Washer recomenations using ecoballs

[bobinalong]

Hi

Our 18 year old Hotpoint is about the give up the ghost and was looking for some recomenations from you experts.

first some stats:
family of 4.
washing 3, max 4 loads per week. We are not ones for wearing clothes once then washing.
Most loads are 30 or 40 degrees, with aome 60 to keep the machine in good order.
For 75{e5d1b7155a01ef1f3b9c9968eaba33524ee81600d00d4be2b4d93ac2e58cec2d} of the loads we use something called ecoballs (some kind of activated oxygen crystalls in a plastic ball), sounds like a con but it works.
Requirements in terms of programs are a little different for powder/liquid washing as lots of rinses are not required (no detergents to rinse out). Ecoballs recomend loads of around 2/3 a normal load and normally a wash of 15 to 20 minutes is fine. Currently we set the oven timer and switch off the wash and put on to spin, kind off defeats the object of having an automatic washer.

That’s the washing requirements, now for the make and model.

Would like a stainless steel machine unfortunatley that rules out the ISE machines), not bothered about mega spin speed (our 800 deluxe seems ok). We susally line dry, Pennines weather permitting, or use radiators. dont mind spending a god chunk of money on the ight machine.

I have read a lot about Miele and realise quality costs but am put off by the high repair costs, but am open to sugestions. The Miele W3748ss looks ok and currently has 5 year guarantee. Current favourite is a Maytag MAF9501, I seem to have read somewhere that these are made by a Swedish company and rebaged. Both above offer a reasonably quick, low temp wash with low water and energy consumtion.

Anyway over to you, will be pleased to here what you have to say.

Thanks. Bob

[iadom]

Re: Washer recomenations using ecoballs

Seriously, if you think that eco balls really work then I don’t think we can help you. 😉 😀

Over the past 40 years or so I have gone into many thousands of homes. Some of them but not very many use eco balls. If I am doing a job where I may need a few towels or similar I am often shocked by just how dingy what they think is clean laundry when compared to the washing I do at home.

Eco balls = Snake oil.

However, the ISE 10 has a stainless steel inner & outer drum. It is also made by the same company who make the Maytag machines but with a different spec and includes a full ten year parts & labour guarantee. Top quality without the massive spares markup or restrictive technical data that you get with Miele.

[kwatt]

Re: Washer recomenations using ecoballs

One comment, bar the obvious about stainless not really being that popular these days…

Ecoballs are an absolute, total waste of time. They are no more than a placebo that do nothing to actually clean your laundry.

The problem is that the result, or lack thereof, is an accumulated effect, you don’t see it immediately and therefore a lot of people think that they are working and cleaning but, they’re not.

You may find this article of interest which explains it in more detail and why it’s absolute claptrap.

HTH

K.

[bobinalong]

Re: Washer recomenations using ecoballs

Forgot to say, ecoballs require a proper wash immesed in water. they dont work correctly with the type that use a spray of stem to wet the load.

[kwatt]

Re: Washer recomenations using ecoballs

Hi bobinalong,

They don’t work, period.

Doesn’t matter what you do with them, they just don’t work.

They bubble and fizz a bit and, err, that’s about it really. You be as well to chuck the washing in a jacuzzi with just water and hope that gets them clean. In fact, you’d probably get the same result if you just didn’t bother with anything, no detergent or whatever in the machine.

K.

[kwatt]

Re: Washer recomenations using ecoballs

Sorry, I guess I’m being a bit rude here if you’ve not studied these things and I should perhaps explain.

Basically what these things purport to do is oxygenate the water, in other words, create bubbles of oxygen that are supposed to remove whatever is in the laundry.

To think that tiny bubbles alone will shift the utterly staggering array of stains and detritus that would be on your clothing is, to be frank, wishful thinking. I know that may sound harsh or rude but if you actually think about it it is common sense.

Consider the range of things on your clothing. You have skin grease, cellular deposits, urine, skin flakes, mites, hair, dust… and we’re only just getting started on the range of, literally hundreds if not thousands of chemicals and compositions that can be in your clothing.

Now I’d ask you to consider, how can some bubbles in the water move just that let alone the countless others I’ve not mentioned. The short answer is that they cannot possibly do so.

Just in one area, grease, you require three elements to break up a grease deposit, heat, agitation and a chemical “magnet” to hold it in suspension in the solution and to stop it from re-depositing on the clothing. Ecoballs or whatever else simply cannot provide those elements to remove a grease stain. So, over time, that grease builds up invisible to the human eye and slowly “greying” the clothing as the grease retains and attracts other debris as well as often becoming odorous in the process.

I’m quite sure that most people have seen how grease or oil traps and retains dust, the same thing happens here, but on a microscopic level.

As it takes time people don’t notice and think that these things are doing a great job but, it simply isn’t true that they are.

And that’s just one area, I’ve not even touched on biological staining or microscopic insects.

I am really sorry if I came across as patronising or rude, that wasn’t the intent at all but the information, lack of, or misinformation about these sorts of things is just utterly staggering. Still more staggering is the willingness of people to think that there is a miracle in them when, there most certainly is not.

K.

[bobinalong]

Re: Washer recomenations using ecoballs

Thanks for the replies about ecobals, but evaluating ecoballs wasnt realy my reason for posting a question. I had better keep my gob shut about them in future.

Can anyone recommend a washing machine please ?

[iadom]

Re: Washer recomenations using ecoballs

iadom wrote:

However, the ISE 10 has a stainless steel inner & outer drum. It is also made by the same company who make the Maytag machines but with a different spec and includes a full ten year parts & labour guarantee. Top quality without the massive spares markup or restrictive technical data that you get with Miele. 😉

[bobinalong]

Thanks Iadom, is that a nod in the direction of the Maytag ? I love the sound of the ISE, however only comes in white I believe.

[iadom]

Re: Washer recomenations using ecoballs

White is the new black, silver or grey is soooo passé. 🙂

Mid range Bosch/Seimens would be a decent choice.

Jim.

[Kentish]

Re: Washer recomenations using ecoballs

I thought the Bosch only did silver and not stainless steel. I would go Miele. You will get your 5 yr warranty (which I would be surprised if you used) and their spares are easier to obtain (as is service) than Maytag. The last Maytag spare I wanted (for my own fridge) took them 7 weeks to send me.

[don]

Re: Washer recomenations using ecoballs

Kentish wrote:I thought the Bosch only did silver and not stainless steel.

Correct and it`s a pale silver at that, more like aluminium if you ask me.

Don

[Kentish]

Re: Washer recomenations using ecoballs

And you forgot looks cheap.

[Author]

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