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Originally Posted by Fabaddict
my dad owned a laundromat. He really hated to have to clean the traps from someone washing a rag quilt in one of his washers. Laundromats have the same problems as we do. Prices at laundromats are going up too - equipment has to be repaired, cleaned etc. Some laundromats even have septic systems. Why treat them any different than you do your own?
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Originally Posted by didi
Someone mentioned washing quilts if you have a septic tank.
I have noticed when I wash my quilts after sewing them, I get alot of thread in my washer. At least when I do the Rag Quilts. Does this hurt my septic tank??? |
I put my tumbling blocks into the drier with a wet towel. Man, was there a lot of animal hair and quilt threads in the filter. I always wash my material first and then don't wash the quilt after.
Rita |
Originally Posted by amma
The main reason not to wash your rag quilts at home, is all of the strings can plug up your machine, and if you are not viligant about emptying your lint trap in the dryer, you could over heat it/cause a fire.
The threads will break down, but it takes considerably longer than toilet paper. As to causing a problem to your septic tank? That depends on how well the rest of the sludge is breaking down, and how many of these quilts you are making. The $3-4 dollars it costs to wash these in a laundra mat is nothing compared to what you could spend later on washing them at home :wink: :D:D:D I don't wash rag quilts in my machine, the reason being that the first time I did it, I had to take the pump off the machine and clean out all the threads. I did not want to do that again. |
I would never wash my quilts at the laundramat. I live in oil country and if you could see what some the rig workers put in those machines you would think twice about using a public facility.
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I am on a septic system - I don't snip the visible seam allowance. When I finish a rag quilt, while I'm watching tv I pull most of the threads from the seam allowance so very little is left to shed in whatever machine I use.
I also never put egg shells, bones (both of which will never dissolve), or coffee grounds thru my disposal. In over 25 years I have never had the system serviced. |
Several years ago we had to have a new septic system put in (thru no fault of ours) and they guy that did it said you can throw some hamburger down your toilet or septic and it will break up the bacteria and works well. He also put "T joints" in the system to prevent tiny things from clogging the whole thing up and saving the new system. I can't remember what all he said about the T joints, but they seem to be working.
I have washed a twin and crib size rag quilt in my washer with no problems, the larger ones I take to the laundromat and use the big industrial size washer. Then I dry them at home. |
I agree with Fabaddict! Why make it someone else's problem and cost???
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I also put a nylon panty hose piece on the hose that drains in the was tub. I could not believe how much lint came from the rag quilt and I washed it a couple of times. I put it in the dryer and stopped the dryer a few times to empty lint catcher. Also in some of our laundromats have a notice no rag quilts but people still do it.
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I wash everything at home. I do use one of those mesh strainers on the end of the hose coming from the washer (which then drains into a laundry tub) so the lint and threads do not go down the drain.
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i always take mine (rag quilts ) to the laundromat i wait till i have about 4 done then use a big machine i tried in my washer once and didnt like the mess in my machine
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I read the "threads" here about the threads in rag quilts. I made two before Christmas and took both of them to a really nice laundromat locally. For less than $5 I washed and dried both of them, read my book and relaxed for an hour.
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Laundromat is an interesting suggestion. But.....our whole town is using septics. (Supposedly the largest town in US to still be on septic. Paradise, CA) The laundromat has no stipulations on what can be washed. I wonder if they have ever thought of thread and lint. Heaven knows I send a lot of pet hair into the system plus all the lint off of my microfiber dustmop cloths.
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Originally Posted by mjdutro
Laundromat is an interesting suggestion. But.....our whole town is using septics. (Supposedly the largest town in US to still be on septic. Paradise, CA) The laundromat has no stipulations on what can be washed. I wonder if they have ever thought of thread and lint. Heaven knows I send a lot of pet hair into the system plus all the lint off of my microfiber dustmop cloths.
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I just might take you up on that! Yuba is not far.
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When I wash a rag quilt, I run it through the dryer for 10 minutes first, to get the loose threads. then I wash it. In the washer, I open the lid often and scoop the threads off the top, in both the wash and rinse cycles. I get a lot of threads that would otherwise go down the drain. I also wash (and scoop threads) three times before I put it in the dryer. Then I check the dryer vent every ten minutes. Hope this helps someone.
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Originally Posted by KathyAire
When I made a rag quilt, someone at one of the quilting classes told me 'if you have a septic system (as opposed to city waste system), wash your rag quilts at the laundromat'. That has always stuck with me and that is what I do. Don't know if it's true or not, but I do know there is not too many things worse than septic problems.
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WOW I'm so glad I read this I don't have a septic tank i'm on city but my provider takes my quilts home and she is on a tank. This is great ty for sharing ladies.
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[quote=AudreyB]When I wash a rag quilt, I run it through the dryer for 10 minutes first, to get the loose threads. then I wash it. In the washer, I open the lid often and scoop the threads off the top, in both the wash and rinse cycles. I get a lot of threads that would otherwise go down the drain. I also wash (and scoop threads) three times before I put it in the dryer. Then I check the dryer vent every ten minutes. Hope this helps someone.[/quote
Great idea! I'm going to try it. Thanks. |
Originally Posted by Ritacarl
Originally Posted by didi
Someone mentioned washing quilts if you have a septic tank.
