Can anyone help me with my confusion over using vinegar to wash my clothes. I need to get my towels back being absorbent and I want to get rid of any detergent residue in all my clothes.
I’ve searched around and the results I’ve found all have different methods.
1) Pour in rinse dispenser only, wash with detergent.
2) Use only vinegar as a replacement for the detergent.
And then there’s the multitude of different amounts of vinegar to use.
UGH! HELP!
I need to remove the soap residue that has built up in the towels because they're not as absorbent as they should be.
For a short time, I was needing to use a clothes-washing service and they would occasionally use the vinegar method but since I didn't have my own machine at the time, I didn't think to ask them.
@see_the_sus ah gotcha
I had to use a Laundromat forever, using more of everything so everything didn't smell like mold (none of the places in town clean their machines 🤢🤮)
I didn't use to mind laundromats when I was younger and able to lug clothes to and fro. They didn't seem to be so sketchy but nowadays, yeah the machines are disgusting, and the chairs and tables, (if lucky), are in shambles. One time, an eejit spilled bleach on the top of a front loader and I didn't notice when I set a few items of clothing on top. 😡
My new apartment came with a washer and dryer which has made me a very VERY happy lady!
@see_the_sus I didn't mind either for the first few years. Over time I think businesses care less and less about quality. Since purchasing our home a few years ago I finally can do laundry again. Yay for both of us! The laundromat in town is so bad I actually do laundry for others.
When I refresh my towels, I use hot water with vinegar in the detergent dispenser. I fill it to the max for a full load of towels, though it doesn't really matter bc the vinegar shouldn't hurt your towels at all.
No detergent, bc you're trying to get the built up detergents out of the towels.
The no detergent part makes sense now. Thanks!
I don't have a detergent dispenser. I've got one of those HE machines where I have to put in the detergent first in the bottom of the tub, pile the clothes on, and then start it up. And then it's locked and a real pain in the ass to try to get it to stop when I need to open it mid-cycle.
Is it ok to put the clothes right on top of undiluted vinegar?
I see you got a lot of suggestions. Regarding the baking soda & vinegar, you can add both together in the wash. I usually just use vinegar.
Do you have a top or front loader? I have a top loader & can pause the wash, which unlocks the door to add clothes or whatever. But I can understand how that's not possible with a side load washer. I also make sure that I use the extra water cycle.
As @arthurpendragon mentioned, you can dilute the vinegar before throwing it in the tub.
It’s an HE top load and I’ve tried to stop the thing but it always seems to end up cancelling the entire wash and I have to start all over again. I’m not used to these types of washers. I’ve been using laundromats for decades and then my new apartment came with this fancy, to me, machine.
Do you know the brand? I can look it up for you. There's usually a pause button somewhere on the machine, but the amount of time that you hold it may be why it's canceling the wash.
With a top loader, if you can figure it out, let the tub fill with the clothes/towels in it, then pause the machine and add the vinegar and/or baking soda. Or you can add the diluted vinegar, but some washers just drain the tub when it's not on, so heads up!
This is the model but when I have tried to pause it, all it does is stop but the lid doesn’t unlock. Maybe I need to wait, like it says to do if I want to cancel the cycle. 🤷🏻♀️
https://manualmachine.com/maytag/mvwx655dw0/6345921-owners-manual/
My washer must like you because it allowed me to pause it instead of canceling like it had been doing. 😆
Took me two tries to put the vinegar in after there was enough water because the 1st time I forgot to set a timer to remember to run back to it to see if had enough water. Now I know that it takes a minimum of 5 minutes before there's enough water to safely put in the vinegar.
Thanks for your advice!
Oh my goodness! I'm so sorry. It's been a crazy busy day & my notifications only go back so far.
I'm so happy it worked! I usually have a magic touch with electronics, but this is the first time it's worked through the interwebs 😂 If you have issues again, lmk and I'll def look into it! 🩷
I didn’t know there was a limit on how many notifications one can see.
The last time I had my own washer was from 1998-2003, which makes me a bit rusty with all the new technology.
It's not always limited; just sometimes. Then again, I usually don't have to go that far back. Maybe it was due to all the notifications? Idk
Yea, washers, dishwashers, dryers...technology moves so quickly. If you have a gap of even 5 years, it could be just as foreign as if you were seeing one for the first time as an isolated tribe member lol
The crazy thing is I worked at Lowe’s, in their call center in the repair/warranty department. We were supposed to help troubleshoot but the damn company refused to provide appliances for us to get some first-hand knowledge. We were stuck going online but when you’ve never seen the appliance in-person, it can be hard to tell someone, “It’s the lever/button next to the…”
Wow, really? That's horrible policy which probably leads to confused customers and employees. Crazy.
Glad you don't work there anymore 😂
@see_the_sus if you want to get the detergent build up out, don't add more detergent. you can put vinegar in both the detergent AND rinse cups. that should work, but if it's really built up you may need to do it twice. if there's any suds in the rinse, it's not all out
also, never use fabric softeners or fabric softener sheets with towels. the sheets are also bad for your dryer.
@redenigma @see_the_sus I agree. I quit the dryer sheet more than a year ago. It’s better for your machine and your health. After a few washes , your clothes don’t act up with static anymore. Use white vinegar and wool balls.
@A_Transparent_Soul @redenigma
Thanks. 😊 I got info from @Jess @arthurpendragon and @ExecutiveFunction404
Unfortunately, I have no way of checking if there’s soap in the rinse. I have an HE washer that locks & doesn’t buzz when it gets to the rinse cycle. Plus, it locks and the only option, that I’ve been able to figure out, is to press “cancel” and restart the entire load.
I’ve been using wool balls for almost 10 years but I hang dry a lot of my nice clothes, bras, sweaters, etc.
I finally got the darn machine to pause instead of cancel, like it had been doing whenever I pressed the button. But I don't know when the wash cycle ends and the rinse cycle begins. Sometimes, if I'm paying attention and not distracted by gods knows what, I'll hear it rinsing but nine-times-out-ten I miss it.
@see_the_sus don't you have a dispenser that adds fabric softener? that's the rinse dispenser.
mine has lights for what part of the cycle it's on, wash, rinse or spin (like you can't tell it's spinning?).
Nope. I use a Downy ball that I’ve had for decades. My machine has lights but I’m not near it throughout the entire time it’s washing. I have to listen to hear the cycles and often times I’m so distracted that I don’t hear all the different cycles and if I need to know if there are suds remaining, I have to know when the rinse cycle begins.
@see_the_sus well, you could just wash twice with vinegar only & that really should get all the residue out.
Downy balls were late 90s/early 2000s weren't they? i remember seeing them
Possibly. I just know I’ve had mine for ages and ages. 😆 I used to have two but lost one, probably at a laundromat.
@see_the_sus if you're talking towels I put just a little bit of detergent with hot water 🤷 dry on medium or high heat