HE Washers - Belle Plaine,KS

I bought another HE washer this year and was told by the salesman that if I used regular detergent and not HE detergent, I would void my warranty if my machine broke down. HE detergent is specially designed for HE machines and should only be used.

I copy/pasted this form a good answer site. We have one and was told about the "low sudsing" formulas of HE products, etc. I use inexpensive brands, but have found, after about a year of having ours, that certain clothes retained a smelly quality (hubby's workout clothes and work uniforms especially) which carried over to towels and other things. A friend recommended good old fashioned BORAX. I adda bit of this to every load now, and regularly clean the dispenser drawer...and I mean CLEAN it! I remove the drawer and use scrub brushes and even hard bristle paint brushes to get in all the nooks and crannies of it (poor design I think with all the nooks an crannies). They get all black and goopy..NASTY really especially for a place where soap goes! But the way front loaders seal apparently locks in more smells and junk? I leave the door open between uses ( we have given up on replacing the inner light bulb, since I leave the door open alot).

Hope this helps answer your questions:

There is a good reason for using he detergent that is specially formulated for these newer front-load washers. HE laundry detergents are concentrated laundry detergents that are low-sudsing especially for use with low water high-efficiency washers.

If regular detergents were to be used in front-loading and high-efficiency washers, the presence of too many suds could 'confuse' washing cycles, cause delays and make proper rinsing of clothes difficult. Only he detergents should be used in he washers.

Similar to why dish detergent does not work well in a dishwasher which requires specially formulated non-sudsing dishwasher detergent, performance can be severely affected by the use of improper detergents in he detergent low water washing machines.

HE detergents can readily be found where regular laundry soap is sold - look for the 'HE' symbol the next time you shop. There is no difference in price (or shouldn't be) for this particular type of detergent, nor is there any reduction in loads per container. Buying in bulk can reap savings and ensure you have it on hand for all your washings.

Using proper HE detergent for your high-efficiency low water washer will enable your laundry appliance to perform as it should.

As I understand it, the HE products are less sudsy. The HE washers use less water, so they have to have detergent that can rinse out with less water and not leave a soap residue. I was temped to just use the regular products until I heard from a friend who used the non-HE soap and had problems with her washer because of it, so it's probably not worth the risk.

Although we have never had a problem with odors in our front load washer (and my husband is a carpenter with some pretty smelly loads to wash), I have only a couple of thoughts to add to what you have been told.

First, even buying Tide HE, which is somewhat more expensive, I spend far less on detergent than I did with the old washers and the regular detergents. It takes very little detergent for most of my loads to get very clean, because of the way these washers move water through the clothes rather than clothes through the water, like the oscillating machines. I have used this type washer for 10 years and find that I buy detergent 3 or 4 times a year rather than 12 or 13 times a year. Even at three times the price, the HE detergent is still more economical. Add to that the savings on water usage and on clothing. I have been totally impressed with how much longer my clothes last. For my everyday clothes, I always wash on delicate and use just a couple tablespoons of detergent. It really doesn't take much.

I find that I use far less fabric softener and whitening agents as well. I do use a bit more for my husband's work clothes. They are the only load I have to use warm water on and I add a completely natural antibacterial/antiviral low-sudsing cleaner to his loads to get the smells out of his clothes. It is the only household cleaner I use. It is made by Young Living Essential Oils and is called Thieves Household Cleaner. I dilute the cleaner in water and just spray a bit onto his clothes. It also works to add just a drop or two of the concentrated cleaner to the detergent. The reason it is called 'Thieves' is because it has a blend of essential oils that thieves use to soak their gloves in so they could lute the homes of plague victims without catching the plague. Ih hot weather the work clothes can really come home stinky. I will sometimes use the extra rinse cycle to get them cleaner.

Another thing I have noticed is how much longer my clothes last. The high sudsing detergents are not only harder on the washer, but are also much harsher on your clothes. The front load washer does not rub the clothes against each other so much, so they wear down less as well. Also, I find that even most tough stains eventually wash out in these washers. So, add the savings on clothes and the price of HE detergents does not seem so bad. You just have to look at the big picture.

Oh yes, I learned long ago that liquid laundry detergents are always kinder to both machines and clothes as well. I do not use any powdered detergents.

My mom has a HE washer and used regular detergent once (by accident) and it caused tons of extra suds...she had to rewash to get the soap and bubbles out. HE detergent must have a different formula.

i dont ever use the same brand on soaps with my appliances, i buy what's cheaper, or what i like most....your appliance may last longer if you use THAT product, but part of it is more reason to sell THEIR product. i've had the same washer AND drier for almost 10 years...not probs

HE = high efficiency. You do need to use HE products in HE washers. They sud less.

http://housewares.about.com/od/laundryappliances/f/hedete...

I just bought some Arm & Hammer Free HE and it was super cheap. Not all HE products are crazy expensive.

we were told when we bought ours that they use less water, so you have to use a low sudzy detergent - that is why you need to use HE types. I don't know if using non HE products would ruin the washer, but I know that your HE machine probably could not rinse all the soap out of your clothes.

The extra soap that the other products create will coat your washer and eventually cause problems. That is why it voids the warranty. They aren't good for your washer. The HE types have a different soap. It really bugged me at first to buy them, but I found out I can often use less and I'm just used to it now. I absolutely love how clean our clothes are and consider it worth it.

I don't leave my washer door open, but I do wipe out the water that is left in the rubber door frame and let it dry well before closing the door. I think that's why they start to smell - that standing water gets funky. I just use something from my last wash load and wipe it out then toss it into the dryer with the rest.

He is a different formula because He machines don't use nearly as much water as a top loader. Think about it this way, how much soap would be left on your dishes if you used full strength Dawn?

So you will end up with scratchy laundry, and it will mess up your machine and void the warranty.

You have some good answers; one side note is definitely keep the door open between washes or it gets smelly.