Washing delicate fabrics

Delicate washing mode - what is it?

We are surrounded by many beautiful things that need careful and attentive care. Lace, silk, satin, chiffon, organza and many other fabrics can be found in our wardrobes or in home decoration. But there is a huge danger of ruining such a “fragile” thing if you care for it incorrectly. Most often, such fabrics deteriorate during washing - if the wrong washing machine mode is selected.

Modern household appliances, and washing machines are no exception, are prudently equipped with different operating modes. And the vast majority of washing machines have a delicate washing mode. It can be called differently - gentle wash, hand wash, for silk, for wool. Delicate mode is: gentle care for your things. This washing mode has some characteristics:

Washing items is done in large quantities of water. Thus, the mechanical impact on the structure of the item is minimized.
The temperature regime is strictly observed - 30°. Sometimes, a washing machine can heat the water up to 40°, but this is the limit.
As a rule, this is a fairly fast mode - the more time a delicate item spends in water, the higher the likelihood of deformation.
During delicate washing, the drum rotates more smoothly and slowly than in normal modes.
Spinning of things occurs at minimum speed - from 400 to 700. Sometimes there is no spin at all.
Washing cannot be dried or ironed in a washing machine, even if such capabilities are provided by the manufacturer.

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What is and features of delicate washing

This concept occurs in two cases:

when working with a washing machine, we are talking about the control lever;
when studying a clothing label, it refers to the badge.

In both options, this means the washing mode. You can select it with a button when using an automatic machine or by setting the settings manually. Work with things is carried out according to one scenario. It is formed from the peculiarities of handling “fragile” tissues.

Delicate material loses its shape and color during standard cleaning. The time it remains in the drum in delicate mode is reduced to an hour. His movements become smooth. The minimum water heating is set and its quantity increases. Spin is set to minimum or disabled. The number of revolutions should not exceed 800. Drying and ironing should be turned off.

When manually spinning, wet items move into the basin. When the liquid has drained, tie it in a towel, wring it out and lay it out on a flat surface.

This will reduce the degree of mechanical impact on the fabric fibers and ensure gentle care.

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Delicate wash: for which items is it necessary?

Some natural and synthetic fabrics require careful care. Silk, wool, guipure, satin, viscose, polyester, cashmere, organza, lycra, elastane - all these fabrics can stretch, fade or even tear during washing. Therefore, they should be washed only in delicate conditions.

Also, the delicate mode is prescribed for items in bright colors or with colored inserts. A complex style, the presence of many accessories or a combination of different fabrics or contrasting colors are also indicators for the use of delicate washing.

What is the delicate wash cycle?

On washing machines from different manufacturers, modes are designated differently. Some simply sign their modes, indicate the category of fabric - cotton, synthetics, wool/silk and the temperature at which things are washed. Sometimes, special symbols or icons are used to indicate a particular mode.

As we remember, delicate washing means 30° and a large amount of water. This means that the delicate wash icon is a stylized image of a basin of water, sometimes indicating the temperature and one or two horizontal lines below the “bottom” of the container. It is these streaks that indicate that a lot of water will be used.

Sometimes, on the dashboard of the washing machine you can find another symbol for the delicate mode - the same basin with the image of a hand, a feather, a flower, a silkworm butterfly or a skein of yarn. The last two pictures mark washing silk and wool respectively.

Delicate wash symbol

The need for a gentle regime is shown by special symbols on the fabric: a drawing of a filled container with water, under which one or two lines are drawn. Sometimes the manufacturer sets the maximum temperature in the image to 30 degrees.

Some brands designate this mode with the words “gentle”, “sensitive”, “gentle”. There are manufacturers for whom the delicate mode is an analogue of other programs: “Hand Wash”, “Wool”, “Silk”, “Delicate Synthetics”, “Delicates”. In such cases, carefully study the instructions to understand the logic of choosing programs for your equipment.

Nuances that are important to know

Surely, you are interested in the question - what washing conditions should be followed in order for the delicate mode to wash truly delicately, but effectively? There are few rules:

separate colored items from light ones;
for washing it is better to use a specialized liquid detergent and a small amount of softener;
Pre-soak heavy stains with stain remover for delicate fabrics;
refrain from pre-soaking;
some things, such as linen, should be loaded into the washing machine only in special covers or bags;
do not leave things in the machine after finishing washing;
Some things that are prone to stretching are best not hung, but rather laid out to dry.

