Do you let the machine fill all the way, THEN add soap, then add clothing? Do you add the clothing AS it fills? Do you add the clothing after it has filled but before the soap is added in? Do you put in soap, then clothing, then water?
This is driving me bonkers. Is it true that there are sensors in a machine, and if you add the clothing before you fill, that the machine will not allow the full amount of water to be sent into the barrel?
I usually put in the soap as the water flows in, then put the clothing in AFTER the water is full up.
Detergent in the bottom - liquid, whatever is cheapest when I go shopping. Clothes on top - then start. Always cold/cold. Loads are - sheets/towels/bath mats; jeans/pants; shirts; pajamas & underwear (bras go into whatever load is current - they get hung over chairs to dry). I’m running my third load right now - my pjs& underwear - swapped places with shirts, 'cause I was running low, and didn’t have enough time (or energy) to do 4 loads tonight.
I put in an assortment of towels and clothes (I do not sort, except for NEW darks), then dump in one capful of cheap, liquid laundry detergent (Must be Free & Clear, or I itch), close the washer lid, choose the Warm/Cold setting (Except for the aforementioned NEW Darks- then I use Cold/Cold) and turn the dial to Permanant Press. Then I pull out the knob/dial. After that, I wait. :rolleyes: (When the washer stops, I stick it in the dryer for 60 minutes on Permanant Press. Then I wait some more and fold at will. )
My soap powder specifically states to put in the powder, let it fill, then add the clothes. I suppose so you won’t get light detergent streaks on things like jeans that fade.
But have you ever tried to add clothes after the water? They billow up and you get soapy water splashed all over long before a full load has been added.
First detergent (the washing machine instructions say to put it in first). Next, clothes (or towels or whatever). Next, sometimes, a laundry booster such as Oxiclean. Next, turn the machine on. It will fill with water and start agitating.
I use hot/cold for loads consisting of jeans and underpants, or of towels. I use cold/cold for bras, shirts, and non-jean pants.
Heck, in the past I always put clothes in the toploader, then put the soap in and just let it run. Now we’ve got a sideloader with a seperate compartment for detergent. Makes life simple when you don’t have to contemplate the laundry too much.
All washing machine instructions I’ve read say to put the detergent in before the clothes, not the detergent on top the clothes. Since the detergent is to be mixed with the water, it makes sense that the water and the detergent should be in contact with each other as soon as possible. That way soapy water will be rising all the way from the bottom to the top as the tub fills, infusing the clothing along the way. Think about it.
I start the water running, add a heaping scoop of detergent, swish around with my hand to dissolve.
Then load the machine with darks like sweatpants, sweatshirts, jeans, etc. Then I work on the colours.
I used to throw dark underwear in with jeans, until I read something like this which explains how your maching machine can become contaminated with fecal coliform bacteria, including E-coli. This info is a bit alarmist, but I’m just enough of a germophobe to care.
Now I do the dark underwear by themselves, in the next to last load, with the washer set on “small load.” I immediately follow that up with a last load of whites with bleach to kill germs.
<hijack>I also microwave kitchen sponges and dishcloths, but I’m picky about that stuff. Kitchen counters & sinks get wiped down with bleach solution weekly, bathroom scrubbed weekly. And the toothbrushes are put in the medicine cabinet in the hopes of avoiding getting covered in toilet-flush spray. Yup, germophobe. </hijack>
Add detergent, insert quarters, check that machine works, add clothes, turn machine on. The machines have a sensor and will fill up to a specific level, I think adding the clothes after the water fills gives you an overfull machine.
Small note, as a laundromat user, I bought these (new?)detergent tablets, they come in individual pouches and I bring along only as many tabs as I need for my laundry. No more lugging around a big bottle of detergent, and it’s not really much more expensive. Ahhh, the wonders of modern technology.
I wash everything all at once in cold/cold. None of this “sorting” business. Turn on the water, dump in detergent, add clothes.
I’d like to say it’s because clothes last longer when they’re washed in cold, but really it’s because I can’t be bothered doing two loads when one will do.
Every once in awhile I get a wild hair and wash sheets and towels in hot water. And I feel very virtuous.
And as far as germs go…the way I see it, as lethally hot as my dryer gets, anything that survives the dry cycle is evidently on a mission to kill me anyway. No point in trying to escape it.
Start water
Add detergent
Wait until half of the water is in the machine
Add half of the clothes
Put in the Downy Ball (filled w/white vinegar)
Add the remainder of clothes
I have an older washer that can fill with the lid open, which I appreciate greatly, so the machine is filling during the entire loading process. I always use cold water for the wash unless I’m washing whites which need bleach or diapers, then I use very hot water.
As long as someone doesn’t break my laundry rhythm, [sub]quit laughing - I’m serious[/sub] I turn on the water (almost always cold) dump in the liquid, then dump in the clothes (while the machine is filling.) I hate it when I forget to shut the lid - I’ll come back an hour later and see a machine full of tepid water and dirty clothes. Sometimes, I put the clothes in before I turn on the water, but that throws me off - I’ve been known to forget the detergent if I break the aforementioned rhythm. And the only time I use other than cold water is if I want to bleach stuff - I’ll use warm water.
My dryer has a sensor mode, so I don’t have to set a timer. I just select the degree of “dryness” (what the heck does “less dry” and “more dry” mean?) and forget it. When the clothes are dry, I fold mine and stack my daughter’s - I can’t keep track of what she folds and what she hangs up.
All in all, this is one of my least hated chores, since the machines do the worst of it.
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