New Laundry web pages

If you are washing with rain water, real soap should do the
job. Needs hot water to dissolve in any reasonable length
of time, but you can agitate it with a small amount of water
for a while, then fill up with cold water and add the
clothes.

You might want to boil badly-stained all-cotton clothing.
Boiling real soap is the ultimate cleaner -- expect colors
to fade. Many synthetics can't take the heat. I've boiled
wool without harm, but I never touched it while the water
was hot -- put it in cold, brought it to the boil, and let
it cool undisturbed.

An overnight soak gives weak cleaners time to work. I've
read of fabric conservators who would soak a delicate
antique for *weeks*, changing the plain distilled water
every day, but with a little surfactant, overnight will do
the trick.

Joy Beeson
--
http://home.earthlink.net/~joybeeson/ -- needlework
http://home.earthlink.net/~beeson_n3f/ -- Writers' Exchange
joy beeson at earthlink dot net

(Cynthia Mason) wrote in message ...
Does the softener or the detergent make one itch? In Mexico they use
softener to seal concrete tile floors and concrete counters. I was told
it has silicone in it. Does anyone know?

Detergent, if it remains in your clothes, will make them scratchy,
yes.

Softener... I thought what they used was a kind of salt. Certainly
using *water* softener to seal concrete tile floors and counters
wouldn't work: it's supposed to dissolve in water, by definition.

Tom Farrell
http://www.SewingWithTom.com/

"Claire Owen" wrote in message news:

I am obviously joining in with only half the information here but my top
loader is half the width of my old front loader but still takes a 5kg load,
meaning that I can now fit a larger freezer into the space left behind. Are
Us top loaders different to European ones?

Never having seen a european top loader, I couldn't say: I didn't even
know that Europe had been subjected to top-loaders.

American *front* loaders vary widely in size, ranging from the same
size as any top-loader and upward. However, it's quite possible to buy
Miele or Bosch front-loaders in the US, and they're slightly smaller.
And of course, front-loaders are usually stackable, so while most
American laundrys have the units side-by-side, you can put in a
stacked front-loader set and reclaim the floor space taken up by the
second appliance.

Tom Farrell
http://www.SewingWithTom.com/

(Olwynmary) wrote:

One caveat here. My DD is presently living in England where her DH is
stationed. The first house they were in had a front-loader which was also a
dryer. Result? Every load of wash took four hours. As she has three
children, then 8, 6 and 2, this was highly inconvenient.

Well, yes, that would be wrong for her, but it's not wrong because
it's a front loader, it's wrong because she didn't have a separate
dryer. Those single-unit machines do take a long time. But, they're
right for *some* households... like mine actually, I want one of those
when I can afford it. My household consists of me and my eight teddy
bears, and they're remarkably good about not getting their clothes
terribly dirty.

There was never a
time when the washer was NOT in service. The next house, which they rented for
over a year, the washer and dryer were separate but, again, each wash load took
nearly two hours

The time a cycle takes depends on the individual model of machine, and
can be researched before purchase, for those who are buying. It also
depends on what settings have been selected on the machine. I'd guess
that on average a front-loader takes at least slightly longer than a
top-loader, but given the gentler washing, cost savings and better
cleaning, I'd go with the front-loader every time.

and missed or forgotten items could not be added.

Putting aside for a moment that missed or forgotten items *should* not
be added because once the cycle has started, adding anything later
means they won't be fully cleaned, it's also true that it depends what
front-loading machine is being used: some *do* allow you to open the
door and add an item after the cycle has started. Indeed, I watched a
friend do this with his front-loader just a week ago.

Finally,
they came to the top of the list for base housing, and she could have an
American-style top-loader again. O happy day!!!

Eh. I'd wish for a more appropriate front-loader. I value my clothes.

Tom Farrell
http://www.SewingWithTom.com/

"Tom Farrell" a écrit dans le message de news:
...
"Claire Owen" wrote in message news:

I am obviously joining in with only half the information here but my top
loader is half the width of my old front loader but still takes a 5kg
load,
meaning that I can now fit a larger freezer into the space left behind.
Are
Us top loaders different to European ones?

Never having seen a european top loader, I couldn't say: I didn't even
know that Europe had been subjected to top-loaders.

American *front* loaders vary widely in size, ranging from the same
size as any top-loader and upward. However, it's quite possible to buy
Miele or Bosch front-loaders in the US, and they're slightly smaller.
And of course, front-loaders are usually stackable, so while most
American laundrys have the units side-by-side, you can put in a
stacked front-loader set and reclaim the floor space taken up by the
second appliance.

Tom Farrell
http://www.SewingWithTom.com/

Well heres a link of mine if you want to see how they are
http://fr.kelkoo.com/b/a/sbs/146601/7023225.html
Much more slim line The drum is loaded in sidways and has a small door which
you close before it sets off!! Then the white facia door closes over that.

Claire in Montréal, France.
http://claireowenperso.free.fr

Forgot to say mine is the 2nd one obviously the first is a front loader.

Claire in Montréal, France.
http://claireowenperso.free.fr
"Claire Owen" a écrit dans le message de news:
...
"Tom Farrell" a écrit dans le message de news:
...
"Claire Owen" wrote in message news:

I am obviously joining in with only half the information here but my
top
loader is half the width of my old front loader but still takes a 5kg
load,
meaning that I can now fit a larger freezer into the space left
behind.
Are
Us top loaders different to European ones?

