1. Preparing clothes for washing

Follow these recommendations to help you prolong the life of your garments. The following information should help you prevent laundering problems such as dye transfer, wrinkling, lint, and fabric damage.

• Empty pockets and turn them inside-out.
• Mend tears, loose hems, and seams.
• Stained or wet garments should be washed promptly for best results.
• Whites should be washed separately from colours.
• Non-colourfast* items should be washed separately from colourfast** items.
• Permanent press*** and synthetic**** items should be washed separately from other items, since they easily pick up colour.
• Check care labels on items. If the label specifies that the item should be washed separately, the dyes used are probably not colourfast.
• Separate heavily constructed items like sturdy cotton from delicately constructed items like knits.
• Wash items together that require the same agitation and spin speeds, water temperature, and wash time (e.g., heavily soiled towels require higher wash and spin speeds and hotter water than lightly soiled delicate items.)
• Wash sheets and pillowcases separately from articles with straps, ties or long sleeves to prevent twisting and tangling. Any clothes with drawstrings should be tied before washing.
• Separate clothes with heavy buckles, snaps, zippers, etc., from delicate or knit items to help prevent fabric damage such as tearing or snagging.
• Separate lightly soiled items from heavy soiled items, even if they would normally be washed together. Washing heavily soiled items with lightly soiled items can cause soil to transfer to the lightly spoiled items.
• Separate lint givers (chenille, towels, sweat shirts) from lint takers (corduroy, permanent press, synthetics)

* fabric colour that could cause fading or running
** having colour that is resistant to fading or running
*** a fabric that has been chemically processed to resist wrinkles and hold its shape
**** not of natural origin; prepared or made artificially; "man-made fibers"

2. How much detergent should I use?

This depends on the hardness of your water and the soil in your clothing. Softened water requires quite a bit less detergent than hard water — yet the more soiled the clothes, the more detergent you need to clean them. See the instructions on the detergent package for specific guidelines. If soap suds remain at the end of the cycle, you are probably using too much detergent.

3. Keep your dark clothes from fading…

You may be able to extend the look of the blacks and brightly coloured garments by following these instructions:

• Use a laundry detergent that is made to minimize fading of dark colours. If only mildly dirty, wash in small washer load, or wash separately on delicate, or hand wash.
• Turn the garments inside out to wash. This helps limit abrasion on the "good" side of the fabric, reducing "pilling" and extending the life of some fabrics such as corduroy. In addition, any embroidery, decals, and so on are better preserved. It should not affect the performance of the cleaning action to have the clothes inside out during wash.
• Use mild detergent and avoid using too much detergent. Harsh detergents are hard on dyes.
• Do not leave in the dryer too long. Take out when still slightly damp. The heat in the dryer ages fabrics.
• Dyes are also affected by sunlight, and from abrasive wear.

4. Help keep your whites bright…

There are common reasons why clothes lose their brightness, which include:

• The use of too much/too little detergent. Read the detergent package for the correct amount of detergent for your type of washer.
• Use of too large of washer loads. If the washer is too full, theres more rubbing/abrasion on the clothes, inadequate rinsing, which dulls the fabric/colours. So, dont overload, and use the right amount of water for the load.
• Using the wrong water temperature. Follow the care instructions on the garment label. Periodic use of appropriate fabric bleach (all fabric or chlorine, as appropriate) and/or laundry boasters will help keep clothes bright. Sometimes changing detergents may help.
• Many clothes have optical brighteners or fluorescent-whitening agents (FWAs) applied, which help brighten colours. Unfortunately, if sunlight, bleach, or simply age damages the FWAss, there is nothing you can do.
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5. Fabric softener, friend or foe?

Take a walk through a display of high tech apparel and youll find a number of care labels that say "no fabric softeners."

Many high performance fabrics and finishes, including microfibers, allowing the fabric to breathe and transport moisture away from the skin to the outer surface of the fabric, where it can evaporate. This keeps the wearer dry and comfortable.

The "fatty" material in a fabric softener attaches directly to the fabric and makes the fabric feel softer. However, fabric softeners can build up over time, and can reduce the ability of the fabric to manage moisture and breathe. Frequent use of fabric softeners can also reduce the absorbency of cotton towels.

The web site of Cotton Inc. provides the following tip for consumers: "Use fabric softeners occasionally. Overuse will cause your towels to stiffen and become less absorbent."

6. Reliable and efficient dryer venting system

DuraSafe Venting by Whirlpool Canada is the reliable and efficient metal dryer venting system, which provides quick installation and the flexibility to meet almost all venting applications.

