I am finding myself in the market for a new washer/dryer. The repair guy tells me that I have anywhere from 2 weks to 6 months left with the machine I've got, so I have time to do a little research, thank goodness.
I'm liking the idea of HE washers - I've looked at reviews, looked at them in person, combed Consumer Reports....I'm pretty familiar with MOST of the pros and cons, I think.
But I have one Issue. I have a lot of water-resistant stuff to wash (surely, I'm not the only person who washes bath mats; matress pads; dish-drying mats; jackets; allergen pillow covers?). I know you shouldn't put them in HE machines; I am finding a couple of mentions, though, that you can WASH them in HE machines - you just can't let them run in the spin cycle.
Does anyone have experience with this? Can I really wash them in HE, as long as I cancel the spin cycle?
Does anyone have anything else about HE machines they wish they'd known before they bought? (I am interested in top-loaders, only.)
Thank you all! I think I might just go pull the trigger on this today!
I was a bit nervous - all of the machines EVERY ONE - have warning stickers saying NOT to wash waterproof or water resistant items. With two little ones who still have night-time accidents (and the associated waterproof bed pads!), nosebleeds (thus, water-resistant pillow covers), and all the other normal household stuff, I couldn't imagine buying something on purpose to make my life harder! So glad to see that it probably won't!
I love mine. I have had the HE in both of our houses.
I have not had any issue with the water resistant items, but I do run them on "cold" / "delicate" and they have been fine. I wash our bath mats every week and they are at least 10 years old! Aside from some fading... no problems!
I don't do anything different with my "water-resistant" stuff. I do it just like all other clothes in my HE - normal wash/cold water.
I've not heard that one cannot wash water resistant items in a HE machine. I can think of no reason that this would be the case.
Also, some of the items you list are not what I'd consider water resistant. In my experience, water resistant refers to outer wear designed for wear in the rain. And those, unless specifically treated, may lose their resistance when washed in any machine or even by hand.
The spin cycle is faster in a HE machine but I've not found that it negatively affects any of the clothes. I do wash bath mats, allergen pillow covers and mattress pads in my HE machine. There are two types of allegen pillow cases and mattress pads. It may be, if they're plastic, that spinning them would cause creases to set but I don't know that it would affect their performance. If it does then I suggest you wouldn't want to spin them in any machine and I've not seen that mentioned on their product label.
Here is a site that says not to wash water resistant fabric using a detergent and to always follow the fabrics washing instructions. No mention of the HE washing machine. http://www.wikihow.com/Wash-Water-Resistant-Fabrics
I googled "HE machines and water resistant fabric" and did not find a site that says not to use a HE machine to wash them. One site did say that high speed spinning can stretch the fabric but I don't see that that would be a problem with the items you're listing.
I do all of those things in my HE washer all the time! I never you you weren't supposed to. They some out fine, and my washer is fine, too.
