What, don't use fabric sheets in a front loading machine??? Is he nuts? The color catcher sheet isn't any different than a cotton washcloth, and you wash plenty of those. Her tech doesn't know what he is talking about. For gosh sakes what does he think you are washing in your machine....everything is fabric.

question: Do you know why you can't use Synthropol with front loaders? DH doesn't like our front loader, swears it doesn't get clothes as clean. I love it. However in the process of trying to figure out what could be done to make it so he likes it better, i was told that additional hot water could be added to machine during cycle by pouring it into the bleach dispenser. Would that work for the S. or is it a chemical issue?

I use all three....and I have a front loader.....never had a problem.....I swear by the Color Catchers....they are a bit pricey, but I usually find a coupon that I put away for just their purchase.....I use them almost exclusively. I do use the Retayne and Syntrapol for soaking smaller pieces in my wash basin. I use a lot of batiks(famous for bleeding). So far, so good!!!!

Color catcher is on my grocery list for this week. I love that stripe! You are gonna have fun working with that in a variety of ways.

You made a believer out of me. I have not been pre-washing all my fabric---just the reds, navy blues, blacks, etc. that I think will bleed. You have convinced me to pre-wash!

Dharma also has another product called Professional Textile Detergent. This does not contain alcohol like Synthrapol does. Both of these products are used as a pre-wash to remove unseen grease, oils, and dirts from silk and cotton before dyeing. After dyeing they are used as a final wash to keep excess dye in suspension and helps prevent "back staining" light areas of the fabric. Both of these products can also be used to wash out by hand or in the washing machine your quilts after they've been quilted - to remove marks, glue &/or starch. Retayne is used to stop the bleed from commercial dyed fabrics on cotton. Small bottles of Retayne and Synthrapol should be available in your LQS or a craft store.

Just turn your water heater temp. up, to be sure it gets to 140 or whatever you need. I have a front loader and dye fabric, so I've done this. Put the Synthrapol or Prof. Textile Detergent or Retayne in the liquid soap dispenser. After I'm done w/ dyeing, I turn the temp. back down on the water heater.

I have a front loader and it sits on a pedestal. I love it. I guess if you have to get the water out you'll have to call a repairman.

I have always prewashed my fabrics, for garments and quilts. And since I've been piecing quilts, I prewash the fabrics I'm going to use for a quilt altogether with the Retayne and hot water. I include "Launder in cool water only" on my labels. I don't want someone to have the red dye into the white and ending up with pink and etc. after all the work is done. My sister-in-law made a blue jeans denim quilt and added wine colored blocks with it. After the first wash, it was a miserable looking mess; even for a jeans quilt. Lesson learned for her. She thought she was 'saving time' by not prewashing the wine colored fabric. I haven't ever used the sythrapol.

My LG brand front-loader has a small drain tube easily accessible on the lower front to drain any water that may remain. I bend over less with this machine than with my previous (top-loader) because I put it on a platform--a plywood box because I did not want to spend ridiculously high $$s on the accessory pedestal for a machine that lives in the garage. My laundry comes out just as clean, if not cleaner, than before, using only half the water and detergent. And no agitator means the clothes are treated more gently, extending their wearability. I shopped around and managed to get this machine for the same price I would have had to pay for a top-loader at the time, about two years ago.