How to prepare things?

To avoid any unpleasant surprises during the stain removal process, take note of the following recommendations.

First, sort your laundry into whites and colours.
If the item is heavily soiled, pre-soak it with stain remover in a separate container.
Use liquid detergents and special conditioners for delicate washing.
If clothes need bleaching, buy household chemicals without chlorine.
Load items into the drum in mesh bags or covers.
Remove laundry immediately after completing the program.
If the fabric may stretch while drying, lay it out on a flat, horizontal surface.

Some washing machines have an ECO program that produces a lot of small bubbles. They thoroughly dissolve the detergent and help it reach the deep layers of the fabric. Use this mode for items made of thin materials. The big advantage of the ECO program is the significant savings in water, detergent and energy consumption.

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How to set up delicate mode yourself?

If suddenly your device does not have such a mode, don’t worry, we will teach you how to change the washing parameters to carefully care for delicate items.

Choose one of the short modes. What is the optimal time? About 40 minutes.
Set the temperature to 30-40°, no more.
You can program a double rinse.
Adjust the spin speed. 800 is the highest limit. But sometimes, you should use drain without spinning - to do this, read the information on the tags of your items.
Turn off drying and ironing if these functions are provided in your machine.

Some modern Samsung washing machines (WW5000 and WW60K series) have the Eco Bubble function. During washing, air bubbles are produced, which help to dissolve the granules of the washing substance and bring them to the very fibers of the fabric. During this process, even the most delicate and elegant things remain safe and sound, but at the same time they are washed very effectively. Such a delicate wash in a washing machine brings amazing results and also saves detergent, water and energy.

How is washing done in gentle mode?

The delicate wash mode implies the following nuances.

Washing stains occurs at low speeds - the washing machine drum rotates more slowly than usual.
When using the program, more water is consumed: this is necessary in order to protect the fabric from mechanical damage and friction.
Cleaning of things is carried out at a low temperature, usually it is within 30-40 degrees.
Spinning is carried out at low speeds - 400-600, maximum - 800 revolutions, and in some models this function is disabled. You will have to manually wring out the clothes.
The program has a shorter duration, the washing time is reduced to 1-1.5 hours.

In some washing machines, instead of the delicate wash mode, other programs are indicated - “wool”, “silk”, “hand wash”. Variations may vary, so please read the instructions for the device. In it, the manufacturer must indicate which of the available functions is suitable for which materials.

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Let's sum it up

The delicate mode has a gentle effect on the shape and color of the item. The washing temperature is reduced and the duration is minimal. During such washing, your silk or wool products, lace and some synthetic fabrics will not be deformed - they will not shrink or stretch, will not lose color, and at the same time will be effectively cleaned. There are many advantages of a delicate machine cycle over hand washing. This saves effort and time, and the absence of increased friction, rinsing in plenty of water and gently spinning.

It’s worth entrusting your items to the delicate cycle in a washing machine from a trusted manufacturer. Then excellent results and clean clothes are guaranteed to you!

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How the gentle wash works

The delicate cleaning program completely replaces hand washing of “capricious” items. On equipment from different manufacturers it may have different names, but the washing process cycles are almost identical and are as follows:

The machine takes in more water than in standard mode. This is done so that the fabric is not subjected to strong friction against the walls of the drum or other products loaded into the tank.
The temperature regime, as a rule, does not exceed 40°, since in a special program, things that are capable of losing color and staining neighboring items are often washed.
The machine operates at low speeds to prevent tissue stretching.
The program can operate without a spin phase: in this case, the water stop function is activated. If spinning is provided, then it is as gentle as possible. The necessary parameters are set in the equipment by default. But, having experience in cleaning certain things, you can manually adjust the selected program, or set the parameters yourself in the hand wash mode.
In gentle mode, regardless of the maximum load volume, the manufacturer suggests reducing the volume and weight of things. For example, if the permissible load limit for a standard wash is 6 kg, then for a delicate wash no more than 3 kg is permissible. This will avoid unwanted twisting and deformation of things.

When using the delicate mode, do not turn on additional drying or ironing functions. Lace items and decorated fabrics must be loaded into the washing machine using special mesh containers.