# I HATE my Kenmore H3 washer..............



## thundersweet (Feb 28, 2003)

What am I doing wrong? I am not washing cloth right now but I will very soon. I remember doing Samantha's diapers and getting soooo frustrated with the darn thing. I should have just kept my old machine but we sold it with our last house. Man, what a mistake! Those who have this particular machine what is your wash routine? I really think top loaders are just to conservative in the water department to get cloth really clean. I really want to switch machines with my mom who has a new Whirlpool washer super capacity. She is all for it but dh says NO! I think it would be great for her because she washed like a pair of panties and a t shirt:LOL Seriously she washes the smallest loads ever.


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## ustasmom (Jan 12, 2004)

I add water to my Whirlpool Duets. At least 4-5 gallons with each filling. There is too little water to get diapers clean and rinsed.

Kim


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## tippytoes26 (Mar 19, 2002)

Hmmm.. I never thought of adding water to the wash.. I think I'm going to try that!! I have diapers in there right now.

I have a neptune, but I've resorted to this - rinse, wash/rinse, rinse, wash/rinse, rinse wash/rinse (no soap) .. then dry.. and SITLL after the third wash and rinse cycle, diaper sometimes still smell funky so I wash/rinse a fourth time. It takes literally 5-6 hours to wash and dry diapers.. and that's if I'm on top of it and don't let any time lapse when one cycle is over... it's ridiculous.

Front loaders are overrated. Our electric bill and water bill are both still the same.. but I guess that's to be expected since I have to wash so many times. Even on a regular load of laundry, I often do two wash/rinse cycles because I know how unclean the diapers are and figure our regular laundry must not be getting too much cleaner. counter productive.

Extra water.. interesting. I think I'll try that. At least with a top loader I can set the water level.. so I could fill with water for a large capacity load but only have a dozen diapers in there.. I figured in the long run it saved water because I wasn't washing so many times in a row.. ya know?

Amber


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## thundersweet (Feb 28, 2003)

Quote:

_Originally posted by tippytoes26_
*
I have a neptune, but I've resorted to this - rinse, wash/rinse, rinse, wash/rinse, rinse wash/rinse (no soap) .. then dry.. and SITLL after the third wash and rinse cycle, diaper sometimes still smell funky so I wash/rinse a fourth time. It takes literally 5-6 hours to wash and dry diapers.. and that's if I'm on top of it and don't let any time lapse when one cycle is over... it's ridiculo*
This is exactly what I wont have time to fool with. I am searching for my owners manual now to see what if anything I may be missing. I remember many times opening the dryer and saying "yuk" and back into the washer they went. Never had to do that with my top loader.


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## danaalex (Mar 19, 2003)

i love our kenmore he3 front loader. in a state where water prices are through the roof and you use a lot of it we have found that the front loaders do conserve quiet a bit. i have no trouble getting things clean. we do normal size loads of dipes and clothes we just learned to use way less detergent which is good because we buy it less often too.

for dipes we do a whitest whites without the auto second rinse and add a presoak. that way i can see how much detergent is left in the dipes from the previous washing. i add my detergent, which is NEVER more than 3 TSPs!!!!!!! if there are any suds we use one or two tsps. then i do one extra cycle, the express cycle, on light dirt hot/cold. that's all. i do have two in dipes and wash every third day usually. i do divide my dipes into two loads, dipes and covers.

overall, i have been very pleased by my washer and our routine works very well. i would not trade it for a top loader, ever.


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## thundersweet (Feb 28, 2003)

Dana how long does the express cycle last? Have you figured out a way to soak for a while yet? That is one thing I wish I had was a soak cycle.


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## AP Momma (Dec 15, 2003)

Are the items coming out still soiled or is it a smell issue? I ask because it's pretty easy to get detergent build-up since thier is so much less water used to rinse them out.

I have a bare bones Kenmore front loader. My routine is cold/cold prewash with baking soda; then a hot/cold heavy duty wash with a smidge of detergent and extra cold rinse. Very rarely is there suds in the last rinse cycle and the dipes come out white and clean, fresh smelling.

