Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with washing

There is probably nothing that a bear so dislikes as a good wash.

zizzle — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 07:33:52 -0800

So, my one year old son has a bear that needs a bath. I saw a couple of previous posts about washing stuffed animals. But none of those posts seemed to involve talking stuffed animals. This particular bear talks. The battery pack is easily removable through a zipper in the back, and with some surgery, it looks as though we can easily remove the bear's voice box. But what I don't know is if machine washing will damage the little "Press Here" button on the bear's paw that sets off the voice box. And I'm not sure yet if the "Press Here" button is connected by wire to the voice box or how that all works out, which may be a determining factor in how to wash.

But the bear needs a bath like three weeks ago and is getting to the point of icky gross. What is the best way of cleaning this bear without damaging the electronics? I'm afraid it may be beyond the realm of a good hand washing --- and even then, I'd still have concerns about the "Press Here" button becoming damaged. Any MeFites out there who are experienced in bathing a stuffed animal with the ability to speak?

And, since it will possibly be suggested, I will say that I would be tempted in buying a new one to have around as a substitute, but I can't find it anywhere! And it doesn't have a tag that I can find, so I don't even know the brand name! And I don't remember who gave it to us or at which of the many baby showers I received it.

My clothes will thank you.

beandip — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 10:29:08 -0800

I am clueless in the laundry room. I know nothing about stain removal and very little about sorting, what settings to use on my washer, what needs to air-dry, how to prevent things from shrinking, etc. Teach me how to do laundry like a grownup! I am embarrassed to admit this, but when I was growing up, my mom did all the laundry for the household. In college, I would throw all my clothes in the wash together in one giant load once a week. Things would turn grey over time but at least it all got clean. If something got a noticeable stain on it, I would generally throw it out. When my bras got ratty and worn-out after a year or so of frequent use, I would go get new ones. I have lost a lot of cute clothes to shrinkage as well.

But now, I am an adult with an office job that requires nicer clothes. I can't afford to throw out a shirt just because I spill my lunch on it or splatter something on it while I'm cooking supper. I have a house with a laundry room in the basement, a washer and dryer all my own, and an enormous concrete laundry tub. I want to take the time to learn to wash things right.

So... I have a lot of questions. How should I sort - whites/lights and darks/jeans? Should I be throwing some bleach in with the whites? What gets washed on hot and what gets washed on cold? Should I be washing my bras all by themselves and hanging them up to dry? How do I prevent shrinking of new clothes? I know you are supposed to treat stains differently depending on what causes them, but I honestly have no idea what to do beyond rinsing, rubbing some extra soap on, and hoping for the best.

I feel like most of this is common sense stuff that I just never picked up on. Please help!

$600-ish front loading washer, or $350 top loader?

raikkohamilonso — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 10:35:18 -0800

Is there some practically compelling reason to get a much more expensive front loading washer? I see top loading Energy Star rated washers for around $350; the cheapest front loader starts around $600. The battleground of figuring out washer choices at the moment seems absurd - people are swearing by front loaders, but I can't find info that tells me if they'll somehow save me $250 over the next few years, and I don't know how an Energy Star rated top loader compares...

Washing Machine: Boom!

greekphilosophy — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 18:34:30 -0800

Was that a helicopter in my kitchen? No. It was the washing machine. Um. Help? I was just sitting here reading MetaFilter and drinking some coffee when I heard a terrible noise downstairs. The washing machine was on its final spin cycle, but was bucking around the kitchen. I turned it off immediately, and looked inside to find the basket just sitting there - no longer centered - and hanging in a sad sort of not-right kind of way.

1. I'd like to know what's going on and how to proceed.
2. I need to know if this is something I can fix myself. And if not, what do I need to tell my repairman so that she can bring the right tools/parts to make it go again?

Information:

It wasn't overloaded. I was doing a light load. But there was a rug in there, which I am willing to bet was a little lopsided.

The washer model is a Whirlpool Heavy Duty Thin Twin. (Stacked washer/dryer combo.)

How to not shrink 100% cotton American Apparel T's

huxley — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 19:23:34 -0800

I've only found help on how to Shrink stuff, not how to avoid it. So the American Apparel medium t-shirts are too big for me even after a wash, but their small shirts are perfect pre-wash. They are 100% cotton and I'm wondering what I can do to not have them shrink at all. Can I hand wash them gently with detergent and then hang dry? Any experience or anecdotes would be great!

