Letters to the Editor
-
Please Rebecca Clarren,
This inquiring mind wants to know. Are you going to spring for the LG Steam Washer? I have been trying to decide on what new washer to buy for over a year, as my old one broke. I have been schlepping the wash to a local laundry where a nice lady not only washes but fluffs and folds. Every time I am on the verge of a decision some new piece of information emerges. For instance, I have been reading about stale, stinky water that can condense in the front loaders and become an odor that is hard to get rid of. Then I read about another front loader coming out that has these silver bars in it and deposits micro bits of silver in the wash water and throughout your clothing, cutting down on odor even as you wear your clothes. Is this safe? Also, I wish someone could tell me if the LG Steam Washer or any other steam washer can actually substitute for some dry cleaning. That stuff that they use in dry cleaning in a true danger.
Omigod. How to be environmentally pure, how to be safe, and most of all how to fold fitted sheets?
Let us hear more from you Ms. Clarren. I enjoyed your article.
-
Dear AKA Smith:
Can't help you with the washer questions. Fitted sheets, however, no longer need be mystifying. http://www.archive.org/details/how2foldFittedSheets
-
A potentially troubling issue with low-water-usage washers
We purchased a front loader that uses very little water, and herein lies a problem we've identified.
We have a toddler and, until she learns to brush her teeth on her own, we've been using washcloths to clean her teeth twice a day. Upon wetting those washcloths, we noticed what seemed to be an alarming amount of soap emerging from them. We wrote to Consumer Reports regarding this problem, and they responded that, yes, we were not imagining it.
The rule is, according to CR: the less water a washing machine uses, the more detergent it leaves in the clothes at the end of the cycle.
So using less water is great IF you don't mind greatly increasing the amount of chemicals you have rubbing against your skin all day. If you don't mind that when you towel off after a shower, you're essentially rubbing rehydrated laundry detergent all over your wet body. That if you dry your face after you wash it, you're basically redepositing harsh laundry detergent all over your clean face.
Just a hazard to bear in mind when shopping for a clean washing machine.
-
no chemicals
use a natural detergent like seventh generation, skip the harsh chemicals entirely
they arent good for you or the water supply.
You dont need as much soap as you think.
I have not had a problem with foaming soap filled washcloths
and i own a front loading machine....
works perfectly.
-
extra suds
does using high-efficiency detergent (or simply less detergent) help with the extra suds problem?
-
They Do Make a Difference
We bought one of these a year ago and it reduced our water usage by 25% per month. Definitely worth it IMHO.
-
Thanks Anonymous
For the great sheet folding vid.
To others:
About the soap. I have heard that soap is almost unnecessary. Personally I swear by Spray n Wash Stain Stick. If you have too much soap, a bit of vinegar in the rinse helps the soap rinse out better.
Still hoping to hear about the Steam Washer. They cost a lot of bucks, but so does dry cleaning.
-
Get. A. Front. Loader. That is all.
We just got a nice front loader (six months ago) for about $600. Never made a better purchase.
Uses less water--check.
Uses less detergent--check (Hey morons, if you want less soap on your clothes, use less soap on your stupid clothes. It uses less water, so it needs less soap!)
Gets clothes cleaner--check (Instead of stirring with a stick, a front loader runs the water through the clothes, getting everything nicely agitated.)
Clothes last longer--Check (see above). Also, no twisted knickers that get caught in the agitator.
Clothes dry faster--check (Wringing out more water means less water to dry. Also give the LIE to the dumbass rinse phobia. If you wring better, you rinse better as well. How stupid can some people be?)
Clothes rise better--check. (Contrary to some foolish ideas, a front loader rinses just as well as an inferior top loader, because it wrings out the original soapy wash water better. So there is less soapy stuff to rinse out.)
Less drying makes clothes last even longer--check.
Weird smell? What fricken planet are you on? Empty your washer when it is done.
Anybody who buys anything but a front loader for a new washer is a complete and utter moron. Top loaders are obsolete and should be banned.
Is that clear enough for ya?
-
Front loaders are a better design, but
the smell comes from the rubber seal keeping the water from leaking out the door. You have to wipe the seal out regularly, otherwise lint and soap scum (if you have hard water) collect and start to go moldy -- and smell.
I use about half the recommended amount of detergent and my clothes are clean and I have no suds problem. Remember, recommended detergent amounts are decided by the manufacturer, who, of course, wants to sell more detergent. As well make sure the dirtiest (and un-pre-treated) piece of clothing comes out spotless.
Pre-treat stains and experiment with reducing detergent until you have the least detergent needed to get your sweaty sports clothes smelling Fresh.
Oh, and use a clothes line. Your clothes will smell better. And you'll save more energy than the most efficient dryer. (But keep your dryer for a rainy day. At least where I live, there are weeks when you won't get your clothes dry.)
-
@AKA
Laundry soap's not necessary at all for regular washes. My one small box of Trader Joe's laundry powder has lasted me nearly ten years because I so rarely use it. Some spot remover for stains is all you need - the agitation of the water takes care of the rest. Give it a try and you'll see.
-
@Ken
Gee, thanks for the attitude there, buddy. I was intrigued by the front-loader possibilities, but you've just about soured me on it, in case you're wondering.
Next time, try dishing up the honey instead of the vinegar. I hear it works a lot better.