Clothes not getting wet in New Topload HE Washer

[cassandrap83]

The HE dryer I have I hate. I always have to run it twice to get things dry.

Anytime I run even a small load on 'casual' it comes out pretty wet. What does 'casual' stand for anyhow? That it will dry at leisure.

 

[Imzadi]

I wash towels and clothes together all the time (sorted by color) and have never had an issue in my Samsung front loader.

Clothes come out wet and clean.

Are all your clothes polyester? If so, they might not bleed because of the fiber. But, as a fabric dyer, I know that almost ALL red dyes for natural fibers bleed. Red is the most fugitive color, whether in paints or dyes.

 

[Zandy595]

Anytime I run even a small load on 'casual' it comes out pretty wet. What does 'casual' stand for anyhow? That it will dry at leisure.

I have never heard of a casual dryer setting.

 

[bcla]

Are all your clothes polyester? If so, they might not bleed because of the fiber. But, as a fabric painter, dyer & artist, I know that almost ALL red dyes for natural fibers bleed. Red is the most fugitive color, whether in paints, dyes, or ceramic glazes.

If it's polyester (or at leasts 40% synthetic fiber) I will hang it to dry. We've got a rack in our laundry room and sometimes help it out with a small fan. It's not so much that we're trying to save money on utility bills, but hanging to dry reduces mechanical wear on the fabric from tumbling and it doesn't prematurely shrink. And if there's some sort of screen print, hanging to dry reduces cracking. I find that putting polyester in the drier often causes it to prematurely get stiff.

 

[Zandy595]

If it's polyester (or at leasts 40% synthetic fiber) I will hang it to dry. We've got a rack in our laundry room and sometimes help it out with a small fan. It's not so much that we're trying to save money on utility bills, but hanging to dry reduces mechanical wear on the fabric from tumbling and it doesn't prematurely shrink. And if there's some sort of screen print, hanging to dry reduces cracking. I find that putting polyester in the drier often causes it to prematurely get stiff.

I hang all my clothes to dry. I only use the dryer for about 5-10 minutes to get wrinkles out, then everything goes on hangers and is hung on the edge of my kitchen bar/counter. If I'm going to have company, I don't do laundry that day. LOL

 

[Uncle Remus]

By chance, did you run a smaller load before this one and then forget to reset the water level for a normal load?

 

[DebbieB]

I got a Maytag HE top loader last summer. Mine does not have a water level setting, it "senses" it when it starts before filling the water. My lid locks, you can't look in after it starts. You can hold in the reset button if it's necessary to stop it. I use a 1/2 cap of liquid HE detergent, I put it around the drum on the top, then load the clothes. It starts to run down while I'm loading but it doesn't get all the way to the bottom. I haven't had any problems.

One thing I just thought of - do you leave the center empty? Mine says not to put clothes on top of the plastic thing in the middle.

 

[crayon3448]

I have an HE top loader, too and it doesn't work that great. When DD was a newborn, I would wash clothes with spit-up on them and it would still be there when I pulled the clothes out. It's one of the reasons why I decided not to go with cloth diapers.

 

[bcla]

I hang all my clothes to dry. I only use the dryer for about 5-10 minutes to get wrinkles out, then everything goes on hangers and is hung on the edge of my kitchen bar/counter. If I'm going to have company, I don't do laundry that day. LOL

I find that standard weight cotton tends to feel stiff and wrinkly if it's left out to air dry. Synthetics seem to do better with air drying.

I suppose tumbling (even without heat) probably helps. Our dryer has a cool-down period with the standard setting. It shuts off the heat and tumbles for maybe 5 minutes while it's cooling - before it stops. This really helps reduce scorching - especially with stuff like nylon outdoor gear that needs tumble-drying under heat for proper water repellency. They usually come with instructions to remove promptly - probably because most dryers stop immediately while it's still hot, and all of a sudden a few spots are in continuous contact with the drum rather than being tumbled.

 

[Zandy595]

By chance, did you run a smaller load before this one and then forget to reset the water level for a normal load?

You cannot set the water level on my washer, it has a sensor that does it automatically.

LG customer service said it was because I had a couple towels in a load with regular clothes and they soaked up extra water.

 

[Uncle Remus]

You cannot set the water level on my washer, it has a sensor that does it automatically.

LG customer service said it was because I had a couple towels in a load with regular clothes and they soaked up extra water.

I'd have told them they make a lousy washer if it can't handle a few damn towels.

