washing machine preferences
 

My HE washer made my prize quilt fade. Anyone have advice on the best washer for quilts and fabric prep?

Putting aside any questions about how a washer made your quilt fade... my answer is hands down, a Speed Queen!! I watched and researched for about 4 years, just waiting for my front loader to die. There are videos on Youtube where you can watch an entire cycle of many different machines - how they agitate, how full they get, etc. As a quilter, I knew I wanted a top-loader that had an option of completely filling the tub with water. I got the model TC5000. It's a workhorse. Our clothes now actually smell clean.
I have a quilt top I made years ago, before I knew one of the fabrics was a bleeder. I had to decide if I wanted to quilt it and *then* treat the bleed, or fix the bleed first, then quilt it. If I quilted it first, I'd have to deal with the extra weight of the batting and backing. If I didn't quilt it first, I'd end up with a mess of knots from the raw edges on the back of the quilt top. I decided to fix it before quilting. I filled the Speed Queen with hot water and a dab of detergent, put the top in. After it stopped filling but before it started agitating, I quickly unplugged the washing machine. I let it sit overnight, then plugged it back in and held down the cancel button. After the cycle canceled, I then hit the drain-and-spin button, which it did, and when it was finished I laid the top out on the family room floor to dry. All my bleeding fabric was fixed, and there were *no* loose threads or knots from the raw seams on the back. I was so happy!

Pardon my ignorance ......
but how does an HE washer make a quilt fade,
any more than any other automatic washer?

Doesn't the fade-ability connect more so to the fabric?
where dies that are not fully "set" (may be the wrong word technically)?

HE Washers
 

I have a Maytag front loader that I absolutely love. Have had it for about 8 years and it is still going strong. I don't believe it is the washer that makes the fabric bleed, it is the temperature of the water and maybe the detergent. I wash my quilts/quilt tops on "small load" with a warm/cold setting. If I have any concerns that the fabric may bleed, I always add a color catcher. For detergent I use "All-free". In other words, I have not had any problems as long as I stick to the above mentioned process.

I don't understand why a front load would make a quilt fade any more than a top loader would.
But on a different note: I detest my front loader. Can't wait till it dies!! Can't soak anything except in my
wash tub (good thing I have one). Never thought of it when I bought the HE front loader. Never again!
I'm going to get what Peckish has. I've heard a lot of good things about that one.

I've never been eager for an appliance to die until this one haha

I have a new Maytag washer and dryer. I absolutely hate it. It does not use enough water even though the tub is huge. I doesn't get my clothes clean. It says that it is gentle on clothes, but they don't tell that the machine speed is slowed way down which results in a very long wash cycle. And, I think it is this slow washing rate that doesn't scrub the fabric of dirt. The tub is huge and very deep. I'm short and have to get on my tiptoes to get the stuff at the bottom of the tub out. Everything is preset, so I can't do a timed wash.The dryer is ok, but it doesn't always get my clothes dry, especially towels. So, I have to check the load to see if it is actually dry before taking the clothes out. The ling trap does a poor job of catching lint. The lint gets into the air duct and gets around outside the filter. The air filter exits outside the house and the link that escapes the filter ends up outside.

Obvously, I don't like this machine!

So,

And you know what you have just done ....... jinxed it to work on and on and on and ........... ;)

Mine is just like yours, for the longest time I was sure I had not replaced the filter correctly.

Penny, my dryer started doing that same lint thing. Lint outside the house near the dryer exhaust vent. We solved the problem by moving the dryer away from the wall a bit. Somehow, it had been pushed back far enough that the vent hose had a severe 90 degree bend in it. When we straightened it a bit, the lint stayed inside where it belongs.

Peggi, thanks for that info. I'm glad to hear you're happy with the Speed Queen. I've been following earlier washing machine threads here, and that was one of the more popular brands mentioned. Also, it seems, it's an easy brand to get parts/repair if necessary.

Many yeas ago I did PR for Maytag and obviously loved the machines both washer and dryer. Originally I had both for about 30 years and loved the way they operated. Unfortunately the washer started "walking" and could not be repaired so had to buy a new one. Of course, I went to Maytag and I understand how you feel as it took me a while to get used to using this one but after finally have learned some tricks, which no one will tell you but you have to figure out, now I am pretty happy with it. I know that the Maytag machines that were produced in Newton, Iowa were much better but I guess the only thing to say is that's life!

I would look at the soap used before ditching the washing machine.
I have a front loader and use a mild soap on delicate.