On the rare occasions when there are suds I just run it through another wash cycle. Honestly the only times I've gotten that is when I wash gently used dipes I've bought off of other Momma's. I've had to run a set of gently used dipes through 3 seperate washes without detergent (all with extra rinses too) to get these dipes suds free. Geesh, I wondered if she was selling them because of detergent build-up issues!

Good luck,
Kris


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## danaalex (Mar 19, 2003)

mine has a presoak option.i just add it to the whitest whites. it's about 30 min.

what you really need to do is make sure you don't have residual detergent in your dipes right now. do a couple hot washes w/o detergent and then go from there. if you already have build up every time you wash and add more detergent you are making the situation worse.

i think the light dirt express wash is like 35 min.


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## danaalex (Mar 19, 2003)

i've had the same problem ap momma. tons of suds from used dipes!!!!









i've rinsed and rinsed and rinsed used dipes more than i've rinsed my own. :LOL


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## DreamingMama (Apr 18, 2003)

IF so you are very lucky. Mine has broken down four times in the past year and I am ready to set it in a field and use it for target practice.........LOL! It is made by none other then the crappy company ROPER which does not exist anymore. Gee I wonder why.









This ROPER has it's own mind, it only breaks down on wash day when there are 12 loads of regular laundry to do, 4 loads of diapers and tons of fabrics to wash.

I hate it!!









Oh and guess what? I have to wash my diapers three freaking times to get the freaking suds out and I only use a half cup for a mondo huge load. Hate, hate, hate!!























*I know I am no freaking help at all, sorry.







*


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## Mirriah (Sep 10, 2003)

I have a Neptune and while I'm generally pleased with it's performance, I agree that front loaders are not the rage that I expected them to be. I have to admit that I cannot get my whites as white as I used to with my cheap top loader. The clothes just don't soak long enough in water to let the bleach do it's job (I bleach whites every so often). However it cleans the rest of my clothing just fine.
With that said, to do dipes you really have to think differently. And you will probably not save any water overall doing diapers with a front loader.
After lots of trial and error (and stinky diapers) this is how I wash my dipes:

Rinse/Extra Rinse (24 min)
Normal soil/Extra rinse on COLD with a bit of detergent (I use Surf) (57 min)
Heavy soil/Extra rinse/Stain cycle/Presoak on HOT (w/ bit of Surf) (99 min)
Rinse/Extra rinse/Max extract (24 min)

So it takes literally 3.5 hrs to do dipes - and that's IF I tend to the washer right away and get the next cycle going. I tend though to start it at night and finish in the morning.
Hmmm.... no wonder I'm using disposables lately??!!


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## tippytoes26 (Mar 19, 2002)

This is some info I found on the neptune.. not much help for the OP, but generally, it gives you an idea of how LITTLE water front loaders use. Too little in my opinion. I'm all for conserving water, but I wish there was a middle ground.. I'm tired of giving up cleanliness for water savings. I haven't had bleach in my house in over two years.. then I got my front loader and now EVERYTHING white has to be bleached.. even white bath towels that never touch anything but a clean person.

Here's the info and the site I got it from http://repair2000.com/neptune.htm

"Why can't I use regular detergent in the Neptune ?
Regular detergent was made specifically for top-loading machines. Top loading machines use an agitator to move the clothes thru the water. Top loading washers also hold up to 35 gallons of water. Today's Neptune front-loader uses an average of 4 gallons of water, instead of 35, in the wash cycle. This means that you have a lot less water into which you are concentrating all that soap! For this reason, detergent manufacturers have had to develop a detergent specifically for this type of service. It is called "High Energy" detergent, and is now available in several brand names. People who were originally sensitive to perfumed detergents may use HE products, since they rinse away much better than standard formulas.

If you feel you must use a special detergent on occasion, such as Dreft for babies, just use 1/4 of the normal amount you would use in a top loader. If you DO use regular soap occasionally, it is very important to perform the cleaning procedures mentioned below."


