What does “Intensive wash” mean?

Some housewives, especially older women, criticize automatic washing machines for allegedly not washing things well enough. However, in reality it turns out that they simply do not know how to handle their “home assistant”. Judge for yourself, it is impossible to achieve a positive washing result in all cases if you only use the quick wash program or similar. Sometimes you will have to run the intensive wash mode, which we will talk about today in as much detail as possible.

Program characteristics

Washing in intensive mode is considered by washing machine manufacturers as an exceptional measure designed to save very dirty laundry. It is assumed that the owner of an automatic washing machine will use this mode very rarely, only when it is necessary to wash cotton, linen or synthetic products with persistent, old stains.

The intensive washing mode involves running the program for a long time, from 2 to 4 hours, depending on the brand and model of the washing machine. During this time, the machine spends on average three times more water and electricity than if you washed in the quick wash mode. The intensive mode is a real test drive for both your washing machine and your laundry, since for 4 hours things spin in the drum, subjecting them to serious mechanical stress and high temperatures.

Washing in intensive mode takes place in boiling water, since the water is heated to a temperature of 90-95⁰WITH.

In order for washing in intensive mode to be as effective as possible, it is necessary that the washing drum is at least 1/4 full and at most 2/3 full. It is not worth leaving the drum almost empty or loading it to the maximum. It has been proven that in a drum that is packed to capacity, washing is 25% less efficient. How is the intensive washing program basically implemented, what stages does it consist of?

1. It all starts with pre-soaking, which can last 15-20 minutes.
2. Then wash slowly for about 20-30 minutes.
3. Then wash with intensive drum rotation for 30 minutes.
4. Then wash again slowly for about 30 minutes.
5. After intensive rinsing and finally spinning.

The time is indicated very approximately, since, as we have already noted, this program is implemented differently on different washing machines. It should be noted that before starting the intensive mode, you need to load the powder into the main wash compartment and into the pre-wash compartment. There should be at least 2 times more powder than you add for a quick wash.

When can it be used?

Frequent use of intensive washing mode leads to rapid breakdown of the washing machine. After all, when a “home assistant” works at the maximum of her capabilities, this does not lead to anything good. In particular, the heating element experiences enormous loads, which has to heat the water to 90-95⁰C, and then maintain the temperature. A pump that passes boiling water through itself, draining waste water. And the pressure switch, which also begins to work worse after frequent contact with hot water, etc.

The units of modern automatic washing machines are more adapted to intensive washing modes, since in such washers the water is cooled in the tank before draining, and only then pumped out by a pump.

Use this washing mode no more than once a month, having previously accumulated heavily soiled items from resistant fabrics, so that you can then wash them in one go. Under no circumstances should the intensive mode be used on delicate fabrics: silk, wool, cashmere, as well as on shoes and outerwear. If you mistakenly confuse the programs and choose intensive washing instead of gentle, you will have to say goodbye to these things forever.

Other popular modes

Everything is more or less clear with intensive washing, now let’s talk about other programs that are very popular among users. In this paragraph, we deliberately decided to talk specifically about the most popular modes, since who, if not people, are able to separate the “wheat from the chaff” by trial and error, determining the best algorithms for caring for laundry. What programs are we talking about?

• Quick 30, accelerated wash, quick wash. This is the same program, only its names may be different, but the essence does not change. The washing mode assumes that the algorithm including washing, rinsing and spinning is implemented in a very short time, about 30 minutes.
• Everyday washing. Also a fairly fast program, but much more intense. It allows you to wash fairly dirty items within 40 minutes, but delicate items cannot be washed in this mode.
• Delicate cycle or hand wash. This program provides the most gentle treatment of fabric, which allows you to wash silk, cashmere, organza and other capricious fabrics in this mode.
• Bio-care or biophase. This program is very effective against persistent contamination of biological origin. This program is launched when you need to remove stains from fruit juice, wine, blood and in other similar cases. Washing can take place both in cold water and in water heated to 40⁰WITH.

Here are the most popular washing modes, according to users. The conclusions were drawn based on the results of a survey conducted by our experts in 2015. The survey involved 200 respondents who used automatic washing machines. If you want to know about others functions and modes of the washing machine machine, read the corresponding publication posted on our website.

To summarize, we note that washing in intensive mode is a rather rarely used program. It allows you to wash very heavily soiled laundry, subjecting it to serious temperature and mechanical stress, so do not get carried away with this program, because it can really accelerate the wear of the laundry and parts of the washing machine.

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