After (checks calendar) three years of being in Portugal, I am still learning things about how our washing machine works. Which feels weird because I’ve been doing household laundry since before I was a teenager (Saturday morning chores included laundry time); we didn’t have a dryer, so I’m even used to hanging it. Granted, this isn’t quite as exciting as a trip on the Orient Express (but then you can already read about that…) but as John and I were reminiscing about past travels we unearthed the fact that a story we had from several different locales over the years was that the washing machines were inscrutable. If you, like us, prefer to pack light and stay in places that have facilities, you may have encountered similar troubles. And so, it occurred to me that you might find this useful, even if just visiting.
A few notes about laundry in general:
- Most washers are eco-conscious and front loading.
- Wash cycles can take hours.
- There is rarely a powered dryer.
- Mold is a big issue.
- Doing a smaller load is important.
Funny thing: most (all?) detergents and laundry products don’t come with a measuring cup, which is universal in the US. Look for the cups in the laundry aisle. Having everything in another language just adds a level of complexity to a much-needed household activity.
Water Temperature
The higher the temperature, the most expensive a load of laundry will be, but not all fabrics tolerate the same temperatures — high and low.
Since 2013, all washers must have a 20°C (68°F) cycle, to help save energy. This setting is best for very lightly soiled garments that may just need freshening up or very delicate items like silk, dresses, or bras.
- A 30°C (86°F) cycle preserves color and is good for a wide range of common fabrics. However, the detergent must be good to get the most cleaning.
- 40° (104°F) is better for everyday clothing and household linens. It is the best all around temperature and most modern detergents work well.
- Some like the 50°C (122°F) setting for removing stains from fabric that can withstand the higher heat.
- Running a cycle at 60°C (140°F) is good for killing bacteria on heavily soiled or sweaty items, like workout clothing. Some like it best for household linens like towels and bedlinens.
- Some machines have a 90°C (194°F) cycle, which I think is best for routine ‘maintenance washes’ on your machine. It might also brighten whites on fabric that can tolerate the heat.
Cold water (20°C or 30°C) is the best setting for dark or bright colored fabrics. There are some who say you need to use more detergent the lower the temperature, but modern detergents seem designed to work well at lower temperatures. If your clothing is regularly heavily soiled (such as when gardening or toddlers’ clothing) or sweat-stained, you might want to pre-soak the fabric to ensure the effectiveness when washing in cold water.
Warm water (40°C or 50°C) is usually the best setting for household linens as the increased temperature kills more bacteria and dust mites. If you wear a lot of white clothing, an occasional warm water wash can brighten them.
Hot water (60°C or more) is best for heavily soiled items, like diapers, or grease-stained fabrics. If the fabric can take it, you might want to run your towels and other household linens through a cycle once a quarter to refresh them.
Don’t know which temperature to use? Your garment will have a laundry label that can guide you. We’ll get to specific symbols a bit later.
Detergent
Let’s look at cleaning products.
Most of us probably grew up with powder detergents, and remember when there was a big push to get phosphates out of cleaning products because it was harmful to the environment (or was that just a US thing?).
Nowadays (and for several years), all detergents — liquid, powder, gel, capsule, and strip — are tested on the same variety of stains including grass, chocolate, soda, oil, red wine, and blood. They are also much more concentrated and designed to work effectively at lower temperatures. Capsules are convenient, no need to measure. Strips are the most environmentally effective.
A few chemicals to avoid are:
Benzaldehyde — Irritant
Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid — Reproductive and developmental effects found
Diethanolamine — Irritant
Quaternium-15 — Contains formaldehyde
Ethyl acetate — Neurotoxin
Petroleum distillates — Carciongen (also called naphthas)
Which means: use what you like.
For us, we use unscented strips that we buy in bulk in the U.S. (Tru Earth brand, to be specific). Strips are available in the EU, though not easily in Portugal. But most products here are scented and we really don’t like that at all. So we make an extra effort. As a bonus, the strips make laundry while traveling so much easier.
Size Matters
It turns out that keeping your loads on the smaller side makes a big difference in how clean your laundry gets — the detergent needs room to dissolve and the rinse water needs to get everywhere.
This has been a big adjustment for us. While we were only two humans back in the States, we regularly washed our dogs’ bedding and other household items to keep the cat hair minimized. We had big capacity machines in their very own room. The washer in our apartment is roughly half the size of what we used to have — a set of sheets fills it right to its capacity, and I would never wash our down comforter in it. Nor a pair of pillows.
To get an idea of washing machine capacity, think of it like this:
- 1 kg of capacity is equivalent to 5 t-shirts.
- 5 kg of capacity is enough for a set of bedsheets.
- 6kg would be 8 lightweight tops, 2 pr of trousers, and 10 pairs of socks, or a duvet cover.
- 7 kg is the right size for a set of towels for a family of 4.
- 9kg of capacity can wash a whole king size duvet and is the best option for large families.
Next week we’ll talk about dealing with mold and what the darn all of those symbols mean.