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## thundersweet (Feb 28, 2003)

Quote:

_Originally posted by AP Momma_
*
I have a bare bones Kenmore front loader. My routine is cold/cold prewash with baking soda; then a hot/cold heavy duty wash with a smidge of detergent and extra cold rinse. Very rarely is there suds in the last rinse cycle and the dipes come out white and clean, fresh smelling.
Kris*
Mine is the Kenmore Elite HE3. Mine has a prewash cycle but I cannot do one without in being connected to the long wash. Meaning I cant stop it from going to the long wash after the prewash. At least I cant figure out how to.

Dana, when you say presoak does your washer say prewash? Not to be technical.:LOL Is your the Kenmore Elite HE3?


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## ustasmom (Jan 12, 2004)

Well, here is my diaper routine.

I spray my poopy diapers before they hit the pail. And I dry pail.

I use Whitest whites which is soak, hot wash, rinse and optional second rinse.

I use 1 tsp. of Tide HE. I bought 2 Y-connectors in the garden department at Lowes. I hooked them up to my washer hook-up. So hoses go to the washer and I have two additional hoses that I keep in a pitcher. There are on-off valves on the connectors, so I can turn water on and off.

So I start my washer and stick my hot water hose in the detergent drawer. I put enough water in so that they can slosh around better. I do the same for the wash and the rinses, except cold water. On my second rinse, if I see suds, I drain it and refill the washer. This takes about the time as a regular wash.

I have 7 children and I have more laundry to do than diapers. This has worked great for us.

Kim


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## PatchyMama (Dec 6, 2002)

I have a Kenmore Elite HE3 and








it. The very first time i washed my diapers with it they came out much cleaner than they used to in my top loader. I also dont have any smell issues. However I dont ever have poopy diapers anymore.... kyla does that on the potty







So my wash routine is really simple..

1. cycle on the whitest whites with 1/4 -1/2 cup of detergent (once a month I use color safe bleach too).
2. Do an additional cold rinse.
3. Throw in the dryer

:LOL sorry you are having washing troubles







I would never go back to a top loader.... but I got the front loaders mainly because I can wash SO MUCH at once.... perfect for washing lots and lots of fabric


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## danaalex (Mar 19, 2003)

i just checked my machine. its a kenmore elite he3t. the add'l setting is called auto soak.

sorry for the confussion. in all our first wash and rinse lasts 1 hr 30 min and the second is 35 min. so 2 hrs. our reg laundry takes an hr so not too bad i guess. i do my covers and pockets separately and only do the normal heavy cycle w/ the soak added.


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## mamaluvs3girls (Oct 22, 2002)

We have a Kenmore HE3t Elite also. It took sometime to figure out a routine. Here's ours:

I do a normal express wash with 1/3 cup of baking soda, cold water, no spin, and an auto soak. The cycle is about an hour long but most of that is soak time.

Then I do a whitest whites (hot water, 2 rinse)with 1/4 cup of Surf detergent. I know this is a little more than what some of the other moms use but we haven't had any problems with build up and this amount.

I have on occasion had an odor problem. It's usually when my load is bigger than it should be.

HTH!


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## Kermit (May 30, 2002)

Yep. I have to use a lot of extra water to get my diapers clean, too. 2 rinses in a front loader is the equivalent of one in a top loader. This is why front loaders do 2 rinses after washing the clothes. It needs two rinses. I don't think I'm using any more water than I did with my top loader, and may still be using less. It's kind of a hassle that I can't program all this in and walk away, though:

Rince and Spin cycle set on Permanent Press with baking soda (28 min. rinse,spin/rinse,spin. Perm Press uses MORE water!)

Sanitary wash (158 degree wash with 3 Tbs. of He or low suds detergent. Wash, spin/rinse,spin/rinse,spin. Almost 2 hrs.)

Rinse and Spin cycle Permanent Press (rinse,spin/rinse,spin 28 min.).

So after detergent is used in the wash, it rinses the diapers out 4 times. This is the equivalent of 2 rinses in a top loader, see? I think this is why I get the best results doing this. I always had the best results using 2 rinses in my top loader. And how many of us with top loaders did 2 rinses? I think the majority of us did, so why not use the same amount of water rinsing our diapers in a front loader? He rinses out better? Hyeah. Then why don't the smell totally CLEAN until the 4th rinse? I think maybe with lightly soiled clothing it's all good, but with diapers, it's just not gonna cut it for us.
My white clothes come out whiter and cleaner than ever, though. This may be partly due to the Sanitary cycle. The hotter the water, the better the stains come out.

