本文发表在 rolia.net 枫下论坛1:)front-load laundry machines profess great water and energy savings. How does a longer cycle reconcile with such efficiency?
First, front-load washers don’t fill deeply with water, only to dump it all out a short while later. Rather, they pump in a minimal amount of water (some models use sensors to determine the size of the load).
Water continuously filters in and out throughout the cycle, meaning the water stays clean the entire time. Top-load washers fill with water until the clothes float, and then the clothes just sit in that water for the entire cycle.
Also, heating the water often takes longer in a front-loader. A sanitation wash cycle takes about two hours. But you can be assured the hotter temperature eliminates all the cold and flu germs and dust mites congregating in your clothing and linens.
The good news is laundry still takes the same amount of time because dry times have been cut in half. We used to wait for the hour-long drying cycle to finish long after the washer was done. But now, because front-load washers extract so much water during the spin cycle, the average dryer cycle lasts only about 30 minutes.
2:
How much water does it use?
At least 1/3 less than the typical top-loader uses to wash the same load (approx. 25 gallons vs approx. 40 gallons).
How long does it take?
The longest Cottons/Durables cycle with an extra rinse takes about an hour. Many machines have short wash cycles closer to 30 minutes duration.
Front-loading washers can take a little longer to wash and rinse your clothes but the final spin removes so much moisture, the extra time will most likely be made up while drying.
How does a front-loader get clothes just as clean with less water?
The typical top-loader cycle consists of a simple wash/spin/rinse/spin sequence, with the washer filling and draining after the wash and rinse. In a front-loader, the clothes are lifted and dropped into a more concentrated solution of water and detergent. The reversing tumble action kneads the water and detergent deeply into the fabric fibers. Then, a series of rinses and short spins removes both the loosened soil and the detergent. Since the washer never fills above the bottom of the washer door, much less water is used than in a top-loader.
But none of these washers have a water level knob!
The washer will determine how much water is needed based on the weight of the load and how much water is displaced or absorbed by the fabrics, but it won’t be higher than the bottom of the washer door.
Which detergent?
Opt for a low-sudsing formulas, specially recommended for front-loading machines, For example, Country Save HE Laundry Detergent. After you start the machine, watch through the washer’s window while the wash cycle progresses. As long as the drum doesn’t completely fill up with suds, you can continue to use the same detergent.
Hey, this face cloth just came out of the washer and it isn’t even wet! I don’t think it even got washed!
Actually, it did, but because of how small it is, it was wrung nearly dry by the washer’s extremely fast final spin.
OK, but while that load was in the dryer, my daughter washed one of her sweatshirts all by itself and the washer didn’t even spin! Is something wrong with my washer?
No. If you try to wash a single item, the washer may sense it as a clump of wet laundry that won’t distribute itself throughout the drum before the spin cycle begins. Better to wash 2 or 3 sweatshirts or throw in a couple towels as “ballast” for the spin cycle.
Yeah, about that spin cycle. This washer NEVER seems to go out of balance and dance around the laundry room like my top-loader did. Why?
Simple motion dynamics. The much higher spin speed and the perpendicular rotation create a gyroscopic stabilizing effect. But for that to occur, the washer has to be loaded with enough laundry to distribute and balance.更多精彩文章及讨论，请光临枫下论坛 rolia.net
First, front-load washers don’t fill deeply with water, only to dump it all out a short while later. Rather, they pump in a minimal amount of water (some models use sensors to determine the size of the load).
Water continuously filters in and out throughout the cycle, meaning the water stays clean the entire time. Top-load washers fill with water until the clothes float, and then the clothes just sit in that water for the entire cycle.
Also, heating the water often takes longer in a front-loader. A sanitation wash cycle takes about two hours. But you can be assured the hotter temperature eliminates all the cold and flu germs and dust mites congregating in your clothing and linens.
The good news is laundry still takes the same amount of time because dry times have been cut in half. We used to wait for the hour-long drying cycle to finish long after the washer was done. But now, because front-load washers extract so much water during the spin cycle, the average dryer cycle lasts only about 30 minutes.
2:
How much water does it use?
At least 1/3 less than the typical top-loader uses to wash the same load (approx. 25 gallons vs approx. 40 gallons).
How long does it take?
The longest Cottons/Durables cycle with an extra rinse takes about an hour. Many machines have short wash cycles closer to 30 minutes duration.
Front-loading washers can take a little longer to wash and rinse your clothes but the final spin removes so much moisture, the extra time will most likely be made up while drying.
How does a front-loader get clothes just as clean with less water?
The typical top-loader cycle consists of a simple wash/spin/rinse/spin sequence, with the washer filling and draining after the wash and rinse. In a front-loader, the clothes are lifted and dropped into a more concentrated solution of water and detergent. The reversing tumble action kneads the water and detergent deeply into the fabric fibers. Then, a series of rinses and short spins removes both the loosened soil and the detergent. Since the washer never fills above the bottom of the washer door, much less water is used than in a top-loader.
But none of these washers have a water level knob!
The washer will determine how much water is needed based on the weight of the load and how much water is displaced or absorbed by the fabrics, but it won’t be higher than the bottom of the washer door.
Which detergent?
Opt for a low-sudsing formulas, specially recommended for front-loading machines, For example, Country Save HE Laundry Detergent. After you start the machine, watch through the washer’s window while the wash cycle progresses. As long as the drum doesn’t completely fill up with suds, you can continue to use the same detergent.
Hey, this face cloth just came out of the washer and it isn’t even wet! I don’t think it even got washed!
Actually, it did, but because of how small it is, it was wrung nearly dry by the washer’s extremely fast final spin.
OK, but while that load was in the dryer, my daughter washed one of her sweatshirts all by itself and the washer didn’t even spin! Is something wrong with my washer?
No. If you try to wash a single item, the washer may sense it as a clump of wet laundry that won’t distribute itself throughout the drum before the spin cycle begins. Better to wash 2 or 3 sweatshirts or throw in a couple towels as “ballast” for the spin cycle.
Yeah, about that spin cycle. This washer NEVER seems to go out of balance and dance around the laundry room like my top-loader did. Why?
Simple motion dynamics. The much higher spin speed and the perpendicular rotation create a gyroscopic stabilizing effect. But for that to occur, the washer has to be loaded with enough laundry to distribute and balance.更多精彩文章及讨论，请光临枫下论坛 rolia.net