I'd like to pay less money for clean clothes

saffry — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 07:09:49 -0800

Does anyone know details of the Energy Star rebate in the Stimulus bill? I was going to buy a new washing machine today, but I'm wondering if my purchase would count if the bill isn't signed yet. And knowing how much the rebate would be may make a difference in the model I pick.

Noisy shower pump in dead of night

tulipwool — Sun, 08 Feb 2009 22:52:55 -0800

Why is my shower pump suddenly starting up when the shower is off but hot water is used elsewhere? Can it be stopped? The pump was installed about 18 months ago when we had a shower room added. It's in the airing cupboard with the hot water tank. It was always noisy, but worked fine. Lately I've been hearing it start up for just a second when hot taps are turned on and off, which seemed odd but wasn't a problem. Then yesterday we had our kitchen sink and taps replaced, and using the hot tap afterwards I could hear the shower pump pulsing on and off very quickly. I got it to stop by turning the tap on and off again and hoped the problem would sort itself out. Then at 3am the washing machine turned itself on and the shower pump began to pulse, waking us up. It's never responded to the washing machine before, but of course the attachments all had to be taken off and replaced when the sink was changed, so something must be different.
The worrying thing is my neighbour seems to be an insomniac and had already complained about my running the washing machine at night. (Which I have to do as my electricity is Economy 7.) I expect an irate visit as soon as the sun comes up, especially as the noise started up again a second time when I thought I had turned the shower pump off and restarted the washing machine. A thick white wire runs from the pump to a switch and fuse, still in the airing cupboard, labelled 'heating and hot water'. When I turned it off the clock display for my timed central heating went out and I assumed the shower pump would be off too, but it managed to run anyway. I can't see any other switch that might turn it off, or any other electrical supply attached to it.
Googling for problems with shower pumps has suggested that the pulsing on and off problem could be due to the boiler heating the water too much (though it is already set at 60 Celsius) or to air in the pipes, but why is it coming on at all when the shower is not on?

I'd be very grateful for any advice. I don't dare turn the washing machine on until my neighbour has gone to work now, and the same may happen with the taps - I don't dare to try them either yet! More details in case they help: there is an electric immersion heater for water but it is not used and is switched off (switch outside the airing cupboard), the washing machine has red and blue hoses attached to hot and cold pipes under the kitchen sink, the water is heated by gas from a back boiler which I have checked yearly - most recently only a couple of weeks ago - the central heating is through radiators, it's a semi-detached house so I only have the one neighbour to worry about but she's very bad tempered, I'm in England, and the pump has 'Wickes Twin Impeller' written on it. Thank you for reading, sorry about the length.

Help me fix my washing machine!

sdis — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 14:58:24 -0800

Washing Machine troubleshooting fun! Sometimes-not-working-pump! Here's a long shot, but maybe someone knows their washing machines!

We have a Eurostar 1000a front loading european washing machine that we got from our private landlords. We moved in a month ago or so, and it worked a few times pretty well, and then every once in a while, it would end up all soaking wet. It's gotten somewhat worse, and with careful use of the scientific method aka writing everything down these past few days, we've found that there's something wrong with the pump.

The basic cycle seems to consist of 4 parts:

1. Water in
2. Agitate for a while
3. Pump water out
4. Spin and pump water out
-Repeat 4x, add high-speed spin at the end.

parts 1, 2, and 3 all seem to work.
Part 3 leading into Part 4, the pump tries to pump out water, but there's not much left, and so it keeps trying to pump but nothing comes out. Then it starts spinning, and water comes out of the clothes, but the pump still doesn't get anything out. As the spin cycle continues, the water from the clothes basically comes back into the washing machine, and sudsy water is spun around with the clothes. Then the next rinse cycle begins, with sudsy wet clothes instead of fairly dry clothes.

For a while, we thought this was due to the extremely small (maybe 0.5cm diameter opening) syphon connector thingy on our drain, because it would work better if we detached the hose on the washing machine side during part 1 each time and blew into it *hard*, seemingly dislodging whatever would get stuck in the connector each time. (seemed like if I didn't do this, it wouldn't fully drain on part 3 as well as part 4). However it wasn't a perfect fix, and to test it out, I tried running the hose simply into the sink, and got the pattern described above.