I guessed it was because it does not fill much, so part of quilt stayed above water line and was dry, and part that was under the water line faded. I had meticulously prewashed the fabrics, and the quilt had been laundered previously with good results, and I washed it on gentle cycle in cold water, with Tide HE. It had a dark rust solid, and a dark rust paisley, plus gray and unbleached muslin. Now all the off-white muslin is pink, but with bleed areas that are unsightly. I sought advice from professional quilters to eliminate or reduce staining, and it helped a little bit, but that is all. If I had not pretreated the fabrics carefully, I would not have been surprised.

Oh, I used a special quilt soap rather than Tide.

You're absolutely right! ha!!!

I bought an Amana top loader because of the reviews and it's made in the USA. It's so quiet that I had to get used to checking to see if it was running or not. All of the new top loaders have the safety feature of not holding a tub of water, but as another poster wrote, if you unplug it after it fills, you can soak with it...then plug it back in when you're ready. The only thing that irked me was that if you wanted to add liquid fabric softener when you first load the clothes you have to buy a 15 dollar part, (screws into the agitator)...that just irked me, but I'm over it..I love my machine.

I have a new Maytag it is a top loader. Would not have a front loader. Matching dryer. Dryer is very quiet. Not like my 13 yo set. Women should design appliances, Sewing machines and choose colors used. Maytag is made in USA. Whirlpool makes it and three others.

Never saw speed queen washers advertised around here.

My preferred washer is Whirlpool. I then air dry my quilts most of the time. I would think fading is more from the fabrics than the washer. Some of my more special quilts go to the dry cleaners.

How is that a safety feature? I know it's supposed to be a water-saving feature, but I found that instead of washing 2 large loads, I would have to split them up into 4 or 5 small loads just to get them clean, which in my opinion, doesn't save much of anything.

I would also like to point out that there are several top loaders that do completely fill with water, my Speed Queen being one of them.

Wonder if someone put any bleach in the machine before you washed your quilt.
I find it quite odd that it would fade after you took the time to prewash your
fabric.

For 40 yrs I used an upright washer with the agitator, and had so much trouble with dirty marks left on clothes, so bought a front loading tumble washer 12 yrs ago. I am on my own now so not a lot to clean, but very bit gets washed & I Love it. No more grubby clothes and will never go back to an upright. I would think your fading problem was because of either bleach of some kind in the powder or the fabric needed more pre-washing. Some fabric I was given bled for four washes, ended up throwing it out.

It's supposed to be so that a child can't get in and drown in an unattended tub of water. Within about a minute of leaving the lid open, mine just drains...fast! I can fill mine right to the top, which I love, but as I said, you can't stop and soak unless you're crafty and unplug it. All washers will have this feature..it's something we're all going to have to deal with.
A bit OT...but when my sister and I were kids, well over 60 years ago..one of us would get in the old wringer washer and the other one would turn it on and we'd give each other rides! No water..but we agitated and spun!

I am in the same boat! I hate that Maytag front loader. Not able to soak and not able to open and grow in the sock I dropped on the way to the laundry room! My DIL bought the Maytag top loader and loves it.

If my washer dies, I will look at a Speed Queen. When I lived in NJ I had a laundry room that was large and wonderful. (3 sinks, 2 washers and dryers, ironing board, sewing machine and built in drying racks} The house was historical and an absolute joy ..just way to large after Joe passed.

When we moved into our townhome a couple of years, all appliances had been replaced with Maytag appliances. My washer is a top load with no agitator. At first I thought how is that gonna work. It calls for HE detergent and I firmly believe if that is what the washer uses, then use HE. Mine senses how much water to use by the size of the load. My hubby can have some really dirty jeans and the only extra thing I do is set an extra rinse. Seems to work for me. I have washed quilts and not having an agitator should be better for washing and have never had a problem. Not having an agitator is replaced by a drum that moves around.
Works for me. I also think fading fabric is not the fault of the washing machine but the fabric. When I wash quilts, I use the bulky cycle, warm water, little detergent, and an extra rinse. Good luck!

DH and I rarely get dirty so any washer does a good job cleaning for us. I wanted a quiet washer with no lid lock. DH had to disconnect the electrical lid lock as they all come with that now. I also wanted hand wash cycle because it washes fabric and quilts perfectly. No strings on the fabric at all. I got a GE High Profile top loader. The features change so fast on washers having one you had before is almost impossible. I always buy the the model right under the highest price one of the same brand. I got that tip from an appliance dealer and always buy appliances on sale with free delivery and carry off of old one. Even if you have to pay a little extra for carry off, it's still a bargain not to have to do it, if you know where to take it.

Just be aware that the pre-2019 Speed Queen washers are vastly better than the 2019 and newer, even with a firmware upgrade. The newer models don't clean anywhere near as well Consumer Reports article on newer Speed Queen washers

Speed Queen has low ratings in most of the best of reports when I was researching new washing machines. I honestly don't thing it makes any difference now days. Buy one that has the features you want. I was told Samsung is the worst when it comes to repairs. It can takes many weeks to get a part for any Samsung appliance and even longer when under warranty.