Amber, I tell ya, I think there is something WRONG with your washer. I've read of numerous people with Neptunes having pump problems where the water wasn't all getting pumped out, so the clothes were not getting rinsed well. Your whites should be great, there's just no excuse for them needing bleach!


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## Oceanone (Oct 24, 2002)

Dana, I have that machine and I have a lot of success with it.

Here's my routine

Cold wash normal, add soak. 2 caps liquid bio-kleen

Whitest white cycle, add soak. 1 cap Sensi-clean.

Every now and then I will do a wash with a little bit of Tide in the cold instead and nothing in the hot. Even more rarely I put a little seventh gen color safe bleach in the bleach dispenser.

I never have a problem with odors now that I have added the extra soak to the hot as well as cold cycles.

It takes a bit of tweaking, but you can find the perfect routine for your load and washing powder/ soap.


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## danaalex (Mar 19, 2003)

you know kermit may have a point. we do not have a dinginess problem, but the sears service guy was doing our yearly check up and told us that often baby socks will get stuck in the pump. well so do cloth wipes. while in there he found 2 wipes and a sock. he said it happens a lot and showed dh how to clean it out.

if you have a service agreement have them come out and look for you.


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## bokchoy (Jan 4, 2003)

not the HE3t.

I also spray the poopy dipes and dry pail.

I do a normal/casual cycle on light dirt, warm wash/cold rinse with just a bit of powdered detergent, maybe 2 tsp.

Then I add the rest of the laundry and do a whitest whites (heavy dirt, the default), hot wash/cold rinse with the 2nd rinse option and extended spin option on.

I wash every 1.5 days and have 2 in dipes. I haven't had a problem with stains or odors etc. yet.


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## Lmata (Feb 18, 2004)

We've got the Kenmore HE3t

Here is my routine:

Sanitary cycle w/ prewash and 2nd rince options.
Just a bit of soap (1tsp or so) in the prewash and twice that amount in the reg wash. Also vinigar in the fabric softner section.

No problems w/ smells here. I've got 2 in dipes and wash every 2 days. Plop the poop for my toddler and do nothing w/ my newborn's bf dipes.

Lisa


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## kiddoc (Jul 21, 2003)

I have the kenmore HE3t and really like it.







Our current routine is a cold rinse/spin with nothing. Then a Sanitary with prewash and extra rinse. I use Tide HE about 1/2 the smallest level on the scoop with some powdered calgon and sometimes (usually) a bit of chlorox2. I put liquid calgon in the bleach dispenser so it goes in the first rinse. Usually everything smells nice and fresh, if not I do an express wash with sportswash w/an extra rinse. I dry pail but I do dunk/rinse poopies. She had really solid ones till she got sick last week now they're just







and we're getting stains even with obsessive rinsing. The chlorox2 hasn't done much for the stains but has worked wonders for the stinky morning diapers.


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## Rebecca (Dec 4, 2002)

I have the kenmore elite he3t too, and sometimes I love it, and sometimes my diapers still stink. I dry pail most of the time, sometimes soak, and always spray the poop off completely.

I do a rinse/spin cycle before the wash

And wash on sanitary, with every 'option' chosen, and still, sometimes my dipes just don't smell fresh... not poopy, but not like they were drying in the breeze all day. No stains though.

I still can't figure out how it can really get diapers clean using so few gallons (isn't it like, 15 gal/load?). I never had smell problems with my top loader (an RCA stripped down model from Montgomery Wards, if that's any indication of age! :LOL)

I just wish I got the stand/drawers to raise it up off the floor a bit. It kills my back and gives me nasty contractions when I bend over to empty it.


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## danaalex (Mar 19, 2003)

yeah we got the drawers because i was pg when we bought it and dh knew i wouldn't want to bend down to get the laundry done LOL


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