Help! How Do I Use Retayne With The New HE Washers?
 

I keep forgetting that my new HE washer has to be treated differently than other washer styles. The new washers do not fill up with water like the traditional ones did. Normally, I just add vinegar to the wash to set the colors, but batiks bleed so much easier so I wanted to use Retayne. Retayne instructions read,

"Estimate amount of water needed to cover cotton fabric. Fill Machine to this level with HOT (140*) water. Add 1 teaspoon Retayne per yard of cotton fabric. Add dry cotton fabric. Set machine for a 20 minute wash. Use cool water during rinse cycle and dry at once."

How would you proceed since the water does not fill up? Since it doesn't fill up, I can't just add the dry cotton to the treated water. Have any of you used Retayne with the new washers?

I use Retayne on the stove , that way I can make sure the water is really 140 degrees ( the mimium temp for Retayne to work). I have a old stainless Revere ware pot I use just for this purpose. Its important to keep the fabric moving in the solution for best results, a bit of a pain... but I would rather have the pain prior to making the quilt , than after disaster strikes.

You should not use Retayne in a front-loading HE washer; it does not fill up with enough water. Some people do fabric by hand in a large sink. If tap water is not hot enough, you can add boiling water. It's essential to have sufficient hot water for the Retayne process to work.

this is good to know. I have a couple of yards of red fabric that i tested with a wet paper towel and it bled ALOT! i was thinking of getting Retayne to set the color, but i also have a front load washer.. i guess i could try the sink.

A few years back Retayne had a message on it stating not available in Calif. because of known carciogenics, I found this short article, not an alarmist, but just wanting to explain why I would never chose to purchase it again. http://www.pburch.net/dyeing/dyeblog...707/index.html

My washer is a top loader, but it still doesn't fill up. DH is being too sweet and doing the fabric on the stove for me. I had a "surgical procedure" this a.m. so I'm lying down, trying to sit still.

I've been thinking about how to do it, and I'm glad you guys are giving hints.. I don't think I have a pot big enough.. I'm just wondering if I can use the kitchen sink.. I have a deep sink that might do it, but am frid of ruining the stainless steel finish..
Barri

I think it would be fine to do it in the sink, as long as you rinse the sink out with bleach afterwards, considering the formaldehyde content. I'm using my biggest stainless steel stockpot and then washing it with bleach after all the fabric is out of the pot. I'm also going to rinse the fabric one last time in a hot water cycle in the washer. That way, if there's anything left on the fabric, it can be rinsed off afterwards.

I don't think I would use a metal pot, but maybe boil the water, then put into a plastic wash tub and add the retayne, check the temp and add the fabric!

why do people keep buying those washers and dryers? i keep hearing they are nothing but trouble. mildew or mold, etc. I certainly hope they keep on making the top load ones if i ever need new ones.

I have the new top loader with no agitation, just swishes and rotates. It has many levels of fill including Super which fills it full enough to submerge most fabric I need to soak. If I need more fill water I just add more by filling a pots of water and dumping it in the washer.

A stainless steel pot is the best method if you can't use your washer. .. Plastic has a low melting/reacting point . Even house hold PVC is not rated for water over 140 degrees., for anyting longer than a few minutes.
A stainless sink should be Ok if you have the good stainless , not all stainless is the same ... if a magnet does NOT stick it is a better grade of stainless. It the cheap stainless that a magnet will stick to. Better grade stainless has a higher nickel content ... and a magnet will not stick to nickel. The good stainless is used in many industrial applications because it does not react with most chemicals. Since the Retayne is shipped in plastic and not glass or stainless its not very reactive.
So if you ever wondered about our pins that corode its because they use cheap stainless so we can use our magentic pin cushions.

My front loader has been just fine for over 6 years -- never any mold issues. However, mine were made in Germany, I think (Asko brand). I've heard LG seems to be really good too.

Mine i the top load version. DH manages a Rent A Center and those front loaders were constantly going back for service. So when we needed a new set, he bought the HE top loaders and we haven't had any problems in almost 2 years...knock on wood.

Can you call the company that makes it to see what they suggest?

I have to agree with you there. Thanks Thimble for the info. I might be concerned if I used it all the time but since I have had the same bottle for at least 5 years I won't worry. It saved me from having to redo a tapestry chair. Someone spoiled food on it and I washed the cushion cover. Gasp! Did it ruuuuun.

piney

I used retayne in my front loader and it worked just fine. I added the amount called for with no detergent and ran a full cycle and it worked great. I put in some white undies that I didn't care if they got dyed to see how it worked and the undies came out white. Those were batiks I did so they usually bleed bad.
Lynda

My sister lives in CA, she's been buying Retayne for years in CA. She makes Tie dye T-shirts and has never had a problem with it. She uses a large laundry tub in her garage, uses a lot of water and it's very hot but I'm not sure it's 140 degrees. All I know is that it works and she's been selling the t-shirts for years.

I have an HE toploader washing machine and it has the option of doing a "deep wash". Actually, it has several different preprogramed cycles that I can select and in most of those preset cycles, I have the option of changing some things like temperature, spin speed, and adding the "deep wash" setting where it does fill up the tub more. There is also an option to create a "My Cycle" that the machine will remember. It also has a huge basket where I have to stand on my tippy toes to reach the bottom and spin the tub towards me to grab that last sock out. The matching dryer is also huge, and both take less than an hour to wash or dry a large load. One drawback, if I place a small load in the dryer, the dryer sense bar will not sense right and will turn off the dryer thinking everything is dry, so I have to use the timer cycle when I dry a small load. Basically, I do like them but don't use most of the cycles. The pair does handle large quilts well.

I keep buying "those" washers because I really, really like them!

Spammer reported. Do NOT click the links in AtabEmerb's post above.

I admit I love my front load washers for everything except treating colors. They wash beautifully with just a fraction of the detergent and water a top loader works. You need to keep the washer door cracked open a bit when not in use to keep the mold at bay, just like you do in any wet closed container. I just drape a wash cloth in the door. They cycles are longer, but I don’t mind. I have had front loaders for almost 20 years, and I would never go back! For treating colors that can’t be fixed by just using 3-4 Color Catchers, I use my sink. It on,y happens once every few years, so I don’t mind the trouble.

I agree! We are on our 2nd front loader. The first one, over 15 years old, was still working, but we remodeled and got all new appliances. Wouldn't go back for anything.

I've never once had a problem. Our first one was over 15 years old and only replaced as we remodeled. Yes, I do leave the door ajar, but even a top loaders will sometimes get a musty smell if left closed all of the time. I use so much less laundry products and water, have no trouble washing large items, and the spin cycle removes so much more water.

DD has a top loading HE washer, I hate it. First, it's too deep! I'm not short, but reaching the bottom is a challenge, lol. And there is so little water that I've had things come out with spots that weren't even wet after a full cycle!

Appliances do not last like they used to. When I wash new fabric, I just put in my top loading HE Maytag and wash like a regular load with regular detergent. Never used Retayne, didn't even know what it was.