Friday, January 27, 2006

Cold Water Prewash

I am a big fan of Tide's Coldwater powder detergent - I'm using it for the fabric prewash of my current job* because test samples changed color in hot water (shrinkage was identical).

With energy costs UP, I thought I'd pass this on. I use Tide Coldwater for all our family laundry, and it's just as clean as ever. Consumer Reports rated it "excellent" if I recall correctly.


*Click on title to see fabric.

6 comments:

Shirley Hendry Walsh said...

I have had so many washing machine disasters in the past year I stopped. Good for you for having the energy....

Dede in Mass said...

Shirley - you... stopped prewashing??!! *swoons*

I think the hot dryer caused the shrinkage, since that was the only constant. I'll compare "medium" and "low" dryer settings next time I use this fabric (which is SUPPOSED to be pre-shrunk).

Did you buy that front-loader your husband was salivating over? :)

Shirley Hendry Walsh said...

not yet... long story short, we need a smaller house, within two years.

So, what do I continue to make with less space ? It will be washables, absolutely.

The belief is still the same, I get appreciation for the washables, and loyal customers.

I need the right washer so I don't get the DH'S underwear in a bunch.

K from WA said...

Dede....

If you wash anything in cold water and then dry it in the dryer it will shrink....

My concern is if you wash a clients fabric in cold water what if the client forgets and then washes it in hot?

I tell my classes to wash in hot water, it is the first phases of shrinkage...

I haven't notices much of a difference when the fabric is dried in hot dryer or not if it is washed in hot....

Does this make sense.???

Do you know Tide is considered to be the most abrasive degerent there is for washing clothes????

Shirley Hendry Walsh said...

what I am doing to be kind to my limping washer, is to skip washing, just soak it, in the washer, spin and then dry it.

It goes in wetter, takes longer to dry, shrinks more ? And, I can use the washer fill for the soak, so I can soak in hot.

Dede in Mass said...

I was told that agitation combined with hot water produces the most fabric shrinkage. Future experiments with this fabric will include:

1. Agitation vs. Soak
2. Hot vs. Warm vs. Low dryer

In this particular situation, hot water caused color change, and customer wanted THIS color and none other ("Sage"). My options were extremely limited.

Karen, I didn't know that Tide is considered abrasive. Prior to this, I used store brand detergent exclusively - I love using a cold water wash, and Tide ColdWater is very effective in cold. Is the liquid as abrasive as the powder?

I'm thinking about sewing in care labels to protect my butt:

http://www.nwtag.com/html/stockcare.htm