DuraSafe™ Venting got its start when Whirlpool, a leading manufacturer of laundry appliances, needed a way to solve dryer venting problems like close clearances and crushed venting.

The goal of dryer venting is to expel moist air and lint efficiently. Reduced airflow causes over heating by preventing fast enough drying action when the air flow velocity in the vent system falls below 100 cubic feet per minute. The lint in the air stream begins to fall out of the air resulting in pockets of lint building up in various parts of the vent system and the dryer heater box.

As the lint builds up in the vent system the air flow velocity continues to reduce causing further airflow reduction and longer dry time. If lint builds up in the heater box at some point the lint can get close enough to the heater element or gas flame and a lint fire could occur.

Metal venting will not ignite in a flash fire and maintains airflow by not crushing. Plastic venting is easily crushed behind a dryer. Metal foil venting does the same thing. Lack of maintenance and improper installation can cause dryer fires and dust fiber and lint can ignite.

A properly exhausted dryer can provide the advantages of:

• Lower utility bills
• Shorter drying time
• Extended life of the dryer
• Extended clothes life

Purchase DuraSafe™ Venting today.

To learn more, view a DuraSafe information video..

7. Front-load odour and mould solutions…

Things you can do to help fix and prevent this problem:

• Use only adequate quantities of High Efficiency laundry detergent in the washer
• Wipe off the door boot after using the washer to prevent the establishment of mould.
• Leave the dispenser open between uses.
• Leave the door ajar if the machine will not be used for a few days.
• Use bleach in the washer occasionally if the system permits.
• If you detect odour or mould, the mould can be killed by running the washer through a Hot Water cycle with dishwasher detergent in the detergent dispenser (Cascade Complete is recommended) and liquid bleach in the bleach dispenser. No clothes should be in the machine during this operation.

8. What are high efficiency products?

It is more common today than ever to hear the term "High Efficiency" when talking about cleaning products and appliances. High-efficiency washers such as the Whirlpool® Duet® saves time with fewer, larger loads, and lowers your water and energy bills by helping conserve resources.

For best washing performance, use a High Efficiency (HE), or low-sudsing, detergent such as Tide HE and Aleze® Premium Laundry Detergent. Regular detergents may cause over sudsing in the washer. If a High Efficiency detergent is unavailable, use 1/2 the recommended amount of regular detergent. Use of regular detergent will lead to unsatisfactory performance over time. Most detergents formulated for hand-washing are not meant for front-loading washers and may cause over sudsing. Start with 1/4 the recommended amount. If over sudsing occurs, try a detergent formulated for high efficiency washers.

Common Usage Error:

Half-dosing with a regular detergent to avoid over-sudsing gives you fewer cleaning ingredients and can cause your clothes to look dingy over time.

9. Washers - vacation, storage, and moving care

Install and store your washer where it will not freeze. Because some water may stay in the hoses, freezing can damage your washer. If storing or moving your washer during freezing weather, winterize it.

Non-use or vacation care:

Operate your washer only when you are at home. If you will be on vacation or not using your washer for an extended period of time, you should:

• Unplug washer or disconnect power.
• Turn off the water supply to the washer. This helps avoid accidental flooding (due to a water pressure surge) while you are away.
• Slightly open door to provide ventilation.

To winterize washer:

• Put 1-qt (1 L) of R.V. type antifreeze in the drum.
• Run washer on a DRAIN/SPIN cycle.
• Unplug washer or disconnect power.
• Shut off both water faucets.
• Disconnect water inlet hoses from faucets and drain.

To use washer again:

• Flush water pipes.
• Reconnect water inlet hoses to faucets.
• Turn on both water faucets.
• Plug in washer or reconnect power.
• Run the washer through the NORMAL cycle with 1/4 the normal recommended amount of detergent to clean out antifreeze.

To transport washer:

• If washer will be moved during freezing weather, put in 1 qt (1 L) of R.V. type antifreeze in the drum. Run washer on a DRAIN/SPIN cycle.
• Unplug washer or disconnect power.
• Disconnect the drain hose from the drain system and attach to rear panel clips.
• Shut off both water faucets.
• Disconnect the water inlet hoses from faucets, then drain the hoses and clip them to the rear panel of the washer.
• Do not reuse transport bolts. Unit must be transported in the upright position.

Reinstalling the washer:

• Follow the "Installation Instructions" to locate, level and connect the washer.
• Run the washer through the NORMAL cycle with 1/4 the normal recommended amount of detergent to clean the washer and remove the antifreeze, if used.