Seems like the pump gives out whenever there's not enough water to make pumping simple.

So! Now what? I don't want to buy a new washing machine, and if I can avoid it, I would like to avoid fighting with my landlord if there is an affordable fix (a big perk of this place is having a nice, friendly relationship with my landlord, and I have little to no idea how Austrian tenant laws apply in this case). Anyone know what's going on here?

You spin me right round baby right round

spicynuts — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 10:18:04 -0800

Recommendations needed for stackable, energy saver, low water washing machine/dryer combo Looking to buy one of this sweet front loader, stackable washer dryer thingamabobs and I would like to know if anyone has input on which might be considered the most reliable. Considerations for me:

1. Needs to be 24 inches wide or less
2. Needs to use 15 gallons of water or less per cycle
3. Gas powered dryer
4. Stackable to less than 97"
5. It would be nice if it can steam clothes as well

I've been looking at LG because in a drunken picnic conversation one of my good friends was talking about LG - problem is I can't remember if they were raving or criticizing and she is in labor right now so can't call her.

Previous Ask post on this was in 2005 so I'd like some updated info

My roommate/friend has no idea how to wash dishes, but he thinks he does, and I'm worried for my health!

Anonymous — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 13:37:54 -0800

My roommate/friend has no idea how to wash dishes, but he thinks he does, and I'm worried for my health! Quick background: I'm 20, male, a junior in college, and I'm living in a 5 person house off campus this year.

My friend doesn't know how to wash dishes. Seriously. But, he offers to wash them all the time, and it scares me. This is his idea of cleaning something:

1) Turn on the cold water (seriously, he'll move the faucet all the way to the right)
2) Put *some* soap on a sponge.
3) Swish around the water a bit, lightly rubbing the plate/pan/whatever
4) Pour out excess water, place in drying rack. He does not rinse. He even leaves soap bubbles on the pan!

It boggles my mind how he thinks this is clean. Seriously, how can you leave soap bubbles on something and think you've cleaned it? Because of his bad ability to clean dishes, just about every other time I grab something to eat off of, I have to rewash it.

I even saw him today take a spatula out of the sink, that had been sitting there all day and just wipe the egg off of it with a towel, and then he used it. It's ridiculous.

So, now the real question--how do I tell him that he's washing everything wrong? I've dried dishes as he's washed them before, and I've handed back ones that still had soap or food on them, but he doesn't seem to get it. He's one of those people that gets offended if you criticize him on something like this, something he should know, but clearly doesn't.

The really passive-aggressive answer would be to put up some kind of sign above the sink stating how to clean dishes. Clearly, this isn't the best idea.

I was thinking of, next time I send a message to the entire house (usually through Facebook, our normal means of communication), I could just include something like "I've noticed some dishes aren't getting clean, can everyone make sure to use hot water, lots of soap, scrub hard, and rinse?". We're never really all together at once, so doing it via a message might be easiest, and it won't seem like I'm singling him out. This still seems a bit like I'm avoiding the confrontation, though I really don't know how that would go.

I *wish* I had the problem that he never did his dishes, because then at least I would know they would be clean when I washed them :).

Just to note: I'm not being a clean freak and overreacting to the dishes not being pristine. He literally has left food chunks on the plates, and, like I said, soap bubbles are still on them when they go to the drying rack.

What do I do?

How to remove restaurant smells from clothing?

schroedinger — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 19:30:58 -0800

How do I remove awful, greasy restaurant smells from my clothing? I work eight hours a day at a small, enclosed cafe. I come home smelling of this particular mixture of grease and cafe food (not in a delicious way). It comes off of me in the shower--but after eight months of this the smell seems to be inexorably attached to my clothing. How do I get rid of it? Things I have tried:
- Washing with very hot water and lots of soap
- Baking soda
- Dryer sheets
- Hanging them out to dry in the sun

I pay for laundry, so I am loathe to try out multiple washings every time the clothing needs to be washed. The clothing is colored, so I can't use bleach. Also, I'm allergic to Tide laundry detergent, if that makes any difference.

