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How to Select the Correct Cycle for Washing Your Clothes

Washers have come a long way since the first wringer washers. And while the physical excursion has lessened for the user, the choices that must be made before starting the washer have increased dramatically. The water temperature and wash cycle choices you make will affect the look and longevity of your clothes. You can even save money by selecting options that reduce utility costs.

For each load of laundry that you wash, there are three choices that must be made before you start the washer:

  • Load size and/or water level
  • Water temperature for wash and rinse cycles
  • Cycle setting

Load Size

Small, Medium, Large or Super. What do they mean?

Before you try to guess, read your washer manual. You’ll find very clear help in making choices about load size. The most accurate method of determining load size is by weight in relation to your washer capacity. But there are a general rules of thumb about which setting to use based on the level of the clothes.

  • One-quarter full – small setting
  • One-half full – medium setting
  • Over one-half full – large setting
  • At full capacity – super large setting

Water Temperature

Choosing the correct water temperature for each load is important to prevent clothes from fading, stretching or shrinking. Again, you have a guide – the labels on your clothes and linens. One of the keys to success is sorting your laundry correctlyand washing like items together.

The old rule was to use hot water for best cleaning.

That is no longer true because many of today’s fabrics actually can be damaged by hot water. Follow these new rules:

  • Cold Water: Best for dark colors and delicate fabrics. It is also a perfect choice for any lightly soiled clothes like office wear no matter the fabric type. Cold water will not harm any washable fabric and saves on utility costs.
  • Warm Water: Best for synthetic, permanent press fabrics. Warm water should be chosen for any colored garments that are heavily soiled with oil or stains.
  • Hot Water: Best for white cotton fabrics that are worn or used close to the body like underwear, socks and bed sheets. If you have laundry that has really heavy soil and cleanliness is more important than protecting the color – work jeans, mechanics’ overalls, kids’ play clothes – hot water may be needed to remove the stains.

No matter the water temperature selected for the wash cycle, the rinse cycle water temperature should always be cold. This will save money on utility costs and warmer temperatures are not needed for rinse cycles.

Cycle Selection

Using the correct cycle for washing and spinning will help clean your clothes and keep them looking their best. It is very difficult to give the specific cycle name on every washer make and model. You will need to use your best judgment or again, read that manual to select the right cycle. Here are some common cycles on today’s washers:

Delicate, Hand Wash or Wool: These setting are very similar and can interchangeable. They should be used for delicate, fragile items that may be damaged by other cycles. They each feature lower speeds of agitation or tumbling during the wash cycle as well as lower speed spins. The lower speed and shorter wash cycle will help prevent stretching and ripping of fabric.
 
Rapid Wash or Speed Wash: In an ideal world, you would never use this cycle because laundry would be done in full loads. But this is the real world and quite often there is a last minute need for a special shirt or uniform to be washed alone. This setting has a shortened wash cycle and a high-speed spin to shorten drying times. It is not recommended for heavily soiled items or delicate items – especially on a regular basis.
 
Permanent Press, Wrinkle Control, Casual Clothes or Dark Colors: This is the cycle to use for most synthetic fabrics, blended fabrics, permanent press clothes and any colored fabrics. The four cycles are interchangeable and use medium-speed wash action, a low-speed spin and a cool-down or rest period to reduce wrinkling.
 
Normal: This cycle is for cotton or blended fabrics with average soil. The cycle combines high-speed wash action and high-speed spin making it more harsh on clothes.
 
Heavy Duty: Select this cycle for sturdy fabrics like towels and jeans. It is also appropriate for heavily soiled items. The cycle offers a longer wash cycle with high-speed agitation and a high-speed spin to remove as much moisture as possible.
 
Bulky: Some washers have a bulky cycle for items such as blankets, comforters, rugs and pillows. The cycle begins with a soak period to allow water and detergent to completely penetrate the items. A medium wash action and spin is then used to help prevent the washer from becoming off-balance.
 
Sheets: The sheets setting on washers should be used for any linens or large pieces of fabric. The wash action is set to prevent large items from tangling or wadding up into a ball.
 
Whites: On most machines, the whites cycle is designed for bleachable white items. This cycle will dispense the liquid chlorine bleach at the correct time in the washing process. The whites cycle has a high-speed wash and spin speed.
 
Steam: Many top-level washers now offer a steam cycle. The steam cycle does not wash clothes. It should be used to quickly remove wrinkles and freshen a garment. It does not provide deep cleaning.
 
Rinse and Spin: This cycle does not use detergent and doesn’t provide deep cleaning. It does rinse and then spin out the moisture from fabric. It can be used after dyeing fabric or if you are just rinsing fabric.

Final Setting Selections to Make

Soil Level: Some washers have changeable soil level settings. If you select low soil, the agitation time will be shorter and increases as the soil level is set higher.

Final Spin Speed: If your washer has settings for the final spin speed that can be changed, select a lower spin speed for delicate fabrics to reduce wrinkling, tangling and damage to fabric. Higher final spin speeds extract more water and reduces drying timeand helps you select a quicker dryer cycle.

 

Written By:  MARY MARLOWE LEVERETTE
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This entry was posted on Friday, February 2nd, 2018 at 1:47 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.