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| if this were my car, I'd get pulled over. |
I'm a very thrifty person. I think it comes from growing up with poverty, and even occasional homelessness. My mother worked two jobs to feed a baby and some hungry adolescents on her own, back in the day when a grown woman needed a cosigner for a small loan. 6 months of the year, we lived where there was no running water, no telephone, no furnace. Consequently, I know that getting a new washing machine and dryer when yours 'ain't broke' is completely wasteful and frivolous. However, ours was pooping out and was clearly not energy or water efficient. On Mother's Day, my husband surprised me with a new washer & dryer set. We donated the old set which made me feel really good. Still, I was embarrassed about these shiny new machines! lol
Long story short...
WOW! If you are ever in the market for a new machine, they are fabulously different than the old ones! This is great for washing quilts. They are roomier, they add the soap in a diluted manner during the wash, and my machine has no center agitating post! It uses water to 'agitate' the laundry clean. S M A R T. I feel so safe putting these new quilts into the wash because they won't get completely beaten up by plastic curved blades.Okay, so maybe this is turning into a Tips on Tuesday. Tell me, what's your favorite detergent for quilts? Do you love to dry/shrink/pucker them or not? (I do!). How do you launder your quilts?
~Monika
12 comments:
Oh I love your shiny new red machines. I've never seen a red washing machine before.
That's a pretty hot pair! Still, I won't wish ill will on my trusty ol' white ones --- yet. At for how I wash my quilts...bed quilts are washed like anything else in the laundry: usally on 'warm/cold' with other coloured items, and no special detergent. My bed quilts are all utilitarian, and designed for wearing out. Art quilts? Mostly, the only washing they see is before they're made, because regardless of purpose, I wash every scrap of cotton before it is made into anything. After that, if I absolutely have to wash an art quilt, it goes into a sink of warm water with Eucalan, a no-rinse cleanser that I use for all fine washables -- soaked, not agitated, gently squeezed and then rolled in a towel to get out excess water, smoothed and hung or laid flat to dry. :-)
I just love the color!!!!
Whoa! My machines are winding down. Now colour wasn't something I thought about... yet! Laundry soap makes me mad. I hate paying for all those fillers. I don't need bubbles, just clean. Sears soap was good but now it is new and improved. I'm not impressed.
Congratulations on the finish!! I cant wait to see it!!
and WOW ...I love your red machines!! Makes doing laundry a little more fun.
I have a front loading machine, which is supposed to be gentle, and yes I love the crinkled look coming out of the dryer!
Those are awesome! I didn't know they came in colors!!! Cool! I have really sensitive skin, so I use All, or Tide, or whatever's on sale that is "Free" of dye and perfume. I'm not too fond of the puckered look, and prewash everything, including the batting to try to avoid it, but there's always some, so I'm learning to love it... Congrats!! Can't wait to see the final result!
First of all, I noticed that it's not a side loader but a regular top loader. Those side loaders have a problem with the door/rubber and mildew. What make is yours? Love the colour but no one would see it in my home since the laundry area is in the dark basement corner.
I hand quilt, use polyester batting and don't particularly care for the wrinkled old look for a brand new quilt. I don't wash a new quilt unless it really does need it - but it doesn't. Detergent? I use whatever these days and have used Sears laundry detergent for over 30 years. Use a small amount for a full load. Works for me.
I use Eucalan delicate no-rinse solution in lavender. Works great on quilts and bras!! Love the no-rinse.
I like to show my quilts before they've been washed, and I don't wash wall quilts, just give them a shake every once in a while. Quilts for sleeping under are made 'tough' and go in my front loader on gentle, then dry flat on top of beach towels on the deck or lawn.
Love the red - definitely the sports cars of laundry!
Oh you must be estatic!! When it feels right those things just fly by, don't they -- meaning the quilting? Ok... this is a topic I haven't given much thought to. I just wing my quilts in the machine and put my 'normal' detergent on them. I guess I intend for my quilts to be used and washed regularly so try to make them to stand up to that. Lovely machines ... and I adore the red.
And wow to your story of growing up. I now see where you get your "tough chick that can handle anything" abilities. Hope you are enjoying the day!
I LOVE your new machines!!! I had no idea they came in color! I wash my quilts on gentle with regular laundry detergent. A sweet lady in my quilt guild told me when I was just learning to quilt that if one of her quilts didn't make it through the first regular washing it wasn't fit to use anyway. LOL I love the puckered "old" look so even though I prewash my cottons (so they won't bleed color), I use cotton batting so it will pucker. I gently vacuum my art quilts.
So terrific!! I noticed it wasn't a front loader. When I bought a new machine, I went back and forth and back and forth and I can't tell you how many days I wish I had my old top loader machine back in my garage. The problem is, I live in a desert area and saving water is such a priority around here, that I just couldn't justify buying the other machine. (Can you tell I'm jealous?)
Love that red!
Elizabeth E.
occasionalpiece.wordpress.com
I adore your new machines! Va va va voom!!!
I use Naturoli 18X all natural soap from soap nuts. Unlike most "detergents" (including Eucalan) it is not force fed to animals to show when it becomes deadly. That and two small pumps of the gentle Naturoli 18x takes all the dirt out without putting crazy stuff in.
Your blog and quilts are spectacular!!! Thank you for sharing!!
Christina in Cleveland
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