How to fix a leaky washing machine?

charlesroper — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 13:24:13 -0800

HandymanFilter: How can I stop my washing machine from leaking? (Pictures and Video included) It all started when we ran a load of wash using the "hot water" setting. Before then, we'd only used warm or cold water. Before then, we never had a single drop of water leak out. Now, we have at least a gallon of water on the floor after each wash (regardless of water temperature).

Could the hot water have caused a burst hose or a warped gasket? I've checked all of the hoses and hose clamps and they seem fine.

I've noticed that the water really only leaks out when the washer is filling with water - I checked the inlet hoses and there are no leaks there (at least on the outside of the washer).

Disassembling this thing to get a closer look is a nightmare. I tried it the other day but gave up.

Here are some pictures and a video of what I can see.

At this point, my only guess is that the wash bin is leaking. However, that doesn't explain why the washer only leaks when filling up. You'd think if it were that, it'd leak constantly.

I'm out of ideas and appreciate any help you can give me. At this point, we're just throwing towels on the floor.

Surge protect a washer?

Marky — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 13:32:29 -0800

Do I need a surge protector for my new washer? I just replaced my +20 year old washing machine. The old one had all mechanical electronics, I never had a problem with it.

The new one has all electronic controllers, naturally. When I bought it, the salesman tried to sell a bunch of add-ons, like new hoses and a service contract. I told him no thanks, but he insisted I need a surge protector, and expected me to buy the $100 Monster model. Besides being repulsed by all Monster products, I just automatically reject all appliance salesmen add-ons.

But after a few days, I've re-thought this. A blown up controller for this would suck, and probably cost a bundle. Do I need a surge protector for the washer? If yes, any recommendations?

communal apartment laundries...making you hate laundry even more since 2008

sararah — Fri, 09 May 2008 19:34:19 -0800

The communal washing machines in my apartment building are worthless. They don't remove any sort of stain or spill, regardless of solubility or severity. When I remove the wet clothes from the washer, nasty stripes and splotches of lint cover my clothes (especially obvious on darks). Is there a specific complaint I can make to my landlord, or should I just give up and go to a laundromat? I can't believe I have to pay $1 per wash for these totally worthless machines. I use liquid Tide Coldwater (and wash in cold, always) and currently it is the "old" Tide that is not super concentrated, so I would say I use about 1/3-1/2 cup per wash. I try not to overload the washers, and I usually fill the tub partially before loading. Based on the results below, is there a specific complaint I can make to my landlord? I don't just want to call and say "the washers suck, fix them..." I feel my unresponsive property management might be a little more on the ball if they knew what the problem was. (And no, I don't think I'll be trying to do all my laundry in the bathtub)

Some examples of the laundry awesomeness:

-Just last the other night I attempted to wash a pair of khaki pants with small splotches of whipping cream on them. I poured a little detergent on them and rubbed the pants together near the spots in an attempt to pre-treat...not only did the spots not come out completely, today in the sunshine I noticed a huge spot that was lighter in color where the detergent did not completely rinse out.

-My mom tossed a few of my clothes in the wash when I was home visiting, and had to wash them twice because they had so much soap residue left in them.

-I pretreated a stain with some Stain Stick (the deodorant-like gelly stuff) and the frickin' Stain Stick didn't even wash out. I had to rinse out the garment in the sink.

-Since I line dry ~3/4 of my clothes the white lint crap stays stuck to my shirt and is especially nasty on dark shirts.

-Stupid crazy bizatches that live downstairs complain when I remove their laundry because they left the washer unattended for an hour while they had an "important phone call" and felt the need to be all dramatic and scream and me about it and proceed to re-wash their husband's clothes. (Well, that's probably out of the scope of this question, but it just adds to my LAUNDRY ANGST)

Needless to say, I was quite depressed this weekend when visiting a married friend's new house and seeing her brand spankin' new LG front loading machines....forget the yard, I just want a washer that works!!

How can I wash a furry toy without ruining it?

Joe in Australia — Sat, 15 Dec 2007 11:46:48 -0800

My daughter has a stuffed kitten ("soft kitty") and lo, the whiteness and furriness of it is surpassing. When I washed its predecessor ("matted kitty") its fur became less-white and the fibres less separate. How can I wash the new one (whose odor doth verily surpass an outhouse) while retaining its new appearance? The fur is synthetic and the animal is a white "Animal Alley" kitten, if that helps.