The detergent may be a bigger factor than the washer.

Same stupid washer design here. Low water, looooong wash cycle, very little actual washing going on. Smells sometimes. Waiting for it to die.

I made sure my washer had the quick wash cycle. I use it for all loads. I use pods and the quick wash cycle and the grandkids play clothes wash clean and they play in the creek, get muddy, and drip Popsicles all over the their clothes. May not be good for greasy work clothes but I do have the heavy duty cycle if needed.

I have a Samsung top loading washer. Never again! It's pretty much a lemon! Some loads keep going "unbalanced" and it can take 3 hours to get a load done. :(
I'm holding out for a Spped Queen top loading machine~~

I was told that the long cycles were due to too much detergent in the water. Only use 1/2 of what is recommended. I use one pod per regular load or 1/4 measure of liquid for small loads.

Sidebar into a somewhat-off-topic note: I suspect the long washing machine cycles are similar to long cycles for dishwashers. My husband and I were in Lowe's a couple of years ago, purchasing a new refrigerator. Got into a very interesting conversation with one of the guys there who does a lot of their warranty repair work. He talked a lot about what makes appliances fail: For ranges, it's the self-clean cycle. The electronic circuit boards are not built to take the ultra high heat that most self-clean cycles use, and end up getting fried. For dishwashers, it's the detergent pods. Oftentimes the pods do not dissolve completely and gum up the works. I wish I would have asked him why the pods don't dissolve completely - if it's hard or soft water, not hot enough water, not enough water period, etc. I mentioned that I was holding out on replacing my dishwasher, which was in our home when we bought it 20 years ago. He told me to keep it working as long as I could, it was likely much better performance-wise than most of the ones on the market! I asked him why the newer dishwashers run for so long. They're supposed to be more energy efficient, but how is that possible when they run at least twice as long as my old one does? He said they're more energy efficient because the power pulses as it runs. On, off, on, off. In the older ones, the power stayed on. This makes me wonder if that's why washing machines run longer, too.

Most people use cold or cool water to wash now. I don't know any detergent that dissolves completely in cold water, not even liquid unless it diluted down. Turn your washer to hot wash and then check the water after it fills. Chances are good it will not be hot. The new washers have a temp control and if the water is above a certain temp the cold water is added. It's hard to get a true hot wash. When I want hot wash and bleach I tun off the cold faucet value to the washer. I have used the clean cycle on my oven at least once a month and the oven is almost 20 years old and working fine. I want a new one but I don't know how fragile the new ones are but I guess not made to be great for home use unless it's the $10,000 plus brands.

Kids growing up today won't even realize appliances use to be made to last for decades. No use my complaining, they will never change back Look at Maytag, it went downhill big time like the Singer sewing machines.

i think that is the one I have. I like it. I can set it on a super fill. I mainly use the speed wash because we mostly are indoors and don’t have real dirt to contend with. I can open the lid any time while it is filling and that is fine with me. All of the quilts I have washed come out fine. I use Kirkland pods. The matching dryer works fine for my purposes. The son has an Electrolux front loader set which is really nice. I’ve been helping with laundry since son is so sick and it also has a speed wash and is quiet and gets things clean. The dryer wasn’t working so great so I asked them to get the vent hose cleaned and now it is great again. Before we moved I had a sears mechanical washer top loader and didn’t want to move it and buyer wanted it. Would still like to have that one back.

Back to the OP and her original question.... CarlySue, was there anything else that was washed with this quilt that might have bled? Is this the same washing machine and soap combination you used previously? How did you originally pretreat your fabrics?

washing machine preferences
 

I will never buy another GE washer, dryer or refrigerator. Our front load Maytag was fantastic, until it died. We bought a front load GE from a local dealer. The indicator light says it is washing. It doesn't even add enough water to get everything wet before it adds the soap. I start a load (no soap), let 'wash' a few min, shut it off, it drains, then I add soap and start over. The dryer is no better. The load might be half dry when it stops. Re-start the dryer, it still doesn't know what dry is.
So much for shopping local. Energy saving? I have to waste a lot of energy on GE products.
I sure hope our Kitchen-aid dishwasher runs forever.
trustme2

curious to know if you ever had a service call on it. We got a service contract on all our appliances and it paid for itself when the ice maker went out on the LG fridge.

Peggi, we have a new dishwasher that cleans better than any we've ever had. It's a Kitchenaid and I absolutely love it. It goes a long time but you can't hear it. I don't know why it takes so long but I really like it.
The one appliance we've never had die was a stove. We've always had gas and they live forever lol