 

[Zandy595]

I find that standard weight cotton tends to feel stiff and wrinkly if it's left out to air dry. Synthetics seem to do better with air drying.

I suppose tumbling (even without heat) probably helps. Our dryer has a cool-down period with the standard setting. It shuts off the heat and tumbles for maybe 5 minutes while it's cooling - before it stops. This really helps reduce scorching - especially with stuff like nylon outdoor gear that needs tumble-drying under heat for proper water repellency. They usually come with instructions to remove promptly - probably because most dryers stop immediately while it's still hot, and all of a sudden a few spots are in continuous contact with the drum rather than being tumbled.

The only thing I have a problem with when I hang things to dry is jeans. They get stiff, everything else turns out fine. Nothing shrinks or fades when you wash in cold water and air dry.

 

[bcla]

I'd have told them they make a lousy washer if it can't handle a few damn towels.

These HE washers operate very differently. They don't completely soak articles in a considerable amount of water. So if you've got towels mixed with other clothes, they don't play well with each other. The towels will take up more water.

 

[Uncle Remus]

These HE washers operate very differently. They don't completely soak articles in a considerable amount of water. So if you've got towels mixed with other clothes, they don't play well with each other. The towels will take up more water.

I'm not a fan of washing clothes without water, it's probably because I'm old.

 

[North of Mouse]

I called LG and they told me that towels soak up more water than clothes and I shouldn't be washing them together

Follow the manufacturer's recommendations for loading the machine and where to put laundry products when. Fabric weight makes a difference. Clothes and towels do not belong together, which I keep trying to tell my husband who was taught to throw anything that needed washing in together.

The HE machines use less detergent and less water and loads are spun almost dry.

Towels 'can' be washed together very successfully in a 'mixed' load.

I have been washing 'all' my clothes together for many years and I have yet to hear that it is not the thing to do (until now). I have a HE Samsung front loader, before that a Kenmore, and my clothes have always come out very clean and I only use 'cold' water.

There should be no difference what so ever in what 'type' clothes you wash in one load. The main difference, of course, is color fastness and soil type (light, heavy, etc). I have never washed my towels separately, nor does my machine instructions say to do so.

OP, I do not own a top loader, so can not speak for the water level, but I do know I would be contacting the manufacture if you cannot wash a few pieces of clothes correctly in it - no matter the type.

 

[usd2bmd]

I ran into this issue as well when we first bought our top loader. Then I started adding some water to the load before I started it. Yes, I know it is defeating the purpose of the "HE" but so is having to wash my clothes twice because they don't come clean or don't get wet the first time. I haven't had the issue at all in a while so maybe it will stop.

 

[JanaDee]

Are all your clothes polyester? If so, they might not bleed because of the fiber. But, as a fabric painter, dyer & artist, I know that almost ALL red dyes for natural fibers bleed. Red is the most fugitive color, whether in paints, dyes, or ceramic glazes.

Our clothes are sorted by color. I have a red load that can include clothes and towels. Most of our clothes are cotton.

 

[Imzadi]

I got a Maytag HE top loader last summer. Mine does not have a water level setting, it "senses" it when it starts before filling the water.

You cannot set the water level on my washer, it has a sensor that does it automatically.

I'm wondering if the sensor is off. Maybe move the washer back & forth and make sure it's placed on level ground.

The only thing I have a problem with when I hang things to dry is jeans. They get stiff, everything else turns out fine. Nothing shrinks or fades when you wash in cold water and air dry.

Most of all my clothes are natural fibers like cottons, ramie, a few silks. I was a teen of the 70's, especially the disco era, and cannot stand the look or feel of polyester clothes because of it.

I air dry all my nice clothes that I care about. The dryer will not only shrink natural fibers, but the heat will fade them too.

 

[mamacatnv]

Yet another washing machine thread that makes me want to keep my old style top loader.

Our new to us home came with a top load no agitator HE washer, my trusty agitator old fashioned dinosaur Kenmore washer is in the garage "just in case". I'm still deciding if I like the HE, so far, its okay but its not a workhorse

 

[leebee]

The whole HE thing cracks me up, as it flies in the face of research. Yes, scientists will study anything, especially for marketing purposes. Research studies have shown that cleanliness of clothing is directly related to the volume of water the clothes are exposed to, NOT the volume of soap. Adequate water with a longer agitation time produces cleaner clothes. I have used several different HE washers and there's no way I'd buy one. The washer AND the clothes always smell musty to me. I'll stick with my 18 year old Kenmore top loader!