This is a continuation of my deep-ish dive into the weirdly complex world of washing machines in the EU. Like a lot of literally foreign concepts, not growing up with this information is more than half of the difficulty. How many people in the US even have dryers that need moisture exhaust manually poured out? More than zero probably but it’s not common. (Believe it or not, Big Laundry(tm) isn’t paying us big bucks to write these; it’s just information we would have loved to have handed over to us when we started traveling overseas.) I set you up with some fundamentals last week, but now let’s get into it – getting your clothes clean.
Mucky Mold
Let’s talk about mold for a moment.
When we moved into our apartment, it was clear that the previous tenants had no idea how to take care of a front-loading washer. The interior smelled horrible, and the rubber gasket was black with mold. Even after cleaning it thoroughly (Good Housekeeping has an excellent how-to guide), the smell remained until we replaced the gasket completely. Now we have no problem with mold or smell, as long as we run a cleaning cycle monthly (and wash out the detergent drawer), wipe the gasket dry after each session, and leave the front door open almost all of the time. (We closed it when we were fostering kittens, and when company is here.)
A lot of people don’t seem to know how these simple steps keep your washer clean, and instead use scented detergent products.
In the detergent drawer:
The little tab in the back is for liquid detergent
Left is for detergent, bleach, and stain removers
Center is for fabric softener
Right is for pre-wash detergent
So Many Settings
There are SO MANY different settings on a typical EU washer. And it is completely normal and deeply un-intuitive for a wash cycle to run 2.5-3 hours, which is typically a pre-wash, main wash, and three rinses. The clothes spend a longer time tumbling in the water which means you can use a fairly gentle cycle and your clothes will get clean.
We have a Bosch machine, so most of our settings should be similar to what other EU brands show. Fingers crossed!
Around the dial, starting at 1 o’clock:
Resistentes/ Algod. — Cottons, 90°C, hottest water, duration of 2:12h
Color eco/ Cor eco — Cottons, 60°C, hot water, duration of 2:15h
Sinteticos — Easy care textiles, like polyesters, 60°C, duration of 1:12h
Mix — mixed textiles, 40°C, duration of 2:12
Delicado/ Seda — Delicates, like silk, 40°C, duration of 0:40h
An image of a basin full of water — extra rinse setting, with spin
Centrif. adicional with an image of a spiral — a gentle spin, 0:12h
An image of a basin with an arrow going down — water will drain, but there won’t be a spin
Lana/ La with an image of a basin with a ball of yarn in it — wool, 20°C, coldest temperature, a particularly gentle cycle with fabric resting in water for longest periods with no agitation, duration of 0:36h
Ropa oscura/ Roupa escura — dark textiles, 40°C
Power wash 60′ — 60°C, for cottons or cotton-blends, shorter cycle (60 minutes)
Rapido 15′ — Super quick cycle, 40°C (15 minutes)
Sport with an image of a Tshirt with a 9 — textiles made of microfibers, 40°C
Clinic Wash with an image of a plus in a square — 60°C, for especially sensitive skin, includes increased water level, additional rinse cycle, and extended washing time
Additional Functions:
An image of a Tshirt — Wash Plus, extends the washing time
Prelav. — Prewash, adds a cold water rinse and spin before the regular cycle
Facil with an image of an iron — Reduced Ironing, adds a spin cycle with subsequent fluffing and higher moisture to reduce wrinkles if removed promptly
Skin Care — Aqua Plus, adds increased water level, additional rinse cycle, and extended washing time
Option Buttons
(Thermometer) Temperature — ranging from a snowflake (cold) to 90°C,
(Clock) Time — Cycle will complete in X minutes.
(Spiral) Spin — Select spin speed. (Some cycles have pre-programmed spin times)
Mais Simbols!
In the previous post there was an image of basins with numbers, dots, and lines. All of those change how the garment needs to be cared for, and its pretty logical once you know how it was put together. These are found in the garment itself.
Here’s a better version.
The numbers refer to optimum water temperature (go colder rather than hotter, if in doubt). If there are dots instead of numbers, one dot means cold water (20°C to 30°C), two dots mean warm water (40°C to 60°C), and three dots mean hot water (90°C or more).
Lines below the basin indicate which washing machine cycle to use. One line indicates a normal wash cycle. Two lines indicates the need for a gentle cycle.
Here’s a good chart of laundry symbols:
So, in the above image, we see that this item is best washed normally in hot water (60°C), no bleach (the crossed out triangle), tumble dry medium, and to not iron or dry clean.
I hope this is useful!