Never having seen a european top loader, I couldn't say: I didn't even
know that Europe had been subjected to top-loaders.

American *front* loaders vary widely in size, ranging from the same
size as any top-loader and upward. However, it's quite possible to buy
Miele or Bosch front-loaders in the US, and they're slightly smaller.
And of course, front-loaders are usually stackable, so while most
American laundrys have the units side-by-side, you can put in a
stacked front-loader set and reclaim the floor space taken up by the
second appliance.

Tom Farrell
http://www.SewingWithTom.com/

Well heres a link of mine if you want to see how they are
http://fr.kelkoo.com/b/a/sbs/146601/7023225.html
Much more slim line The drum is loaded in sidways and has a small door
which
you close before it sets off!! Then the white facia door closes over
that.

Claire in Montréal, France.
http://claireowenperso.free.fr

Never having seen a european top loader, I couldn't say: I didn't even
know that Europe had been subjected to top-loaders.

Oh, come now, Tom. I grew up in the U.K., and my mother had a top loader when
I was a little girl (Good Heavens - 40 years ago!!!) It was considerably
narrower than my American one, probably around 18". It was also low, and
stored under the kitchen counter except on washday, when it was wheeled out and
attached to the taps over the kitchen sink, and drained into the sink.

Olwyn Mary in New Orleans.

That almost sounds like my first washing machine! It was a top-loader with
no agitator up the centre. The clothes washed for their cycle and then had
to be transferred to the spin/rinse side of the machine. It did a beautiful
job of cleaning the clothes but was a bit more labour intensive than a
regular machine. It 'died' when my roommate overloaded it considerably one
day (I was away) - cost of repair plus time for parts (6 plus months was the
quote! - I lived on the Queen Charlottes) made it not feasible for me to
have fixed...
Cynthia
"Olwynmary" wrote in message
...
Never having seen a european top loader, I couldn't say: I didn't even
know that Europe had been subjected to top-loaders.

Oh, come now, Tom. I grew up in the U.K., and my mother had a top loader
when
I was a little girl (Good Heavens - 40 years ago!!!) It was considerably
narrower than my American one, probably around 18". It was also low, and
stored under the kitchen counter except on washday, when it was wheeled
out and
attached to the taps over the kitchen sink, and drained into the sink.

Olwyn Mary in New Orleans.

Tom Farrell wrote:

(Olwynmary) wrote:

One caveat here. My DD is presently living in England where her DH is
stationed. The first house they were in had a front-loader which was also a
dryer. Result? Every load of wash took four hours. As she has three
children, then 8, 6 and 2, this was highly inconvenient.

Well, yes, that would be wrong for her, but it's not wrong because
it's a front loader, it's wrong because she didn't have a separate
dryer. Those single-unit machines do take a long time. But, they're
right for *some* households... like mine actually, I want one of those
when I can afford it. My household consists of me and my eight teddy
bears, and they're remarkably good about not getting their clothes
terribly dirty.

Agreed. The combination machines don't dry very well at all.
However any decent frontloading machine sold in the UK has a couple of
'quick wash' cycles that finish in about 30 minutes. Sounds as though
the OP's daughter either had a cheap machine or didn't know how to use
it fully. Most of my friends have children's washing to do and they
don't need four hours to do a load of washing.

There was never a
time when the washer was NOT in service. The next house, which they rented for
over a year, the washer and dryer were separate but, again, each wash load took
nearly two hours

The time a cycle takes depends on the individual model of machine, and
can be researched before purchase, for those who are buying. It also
depends on what settings have been selected on the machine. I'd guess
that on average a front-loader takes at least slightly longer than a
top-loader, but given the gentler washing, cost savings and better
cleaning, I'd go with the front-loader every time.

The machine was probably not being used properly. Happens all the time.

and missed or forgotten items could not be added.

Putting aside for a moment that missed or forgotten items *should* not
be added because once the cycle has started, adding anything later
means they won't be fully cleaned, it's also true that it depends what
front-loading machine is being used: some *do* allow you to open the
door and add an item after the cycle has started. Indeed, I watched a
friend do this with his front-loader just a week ago.

Finally,
they came to the top of the list for base housing, and she could have an
American-style top-loader again. O happy day!!!

Eh. I'd wish for a more appropriate front-loader. I value my clothes.

Tom Farrell
http://www.SewingWithTom.com/

Same here. Top loaders certainly don't wash better than front loaders.

Sounds as though the OP's daughter either had a cheap machine or didn't know
how to use it fully. Most of my friends have children's washing to do and they
don't need four hours to do a load of washing.

The machine was probably not being used properly. Happens all the time.

Top loaders certainly don't wash better than front loaders.

I think you guys missed my salient point. DD did not buy - or even choose -
any of these machines, she is over there for 4 years because her husband is
serving our country over there, and she has to make do with whatever houses the
military makes available to her, and, what's more, turn each house into a home.

I was simply pointing out that not all front loaders are "the greatest thing
since sliced bread".

Olwyn Mary in New Orleans.