have a cold-water hook up, which is why they run for so long. I can't recall how many programs our 3-year-old washer has, but it's well over ten, possibly fifteen or twenty, and you can choose various temperatures to use , whether you want a normal or short setting, extra rinse, reduced spin speed, etc. for each program. Our washer weighs the wash and fills up accordingly; we didn't go for one that also measures out the detergent itself depending on the weight and program. :lol3:

It sounds more complicated than it really is. I basically use one or two programs and two different temperatures at the short setting, unless it's "hand wash" or something that's particularly soiled.

When we first moved in we had the issue with water coming in.  Messed with the hoses and figured they were barely on.  Think lady must have had issue at some point with a burst hose as there were multiple new ones in cabinet above washer and the ones on were new.

I figured I am always home and do to much wash to wait so turend them all up.  I remember saying to husband what the heck is up with our washer????

AbbysMom said:

OK, this may sound like a foolish question, but it won't be the first time I've asked one on here.

What temperature water do you use to wash your laundry? I was brought up thinking hot or warm was best and I normally use warm, but I've been reading lately that most people are using cold. I've always thought that cold water won't clean things as well. I have a regular washer, not one of the newer HE washers. I don't know if that makes a difference.

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I used to use cold for darks and colours.  And hot for whites.  Cold water for all rinses.

But I've been using TIde Cold Water and have now been using only cold water for everything.  I can't really say I notice any difference because I've been either sick and/or lazy for the last few months and have not been sorting my clothing as I typically do.  To minimize my laundry I put whites in with darks/colours, so they aren't as white as they could be.

MServant said:

 
I wouldn't know how warm warm was either!  Yip, machines in UK now mostly tell you the temperature in degrees C for each kind of wash on the machine - pretty much need a degree to do your own laundry!  

  Between the temperatures, different lengths of wash, choices of spin speed, 'woolens', 'delicates', etc etc etc.  I just go for the short, simple ones and stick to it! Once I think I'd knocked the dial by mistake and didn't notice, ended up washing a pile of stuff on 90 degrees. Only noticed after about an hour and there was an unusual smell when I went in the kitchen. Too late - it came out all discoloured and elastic bits shriveled up - not good.

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I somehow have a picture in my mind of our UK friends doing scientific experiments in their kitchen to determine the best water temperature and a graph hung on the wall of the laundry room!  LOL

I use cold for most washes; however sheets get washed in warm water.

Just how many loads (clothing only) do we do anyway ?  Me ? Probably 3 loads a week.

Lately I've been doing 1 or 2.  Pretty much the bare minimum.  Usually I do 1 or 2 loads of darks (depends on whether I use my apartment washer or the building's which is larger), 1 load of whites, 1 load of towels, 1 load of sheets.

I do a lot of laundry! It's just me and 3 cats here, but I still have a lot of laundry. Sheets (1 load) once a week, towels at least 1 load a week, 1 load of whites, 1-2 loads of darks, plus washing blankets/throws which is 1-2 loads per week.

Natalie_ca said:

 
I somehow have a picture in my mind of our UK friends doing scientific experiments in their kitchen to determine the best water temperature and a graph hung on the wall of the laundry room!  LOL

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Some sad people might  but not me, as you can tell from the accidental boil wash I throw in and leave!  Some of my favourite undies got killed in that laundry disaster....  

dejolane said:

 
Just how many loads (clothing only) do we do anyway ?  Me ? Probably 3 loads a week.

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TOO MANY 

dejolane said:

Just how many loads (clothing only) do we do anyway ?  Me ? Probably 3 loads a week.

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I do about one load a day. Thats me being lazy. If I save it till the weekend then I have a whole days worth of laundrey. It happens when you have three kids and a DH that delivers beer for a living.

danastnsn said:

dejolane said:

Just how many loads (clothing only) do we do anyway ?  Me ? Probably 3 loads a week.

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I do about one load a day. Thats me being lazy. If I save it till the weekend then I have a whole days worth of laundrey. It happens when you have three kids and a DH that delivers beer for a living.

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I space my loads out too when I can. Saves me time to do it that way.

If I have enough towels washcloths,underwear to last  the week ,it's 3 loads  a week.

I probably do at least one load of laundry every other night.....that stuff breeds like rabbits around here.

Rick wears a lot of jeans, t-shirts, and during the winter, sweatshirts and flannel shirts. I have to dress (casual dress) for work, so that means Dockers, nicer tops and blouses, sweaters during the winter. Although I always wear a sweatshirt at work, even during the hottest days of the summer.....many of us do. It used to bother me that I was wearing a sweatshirt, but it doesn't anymore....it's darn cold in here all the time.

On the weekend, I have the bed linens and I always have one large load of stuff that the cats use. Pillowcases, lots of blankets and covers laying about, things like that, some of their toys. I do vacuum them to get the cat hair off, but I still launder them every weekend.

I'm just me, and if I had my own washer/dryer, and if they were both small and very energy efficient (such as I've seen in Europe, but not here), I'd love to do the wash every night. But right now it's not practical, so I do anywhere from 1-3 loads per week. Usually, I have one load of darks and one load of either sheets or towels. For some reason, the only clothes I seem to like are delicates, so they need cold water. That means the rest of my clothes usually end up in cold water, too. But I generally follow the instructions on the tabs, and err towards the more delicate clothes. So, if for some reason I had two loads of lights: one delicate and one regular, the regular whites would get washed in warm water. That almost never happens, though, because I don't have many whites and most of them are delicates.

Thanks for all of your input! I guess my warm washes aren't that crazy.