Miele 4842 trouble...wrinkling, stiffness
shannonaz
12 years ago
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Cavimum
12 years agolivebetter
12 years agoRelated Discussions
Can't get a good rinse on my Miele 4842
Comments (20)I read this today; "Hardness minerals affect laundry in a gradual manner often not obvious in today's automated washing processes. People accustomed to hard water may not notice the increased detergent use, faster fading of colors or yellowing of whites, shortened fabric life, greater demand for hot water, increased wear on the washing machine, and extra wash and rinse cycles. Wasteful Hard Water ... Everything from soap's ability to clean to the life span of the washing machine can be affected. A study conducted by the American Institute of Laundering determined that detergent and laundering costs can be as much as twice as much in hard water as compared with soft water. Most modern detergents also contain builders, but in much greater quantities than soap. Unfortunately, the builders tend to be consumed in softening hard water. This limits their ability to clean, and requires greater quantities of detergent to be used to get laundry clean. Rinse Cycles and Water Temperature It's a well known fact that the hotter the water the cleaner the laundry, and this is particularly true in hard water. Hard water's effect on soap and detergent, which reduces cleaning ability and hampers the rinse, means hotter water and extra rinse cycles may be required to clean laundry. The energy used to heat water and to operate the washing machine for extra cycles translates to higher costs and wasted expense to consumers. Fabric Life and Appearance A Purdue University study found that fabrics washed in hard water tend to wear out as much as 15 percent faster than fabrics washed in soft water. This is probably due to the presence of hardness residues left in the fabric after laundering, making it stiffer and causing increased friction and wear on the fabric as it flexes. The Purdue study also found that hard water has a generally negative effect on colors and whites. Colors were found to fade and whites to darken more quickly in hard water. In addition, the study found that laundry washed in hard water became resoiled with greater ease. Washing Machines The dissolved minerals in hard water tend to collect in water-using appliances, shortening their life. Washing machines are not immune to this process, and the buildup of these minerals can clog pipes and cause excessive wear on moving parts. A study by the American Water Works Association (AWWA) found that washing machines used with hard water can wear out up to 30 percent faster. A washing machine, which might otherwise last 10 years, will likely last as few as 7 years where hard water deposits can be formed." Here is a link that might be useful: The Water Quality Association - Soft Water...See MoreTried everything on my towels... :( They are still stiff
Comments (56)@sshrivastava - Our water is medium hardness, right on the middle of the scale. 4 grains; 101ppm; 72mg/L is what I've read for our area. Alkalinity is 56 mg/L. I don't understand it all, but that's what I've found. I've used a variety of detergents over the years, from liquid Tide until ten years ago, then only All F&C and in the past few years I've included Charlies Soap (liquid and powder). On occasion, I would use a little bit of fabric softener on towels only but have not done that in a few years. Top load washer always used until April of this year, when we got the Mieles. For the de-gunking process, I was adding liquid Calgon in hopes of the LemiShine having a stronger effect on whatever the residue was, in the towels. They are not TOL (top of the line) towels, but they definitely have been scratchier and rougher feeling since getting the front loader washer. It was weird, that the second pile of towels did not require as many de-gunk cycles. Who knows what was lurking in that first pile! At least now, I know they're all as clean as they can be....See MoreMy Detergent Diet
Comments (26)As PP mentioned above, the average joe just doesn't care - they load the machine, drop in a dose of detergent (and in a lot of cases, actually overdose above what the manufacture states) comeback to wet clothes to move to the dryer and as long as look and smell clean - they're happy/not bothered. However, for those who do care, it becomes just like chemistry - everybodys laundry is completely different: detergent type, water type/temp/level, machine type, cycle type/temp, load size, fabric type in the load (and what's loaded in together or not), stain types and even down to how long an article has gone between last wash, what its been subjected to, and even what its made of (2 items of 100% cotton could be different due to manufacturing processes and dyes etc) - I'm waffling, but this list won't even be all that's at play. Detergent manufacturers are a business, they need to make money; they have stakeholders, employees, suppliers, contractors and marketers to pay - so they must drive value and revenues. Don't' suppose it'll ever be proven (or ever admitted), but it's in their interest to give customers what they're happy with/what is acceptable, whilst maximising revenue - end of the day, if they dont make money, what are they doing it for? I did read somewhere (and I wish I could remember where) that a certain big manufacturer of a very famous detergent was starting to see revenues drop to a level below what they were aiming for/happy with, and it was centred around the launch of single dose detergents - on the one hand, they carry a premium price tag and it guarantees that a user gets no more than the stated amount of loads - but what they actually found was customers weren't purchasing detergent at the store as often due to the fact that compared to when the same users were using powder/liquid format, the overdoing (just dumping 1 full cap in) was causing people to repeat purchase more often than that of pod users. And what do you know, the dosing recommendations for pods were increased - going from 1 pod for any load, to 1 for medium, 2 for large and 3 for high capacity/extra dirty. The same has now become true of liquids - dose increased - line 1 for medium, 3 for large and line 5 for "full he loads" as "they are a higher capacity than standard top loaders and of course more clothes = more dirt)" --their tag line-- All this in a time when detergents are becoming more "concentrated" and front loaders use as much as a quarter the amount of water than that of a TL. Now how can detergents be being concentrated, Used in machines that use less water (which is what will ultimately determine the strength of the solution that detergents are dissolved within) and the doses are going up? Add this to the fact that washer manufacturers often say use less than recommended. Makes you think....See MoreVaska Herbatergent is pretty good!!
Comments (53)Well I gave Vaska the benefit of the doubt and tried again. I washed a 3/4 full machine load of whites with 1.5 capfuls of Vaska and 1.5 capfuls of the matching oxygen bleach (6% hydrogen peroxide according to the MSDS). Included in the load was a white kitchen towel with various food/cooking stains - I couldn't identify them if I tried. After the load was finished and dried, the kitchen towel still had obvious stains on it, albeit faded. I compared a pair of white socks washed in this Vaska load to a matching pair washed last week in Persil Universal Megaperls. Guess what? The Vaska socks looked grey compared to the ones washed with Persil. If I had nothing else to compare to, I'd think the socks washed in Vaska were bright white. Let me tell you, there are many shades of white! I had another load of whites waiting, so I re-washed the kitchen towel using the dose recommended on the package of Persil Universal Megaperls for normal soiling - 155 ml = 110 ml for soft water + 45 ml for 6-7 kg machine capacity (I have 8 kg). This comes out to 10 tablespoons or 5 ounces. Those of you who use only 1-3 TBS have probably already popped a vein in your forehead and fallen off your chairs. DON'T JUDGE! :) Remember that I have a whole house water softener that functions well. During the wash there were no suds to be seen - just some very tiny bubbles on the water falling down the inside door glass. I added a third rinse, but the water was still nice and clean by the second rinse. Clothes came out clean and soft. Most importantly, the white kitchen towel lost its remaining stains and looks white again. I think it's great that some people are having good experiences with this product. However, my experience has been mediocre. Vaska is great at removing soil-based stains, but then again so is water. Throw something even remotely challenging at Vaska, especially oily food and cooking stains, and it becomes quickly apparent that Vaska is out of its league. To those who love Vaska, good for you. However, as many of you have only recently started using this product I would not be surprised if, as with Charlie's Soap and any new craze, you may ultimately find yourself changing your mind and returning to your original product....See Moreizeve
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