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beaglenc

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beaglenc
9 years ago

A blanket of suds in the rinse cycle. Last night I washed towels used to dry the dogs after a bath and some used when defrosting the freezer. I used ONE tablespoon of wisk (safe for all washers),a half cup of borax and bleach. Hot wash, no suds to speak of, but the rinse, you would have thought I had added a cap full of detergent. The second rinse was NO improvement. So this am., after 5 more cycles still wayyy too many suds. It is a little better with hot water. the suds seem to dissipate after a bit.
I did not have this problem in the summer and I measured to line one on the cap.
I have a Speed Queen awn542 and am at a loss. I don't think the city water has changed but it's the same problem as it was last winter. Any suggestions would be more than greatly appreciated, as I'm getting really frustrated.

Comments (35)

  • Rault85
    9 years ago

    I have the same problem with Wisk Original that is supposed to be safe for both machines. Wisk seems to be really sudsy for most people for some reason. I use two tablespoons to wash a full load of really dirty diapers ( usually between 35-50 diapers , not even counting the double inserts and cloth wipes ) and I will have to spend the next hour or so adding extra rinses. It's weird because I have super hard water. Sorry I can't offer any helpful suggestions. I've just accepted that there are some detergents that I just can't use :-(

  • recordaras
    9 years ago

    I once bought a bottle of Wisk based on Consumer Reports reviews, and now it's sitting in the back of the cleaning closet till I can figure out how to get rid of it - the suds I got were insane!
    I know that Borax can soften water, so that probably made it even worse for you?

  • zzackey
    9 years ago

    I would call Wisk and ask for a refund. I just did that with clumping cat litter that didn't clump.

  • zzackey
    9 years ago

    I would call Wisk and ask for a refund. I just did that with clumping cat litter that didn't clump.

  • beaglenc
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    @andi2928, what are you using now? I really don't know what else to try. I think I tried everything last winter. What machine do you have?

  • Rault85
    9 years ago

    @beagle:
    Oh geez... well, I use a bit of everything lol
    I literally have at least one of everything, liquid and powder, that's available at walmart and the grocery. But for my everyday drivers I use....
    Liquids: Total Care, Coldwater, Free and Gentle, Gain (original, lavender, thai dragon fruit) Cheer, Dreft, Tide with bleach alt., Tide w/ Downy, ERA.

    Powders: Tide with Bleach, Cheer, Gain, Tide w/ Downy, All, Sun, Surf, White Cloud, Tide Ultra, Ariel, Persil...

    I don't have any sudsing issues with any of what I've listed, especially the powders. I've had to stop using Vaska and Wisk because of the ridiculous amount of suds. It's too bad, I really liked how Wisk cleaned my husbands stinky and sweaty PT uniforms. No other product quite got the odors completely out. I have read that some people have had success using the Wisk pods so I may give them a try next.

    My current machine is a Kenmore Elite 41072. I've had it since August and am loving it so far. My machine prior to that was a Samsung 419. Liked it as well, until the bearings and spider went kaput. Never had any sudsing issues with that machine either, except with Vaska. (I've only recently tried Wisk)

    What all have you tried and what were the results?

  • sparky823
    9 years ago

    To kill suds add some fabric softener or vinegar. If you dont like softener in your machine, after the rinse to kill the suds, then add vinegar and rewash/rinse. I also thought cold water would kill suds better than hot.? Some bleach also suds up because it has surfactants in it versus regular clorox, but you might have used regular bleach?

    I have Wisk that I use now and then and dont ever have a problem and my water is not hard.

    I have also heard(read) to add vegetable oil to the load to kill the suds. Then do another rinse. That I have never tried. Also carpet defoamer.

    Most sudsing detergent I have ever used was Green Works. Suds galore.

    Maybe when washing with Wisk use the Delicate cycle to prevent so much sudsing--or Normal cycle with the Gentle wash speed since you have a selectable speed SQ.

  • beaglenc
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Whoa! Andi, that's quite a large arsenal you have.LOL

    Sparky, I did try some fabric softener and vinegar but they didn't help that much. Wouldn't using vegetable oil ruin clothes? The bleach was regular bleach that doesn't foam.
    I'm just sad that Wisk is doing this again. Love the way it cleans and removes odors. Maybe I'll try Cheer powder and baking soda and see how that works.

  • enduring
    9 years ago

    Are you on a municipal water system? I know the town where I work has different ways of treating the water during the year, depending on the season. I wonder if that treatment is impacting your Wisk.

