High-efficiency washing machines have flooded the US laundry market. I have one and love it, but it is no secret that HE washing machines do have their drawbacks.
There are two big issues with my front loader that I battle on a regular basis:
1.) It doesn’t use enough water with my cloth diapers, which can lead to smelly diapers.
2.) The washer can’t sense how to spin out small loads well. As a result, I end up with a drenched load of clothes after the final spin. They’re clean, but soaking wet.
Why I Need to Trick My Washing Machine
With both of my issues listed above, I need more bulk inside the machine.
The cloth diapers need more bulk so the machine will empty more water into the wash and rinse cycles.
The small load needs more bulk so the machine will be weighted evenly when it does the final spin.
I’m sure you know that high-efficiency washers use sensors to do their work: they sense how much laundry is in the drum to determine how much water is needed. So you have to trick the machine into sensing the load is bulkier and heavier.
When the load is heavier, both of my problems are eliminated. The cloth diapers get more water, which makes them rinse cleaner and prevents the stink. My small load of delicates spins out evenly because the machine senses more bulk in the drum.
How I Trick My Machine to Make It Do What I Want
The solution is very simple: old towels.
I have several old, thin, color-fast towels that I keep on top of my dryer for this very reason. These towels are so old and thin that they literally do not produce lint any longer. While they do have some color, these towels have been used and washed enough times that I know the color won’t run onto my other laundry.
The towels add enough bulk and weight to make the washer do what I need it to. It’s a simple fix and I didn’t have to spend any money. Win-win.
Do you have this same problem with your front-loader? What do you do to solve it?
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This discussion has been so helpful (and entertaining), it’s nice to know I am not the only one unhappy with the new HE washer technology.
If you are in the market for a new washer I think the GE engineers have heard some of the consumer complaints, as I just figured out (after a load came out still full of gardening mud stains) that my new 2018 4.9 cu ft HE top loader will fill to the top of the tub on the Bulky Items setting only (“Max fill”). It also has a Deep Rinse button which adds more water to the rinse, though maybe not a full tub. Other GE models have a Deep Fill button which will add a few gallons of water, but also will apparently fill to the top of the tub if pressed for 3 seconds.
So those settings will approximate the old tried and true machines that we can no longer buy. I’m going to use this Bulky Items setting exclusively from now on because I can’t trust the other cycles, which is surely going to use more water than my old machine where I could select a small or medium load based on my own estimation. So still stupid engineering, but at least GE seems to be offering one way back to washing with enough water which other manufacturers may not.
For what it’s worth, if I can’t find a traditional washing machine with a real agitator then I’ll be looking for an old wringer combination basin type setup.
I’m not kidding.
I can still find good used machines but the numbers are thinning. And, when the old school appliance repair guys are finally gone and the parts are scarce — then what?
When I was stationed in the Philippines it was no problem getting parts fabricated. A machine shop was practically on every corner. Basic electrical supplies were everywhere. This is how the old jeepneys (WWII jeeps converted into elongated mini buses) are to this day running perfectly.
God help us here.
I HATE the HE washing machines. The clothes are never fully covered in water and on dark clothes, they come out with Landry detergent streaks on them so I have to wash them again. How in the world does the government think we are saving water if we are washing loads two and three times? Please give us back the old top loading agitator washing machines!!!! I wish I had never gotten rid of my old machine. What a jewel it was. When we moved into a new house four years ago I thought I had to have a new washer and dryer-wrong! If you still have your old one and it works fine, don’t buy new unless you can find the old style. I am not sure they make the old style anymore but if they do, this one I have may just stop working………
Mine does this too. But I found a way to help stop this. I have a plastic container (just a simple rubbermaid) that i will pour my cap of liquid laundry detergent in. Then i add water to it, up to the rim. I then pour the watered down laundry detergent around, on top of clothes. I then add more water in the cap and add it with more water to the plastic container. I do this like 3-4 times. It works! And I don’t need to rerinse the clothes….
When I need hot water in the house, it takes a while for it to get hot. I collect the cold water in containers and pour them into the empty washing machine. So when I start the machine, it weighs the water, which is heavier than clothes, and puts in lots of water. I add the detergent and let it swirl around before I put in the clothes. That way the clothes can absorb soapy water when they are put in.