Dirty?

smartless — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 11:34:15 -0800

A question to help resolve an argument: Can not using soap on your body result in negative consequences? Here are the details:
You do not use soap on your body. You shower regularly and use face wash, shampoo and conditioner. When showering, you take care to clean your un-soaped body with the hot water. You sometimes use shave gel to shave your legs and armpits. You wear deodorant every day.

You have no infections or special cleaning needs. Most often, you appear and smell clean. Your skin looks good. *No one would be able to tell.*

What is the result? Future health issues?

Looking for cleaner in Wimbledon

kiwi.es — Sat, 10 Nov 2007 03:43:01 -0800

Searching for good household cleaner for Wimbledon (SW19), London Hi all -- does anyone have good references for household cleaners -- washing, floors, ironing, bathroom, kitchen, that kind of thing? Or any guide price? Sites that I could look? Perhaps a sort of www.ratedpeople.com for cleaners?

Front loading washing machine purchasing advice

bluesky43 — Tue, 07 Aug 2007 08:25:38 -0800

I need to purchase a new washing machine and I am considering a front loader but I need some advice. My 20 year old Kenmore washing machine has died (a $500 repair would bring it back to life) and I like the idea of the front loader washing machine's energy efficiency for a replacement. I also want a reliable machine (another that lasts 20 years would be good!) We are a family of five and our washing machine typically does 7 or 8 loads a week. BUT everything I have read (lots of google and an AskMefi from 2006) suggests that reliability is an issue with just about every brand out there. Any washing machine repair/sales people out there with advice on buying a reliable front loader? Any recent personal experiences with a front loading machine, good or bad? Thanks very much!

Well, that was dumb.

lou — Sat, 28 Jul 2007 01:06:59 -0800

I put a roll of film in the washing machine (by accident). Is it destroyed? To clarify: it is a new (unused) roll, so I haven't lost any precious memories, but I'd still like to know if I can conceivably put it in a camera and get some use out of it. Just in case it matters, it's 35mm film, Kodak MAX 400. Luckily I found it in my pants before putting it through the dryer, so it was at least spared the heat.

Anyway, can I still use it?

How to wash satin?

yak sox — Thu, 08 Feb 2007 18:55:18 -0800

Hi, I recently had some pyjamas made for me when I was in Vietnam. They are made of satin. How do you wash satin?

Washing Machine and Dryer

catseatcheese — Wed, 09 Aug 2006 13:59:23 -0800

Please give advice on a purchasing a new washing machine and dryer. I am looking for a new washing machine and dryer. I would like to spend about $1000 or less for the pair. What brands are best? What stores have the best deals, service, and delivery prices?

Get my whites back to whiter than white!

badlydubbedboy — Tue, 08 Aug 2006 07:25:20 -0800

A treasured white T-shirt (with logo) has gone from bright white to dull blue thanks to an errant blue T-shirt... We've tried using Rescue It, but that has merely mutated the dull blue into a dull grey.

Do you have any ideas how to rescue my T-shirt? :)

(PS: I'm in the UK so references to most US cleaning products are alas useless to me!)

How do I wash my shoes?

BradNelson — Mon, 31 Jul 2006 15:52:38 -0800

How should I wash these shoes? I've worn these shoes in a restaurant kitchen for a few months and they are nasty. The soles are gunked up, they are dirty, and they stink. Because they are black and steel-toed, I don't want to throw them in the washing machine to mark it up and bang them around. I've heard about using a dishwasher...?

I have a couple days off work to let them dry out, so that's no concern. I just hope to avoid scrubbing them by hand...

So I got scratches on my car from going to the cheap car wash. Is there some sort of miracle cream to apply to take care of them?

rileyray3000 — Fri, 30 Jun 2006 11:29:01 -0800

What's the name of that stuff that you rub into your paint job that gets rid of the little scratches inflicted from car wash rags?

Fading clothes mystery

traderjoefan — Wed, 15 Mar 2006 08:45:02 -0800

Why are my darks fading? Is it the washer, dryer, temperature, detergent??? Since we moved and got a new washer dryer, all my clothes are fading and getting beat up quickly. The darks are fading so fast, especially reds and blacks, that new clothes look old in 5 or so washings.

Any ideas?