Help your appliances help the environment!
High Efficiency Soap
HE stands for high-efficiency soap. It must be used in all types of high-efficiency, low-water usage washing machines. It is formulated without a sudsing agent, (bubbles don't clean anything, but they can damage your washer over time). It is also designed to rinse out with much less water than previous, non-HE formulas.
Ready for this? You really only need 1/4 of what the manufacturer of the soap recommends! Only 2 to 3 tablespoons per large load!
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Use too much soap and it will not rinse out completely. This has many bad effects on your wash such as:
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Lingering odors. And not the mountain, flowery, fresh breeze kind either!
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As the clothes dry, the soap residue also dries, turning white. It can have the effect of making colored materials look faded and leaves whites looking dingy when finished.
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The dried soap can leave your wash with a crunchy feel. Especially towels.
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Soaps cling to the dirt particles and pulls them out in the rinse. Using too much only pulls money out of your still dirty pockets.
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Most soaps are a petroleum based chemical cocktail. You want to use as little as possible and rinse it all out. A natural, plant based detergent is much less toxic, even so, it still needs to be completely rinsed out.
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Beware of cheap soap! You get what you pay for. You'll need to use more of it to get the same results.
White Vinegar
Vinegar is a great natural product you can add to your laundry arsenal!
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Helps to remove the soap and dirt residue when used in the fabric softener dispenser.
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Softens clothes and removes odors.
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Helps keep soap and dirt residue from building up inside your washer tub and over time can reduce previous deposits.
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It's a natural, non-toxic, biodegradable product that works very well. Inexpensive as well.
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Does not leave a vinegar smell in your laundry, it removes odors. It doesn't cover them up.
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I wash my towels twice a year using only vinegar, as soap and softener both. It leaves them much more absorbant and soft. Try it yourself and watch what comes out the drain hose!
Affresh Tablets
Designed for use in the clean washer cycle to help remove dirt and soap residue. Just throw one in the washer basket, not the dispenser, and start the clean cycle.
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WARNING! Keep out of the reach of children! Let them know they are poison. The tablets look like they could be candy and smell good too. But, they are very toxic!
Fabric Softeners
Most are made with fat, wax and many other toxic chemicals. They are designed to hide odors and soften cloth. They stay on the material for a long time and will build up. It builds up on the inner surfaces of the washer, promoting bacterial growth. It will make towels repel water. It holds soap and stains in. You are covered in it all the time, 24/7. It's in your clothing and sheets. On your towels and underwear. Did I mention it's toxic? But it sure smells nice.
Dryer Sheets
Dryer sheets work well to reduce static. But, they use a waxy chemical compound to do their job. Over time it builds up on the lint screen, trapping lint in the screen, slowly clogging it up. It also leaves a residue on the whatever is being dried. Your clothes, sheets, towels and everything else. So you are covered in it all the time. Probably toxic too.
Front Load Washer Mold Issues & Tips
Mold needs 3 things to thrive. Moisture, darkness and food.
Leaving the door ajar and dispenser drawer open lets light in and will allow it to dry out quickly. Using the right type and amount of soap helps prevent building a base for the mold to take hold. Wiping the door boot or bellow it's called, after each washing session, will help keep mold at bay too. There is no magic formula out there that can clean it off once mold gets started on the bellow. Replacement would be the only option.
Follow our tips above and you shouldn't end up with a mold problem.
If your machine already has a severe mold problem, all these tips can help relieve the symptoms over time, but won't completely cure the issue.
