Water | guidelines |
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Selecting | water |
| temperatures |
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WASH WATER |
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TEMPERATURE+ | SUGGESTED | FABRICS |
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HOT |
| l | Work | clothes |
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| l | Best | cleaning | for heavily soiled items | |||
54°C (130°F) | l | Sturdy | whites/colourfast | l | Removes | oils, perspiration, | greasy | ||||||
or above |
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| pastels |
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| soils, | and stains |
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| l | Diapers |
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| l | Prevents | graying or yellowing | |||||
WARM |
| l | Dark/noncolourfast | colours | l | Best | for | moderately | soiled | to lightly | |||
| l | Permanent press | items |
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| l | Nylon, | polyester, | acrylics, | l Safe for most fabric finishes | ||||||||
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| silks, | woollens |
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| l | Less | fading and dye | bleeding | |||
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| l | Knits/delicate | fabrics | l | Reduces | wrinkling |
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COLD |
| l | colours | l | Best | for very | lightly | soiled | items | ||||
| l | Noncolourfast | items | l | Saves hot water |
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| l | Hand | washables |
| . Best rinse water temperature | ||||||||
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+The washer features cold rinses for all wash temperatures. In addition, on some models, warm rinses are available with hot and warm washes. Warm rinse water provides better water extraction than cold rinse water, but may increase wrinkling when line drying. In cold climates, warm rinse water also provides a more comfortable temperature for handling the wash load.
Checking hot water temperature
Your hot water should be 54°C (130°F) or above. If you do not know your hot water temperature, you can check it easily. You may need to raise the temperature of your water heater. To check your hot water:
1.Fill a pan with the hottest water available from the faucet that fills your washer. NOTE: If you do not have a faucet at your washer site, collect the water from the faucet closest to your washer.
2.Place a candy thermometer or cooking thermometer in the water to check the temperature.
NOTE: In
Water hardness
Many poor washing results can be traced to the hardness of the wash water. To check your water hardness:
l City water - ask the city water company.
l Well water - ask the local water authority.
Ask for the mineral content in grains/gallon or parts/million. If your water is more than 8 grains/gallon or more than 137 parts/ million, you should consider:
l Installing a water softener. l Using more detergent.
l Using a packaged water conditioner. l Not using soap.
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