I have noticed when I wash my quilts after sewing them, I get alot of thread in my washer. At least when I do the Rag Quilts. Does this hurt my septic tank??? |
Originally Posted by Charlee
Rid-X is NOT necessary if you have a septic system. All it is is a form of yeast that naturally forms anyway. Experts will tell you that you really don't need it. What you want to avoid is bleach and other anti-bacterial products, which will kill the bacteria necessary for the breakdown of solids in the septic tank. Adding something like Rid-X after using bleach isn't going to help, because the bleach will kill the bacteria in Rid-X too.
Cotton is not going to hurt your septic, because it is biodegradable. It's going to rot away. The problem would be that until it does, if you do many rag quilts, you could at least temporarily clog your leach field and cause problems. I would think the problem would be if you're not using a 100% natural batting. Polyester fibers are not going to degrade, they WILL cause problems. All in all, the laundromat is not a bad idea... |
CAUTION
I've only read the first page and I agree with most of it. There is only one problem with going to the laundromat. Many people use a lot of bleach and there could be bleach residue in the washer! I washed a king size quilt at a laundromat. The quilt had a lot of black fabric and it got faded quite a bit in the wash! Obviously there was bleach still in the machine! |
[quote=Betty K]I am on a septic system - I don't snip the visible seam allowance. When I finish a rag quilt, while I'm watching tv I pull most of the threads from the seam allowance so very little is left to shed in whatever machine I use.
Now that is a good idea - just pull the threads and no painful fingers and wrist after ages with the scissors. Thank you very much - I think I'm much clloser to doing a rag quilt now. |
Nothing like Rid-X, etc - a sales gimmick. Bleach can be used, but sparingly. I know of people who use bleach on EVERYTHING - she's a germaphobic or whatever.
I was told never to make rag quilts for babies,especially, nor very small children as they have a habit of putting things in their mouth and sucking on them. Can you imagine the strings that child could pull out. Take them to a laundromat as strings can jam up a washer, too, before it goes thru the hose. Someone told me all of this a long time ago and guess she had a bad experience, so she researched it. |
I take rag quilts to a commercial machine in a laundry mat.
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Originally Posted by Charlee
Rid-X is NOT necessary if you have a septic system. All it is is a form of yeast that naturally forms anyway. Experts will tell you that you really don't need it. What you want to avoid is bleach and other anti-bacterial products, which will kill the bacteria necessary for the breakdown of solids in the septic tank. Adding something like Rid-X after using bleach isn't going to help, because the bleach will kill the bacteria in Rid-X too.
Cotton is not going to hurt your septic, because it is biodegradable. It's going to rot away. The problem would be that until it does, if you do many rag quilts, you could at least temporarily clog your leach field and cause problems. I would think the problem would be if you're not using a 100% natural batting. Polyester fibers are not going to degrade, they WILL cause problems. All in all, the laundromat is not a bad idea... them cleaned out and we used Rid-X. The tank peopple said to use a yeast pack for each tank, we've had no trouble, but, with a new rag quilt, it may be wise to go to the laundry mat. |
Thanks for the tip, I'm almost finished with my first rag quilt and I will definetly go to the laundromat. we have a septic tank.
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Thanks for the tip, I'm almost finished with my first rag quilt and I will definetly go to the laundromat. we have a septic tank.
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in the desert we got a blue tubing and put it on the hose of the washer and put it out the gargae door to the yard. that way the yatd got watered and saved alot on watering the grass the yard loved it and was always green. any lint piles just got raked up when doing the yard. when we had draught problems others were asking how the grass was green then 3 other families starting doing it on our small block.
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Originally Posted by Charlee
Rid-X is NOT necessary if you have a septic system. All it is is a form of yeast that naturally forms anyway. Experts will tell you that you really don't need it. What you want to avoid is bleach and other anti-bacterial products, which will kill the bacteria necessary for the breakdown of solids in the septic tank. Adding something like Rid-X after using bleach isn't going to help, because the bleach will kill the bacteria in Rid-X too.
Cotton is not going to hurt your septic, because it is biodegradable. It's going to rot away. The problem would be that until it does, if you do many rag quilts, you could at least temporarily clog your leach field and cause problems. I would think the problem would be if you're not using a 100% natural batting. Polyester fibers are not going to degrade, they WILL cause problems. All in all, the laundromat is not a bad idea... |
I understand why you would clog up stuff in the septic tank but what happens to the threads in a laundramat? do you just clog up the city water works plant?
Also if you give the rag quilt away, do you tell the new owner how to wash it safely? Or ask if they have a septic tank? Just wondering. |
When I make a Rag Quilt, I always put it in a large calico bag so that any loose threads stay wihtin the bag. When you take the quilt out of the bag after it has been washed you just have to give it a good shake outside and the threads simply shake off. Just amke sue you do this OUTSIDE!!! Good luck!
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