  • Rault85
    9 years ago

    @beagle, yeeeeah... I have a problem lol
    I don't like to commit to one product. I get tired of scents easily and like to switch it up on almost every load. My husband counted a few weeks ago and I had 20+ bottles of liquid lol

    I've been reading that Cheer powder might possibly be discontinued so I've been stocking up on that as well.

  • triedandtrue
    9 years ago

    Beagle nc, I have the SQ AWN 432 and I have. the same exact problem with towels. I never noticed it in my other machines. I was using small doses of Tide HE liquid, and the rinse cycle had more foam than the wash cycle.

    I hate to admit this, though I think it is one of the best washers I have owned, it is simply not a goood rinser where towels are concerned, the rinses always seem to be cloudy white even with the 2nd rinse.

  • triedandtrue
    9 years ago

    Beagle nc, I have the SQ AWN 432 and I have. the same exact problem with towels. I never noticed it in my other machines. I was using small doses of Tide HE liquid, and the rinse cycle had more foam than the wash cycle.

    I hate to admit this, though I think it is one of the best washers I have owned, it is simply not a goood rinser where towels are concerned, the rinses always seem to be cloudy white even with the 2nd rinse.

  • triedandtrue
    9 years ago

    The towels do come out feeling rinsed , though the rinse water is foamy . It always needs 2 rinses though.

  • beaglenc
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Up date: after 9 yes 9 total cycles, I finally got results I could tolerate.Enduring I have wondered if the city of Raleigh is treating water differently in the winter.
    When I had this problem last winter, I tried every thing that Walmart had. Tide, Era (the HE version was great but that has been discontinued) Purex, ect. even Sears. Sears was great in the suds dept. but left everything stiff and scratchy. I finally settled on Cheer powder and borax. It seems as if any thing liquid was suds city. Including Clorox2 and Biz, the powder versions, not so much. wonder why that is?
    Can't wait to see my water bill, lol!
    Come to think of it, even with the Bosch, Wisk HE was way too sudsy. Tide Total Care worked great in the Bosch but did not clean good in the SQ.
    Any way, rant is over and thanks to all for listening and replies. Y'all are the greatest!

  • Cavimum
    9 years ago

    Wisk is too sudsy for our Miele. I gave it away.
    Towels need a LOT less detergent than other things.
    Borax seems to help any detergent rinse out better, in our FL washer.

    I have also found that during the winter months, starting around October, I have to use half the detergent I use in the warmer months. I don't know if the cooler weather, less perspiration and sunscreen, have something to do with it, but it seems to happen every year.

    One trick I have learned, is to empty the washer and run and express cycle to clear out the residual suds. I alternate this with putting the laundry back in and rinsing it, then removing it & repeat empty express cycle, etc.

    Another trick I will do is just throw some dirty laundry in with the overly sudsy load and run it all through again. The suds leave much faster if they have some dirt to grab onto.

    I don't think your problem has anything to do with your washing machine, but more with technique and learning how to work around the whole situation. That is how it has worked in our laundry room.

  • moviegeek
    9 years ago

    Adding white vinegar to the rinse cycle will remove suds, also running an extra rinse cycle will do the trick. Adding washing soda(sodium carbonate) will keep suds to a minimum and aid in cleaning your clothes.

    The most important thing is to use less detergent, I use half of what the bottle tells me to use.

  • emma
    9 years ago

    Use it for cleaning the toilet stools, that is how I get rid of soaps, shampoos, etc. that I don't like.

  • Rault85
    9 years ago

    I tried Wisk again today on a medium load with 2 tablespoons and this is what I ended up with.....

  • Rault85
    9 years ago

    Rinse number 4....

  • Rault85
    9 years ago

    Rinse number 8, and this one had a little bit of fabric softener! Super hard water and really dirty clothes and Wisk is still too sudsy. Oh well, another one to get rid of.

  • suburbanmd
    9 years ago

    Posted recently on the other laundry site:

    "The thing that will most often ruin the seal in a FL washer is a hard mineral build-up from minerals in the seal area [ this is primarily caused by using too little detergent, cheap detergent, excessive rinsing especially in hard water areas ] Detergents have important lubricating properties that protect washer parts [ like water seals ] and if things are rinsed too much it is hard on ANY washing machine ever built. "

    This is from an appliance technician, a very experienced guy who's installed and repaired appliances in my house, so I know he's real.

  • beaglenc
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Oh Andi! I do feel your pain! I'm going to put mine aside until summer and see how it does then. Even the pods, they over sudsed the last time I tried them too.

  • Rault85
    9 years ago

    @suburbanmd,
    what lubricating properties does Wisk or any other American detergent have? I was looking at the ingredients lists for several of the detergents that I use but I don't think I saw anything that would qualify as a lubricator. Wisk doesn't have any silicates in it, which is used to keep detergent from corroding the washer innards, so Im not too worried about a few extra rinses.
    I think Persil has silicates for washer protection but I rarely use it since it doesn't clean very well, but I don't know of any others.

    @beagle,
    Our water source changes 5, sometimes even 8, times a year. Here in the desert we get water from all over the place. I can always tell when it changes because the taste of the water will change but it always stays hard. I gave my jug of Wisk to my sister, shes one of those people who needs to see a really thick layer of suds to feel like things are clean :-/

    Found this link after a search that was pretty interesting!

    Here is a link that might be useful: Washer Protection Agents

  • suburbanmd
    9 years ago

    Wash water feels different from plain water, more slippery. That's the lubrication I guess. Detergent also contains water softening agents, one benefit of which is avoiding hard water deposits in the machine. But rinse water doesn't have that protection. Hard water deposits on the seal can't be a good thing. The seal protects the bearings from water damage.

    Unless you have special skin sensitivities in your household, do suds in, say, the third rinse really make a difference, as long as the clothing feels rinsed at the end?

  • Rault85
    9 years ago

    I can deal with a few bubbles but when the rinse looks like a sudsy wash cycle, I can't. They won't feel rinsed, instead they feel all crusty and soapy, yugh!

  • Rault85
    9 years ago

    It just occurred to me that I've been using the Wisk that is safe for both HE and regular machines. I know that they make an HE version... I wonder if that would make a difference? Im hesitant because according to Wisk's product locator, no one in my area carries the HE version so I would have to order it and it's double the price on Amazon.

  • beaglenc
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Andi, I'm with you, I can take a few bubbles but not a sudsy rinse.
    IIRC, I did try wisk he and at the time got the same results in my SQ. I bought a bottle of cheer he today and will try it. Last to loads I did, used cheer powder one and two tablespoons and results were 100 percent better. I stocked up on it last winter when I thought it was being discontinued. I just like liquids better.

  • chloe203
    9 years ago

    I have used Wisk free and clear HE liquid for several years and have no sudsing problem. Was that regular bleach you added or oxyclean type bleach?
    I have found that no matter what detergent I use,if I add oxy clean it will have too many suds..
    I think it is the washing soda in oxy clean. When I was able to find the ecover
    sodium percarbonate I did not have the problem because it didn't have all that washing soda

  • beaglenc
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    @ chloe45 where did you find Wisk free and clear HE? All I can find is the safe for all machines version. And, I used regular LCB so that wasn't the problem. I don't use oxy clean at all. Tried it and it seemed to make my clothes stiff and scratchy.

  • chloe203
    9 years ago

    My bottle does say safe for all machines. it has the HE insignia on the bottle. From their web site it looks like that is all they make is the HE that "is safe for all machines"
    It is a white container and the Walmart super centers
    carry it. The smaller WM groceries do not.
    I can't stand the smell of their scented products.
    I have a Bosch machine. My water is kind of medium, not soft, but not super hard either.
    Do you get this same sudsing if you use no other products but the Wisk?

  • chloe203
    9 years ago

    I read this on a site from the UK.

    "A common reaction to this is to reduce the amount of detergent in the wash, but bizarrely, and counter-intuitively, washing machine detergent contains anti foaming agents so using too little can ironically cause too much foam due to a lack of these agents.

    The most common cause of excess foam is using too much detergent, but as described above, too little can also cause excess foaming so the important thing is to use the right amount as suggested by the detergent manufacturer, which is determined by the hardness of your water and the level of soiling."

  • beaglenc
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Chloe45, I did get the same results last winter when I tried almost everything out there. I did purchase a bottle of Cheer HE from Walmart and am having much, much better results with it. I am using only 2 tablespoons and one fourth cup of Biz in some loads. Doesn't sound like it's enough in the Speed Queen but so far so good. It's odd that I used that much in the Bosch with no problem. But then I was using Tide Total Care.

  • chloe203
    9 years ago

    I sometimes wonder if by adding other products we change the chemistry and that is part of the problem.
    I know for sure that I cannot use oxy clean, the brand . I have to stick
    to the 99% pure oxygen bleach.
    Does your machine use a lot more water than your Bosch ?

  • sparky823
    9 years ago

    Biz makes more suds in my machine.

  • beaglenc
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    @ chloe45, I too have found that some additives do cause problems. I can't use liquid clorox 2 or liquid biz. The powder forms pose no problems.
    My Speed Queen uses about 31 gallons compared to the Bosch's 13 gallons.

    Sparky823, I use one fourth cup of Biz powder and so far it's working out well. And the Cheer HE is rinsing out really well. Keeping my fingers crossed.