washing machines that 'filter' dirty water throughout the wash?

[andyr12345]

I wonder if anyone does (and if not why don't they in this day and age?) a washing machine that in the wash cycle will 'filter' the water during the wash cycle? - I mean when you come to think of it for 20minutes or so your washing is washing in dirty water all that time. 

I would imagine that all you need is a recirculating pump (which a lot of machines have these days anyway) and then take the dirty water away from the bottom of the drum and then through some kind of filter or filtration system to trap dirt and grit out of the water, and then through the recirculation pump and then pump the clean water (or be it clean water with detergent back in through the top of the drum , so the clothes are not washing in their own dirt .

again , on the rinse cycle, instead of rinsing in dirty or soapy water, take it though a filter so the water that is extracted from the bottom of the machine is filtered then pumped back at the top of the machine filtered and clean , so it rinses in clean fresh water. 

Just a thought.

 

[Whitegoodshelp (Andy)]

Hi Andy. Your brain never stops working does it 🙂 Another interesting thought, but I think that the dirt particles would be very small and require such a small filter that it would not be practical. It would probably need a filter that would take a while for the water to run through. The filter would also need replacing very regularly.

[andyr12345]

17 minutes ago, Whitegoodshelp (Andy) said:

Hi Andy. Your brain never stops working does it 🙂 Another interesting thought, but I think that the dirt particles would be very small and require such a small filter that it would not be practical. It would probably need a filter that would take a while for the water to run through. The filter would also need replacing very regularly.

Could be like a filter on a cartridge type that slots into the machine before every wash and be like those filters you get in coffee makers then after wash pull out the cartridge and throw the filter away . Then again could be too much faffing about for some , although you have to remove the lint from the lint filter on a tumble dryer every time and people do that. 

Or some filter granules you pour into a machine compartment that goes into the cleaning generator and then at the end of the wash flushes the dirty granules down the waste pipe automatically. 

Yeah my mind is always running away with me mate lol 

 

[Whitegoodshelp (Andy)]

Hi Andy. I hope washing machine manufacturers don't see this and get inspired for another money making venture. Imagine how much extra money they could make selling us all replacement filters for the rest of our lives 😂

My understanding of the way it works is that all of the dirt gets attached to the particles in the detergent. So although the dirt is in the water, it is captured by the detergent. Then when the detergent is rinsed away it takes the dirt with it. 

That's why it's so important to use the correct amount of detergent. When people don't use enough, there is more  dirt particles swilling about than detergent available to attach to it. This causes a lot of the dirt and grime removed from laundry to either re-attach, or to deposit and build up inside the washing machine.   

[andyr12345]

8 minutes ago, Whitegoodshelp (Andy) said:

Hi Andy. I hope washing machine manufacturers don't see this and get inspired for another money making venture. Imagine how much extra money they could make selling us all replacement filters for the rest of our lives 😂

My understanding of the way it works is that all of the dirt gets attached to the particles in the detergent. So although the dirt is in the water, it is captured by the detergent. Then when the detergent is rinsed away it takes the dirt with it. 

That's why it's so important to use the correct amount of detergent. When people don't use enough, there is more  dirt particles swilling about than detergent available to attach to it. This causes a lot of the dirt and grime removed from laundry to either re-attach, or to deposit and build up inside the washing machine.   

Ah right so that's the way it works is it the dirt attaches itself to the detergent rather than the detergent 'dissolving' the dirt and then pumped away before rinse and during rinse?
didn't realise it worked in that way that the dirt attached itself to the soap detergent like a magnet

Edited June 24, 2022 by andyr12345

[Whitegoodshelp (Andy)]

That's my understanding Andy. The detergent attaches to the dirt and holds onto it. That's why it all works well despite the dirt still being present as long as there's the right amount of detergent. It's also why on the packet it always says you need more detergent the dirtier the laundry is. 

The detergent needs to adequately soften the water and attach to the dirt. Cutting down on the quantity of detergent to save money can ultimately prove quite counter productive.  

[Whitegoodshelp (Andy)]

I just found this in an old Persil detergent hand book, which talks about how detergent softens the water, and how if you use the correct amount you don't need to add any other product. 

 

[andyr12345]

2 hours ago, Whitegoodshelp (Andy) said:

I just found this in an old Persil detergent hand book, which talks about how detergent softens the water, and how if you use the correct amount you don't need to add any other product. 

 

blimey how old was that!  - and do they still put it in these days thats the thing ?

I would have thought softer water , huge amount of more bubbles, huge amount of bubbles then suds lock on an automatic, thats why these days the detergent id low suds ... to which some people think , thats not producing enough suds I will put in some more powder / liquid 

[andyr12345]

I have just took a photo of our arial powder and arial liquid ingredient's , I am not a scientist so it means nothing to me ... but I am predicting no water softeners or limescale removers in the ingredient's there?





A

Also the washing action is to 'scrub' clothes to get them clean ... how can you scrub them clean if they are washing in soft water?

 

[Whitegoodshelp (Andy)]

32 minutes ago, andyr12345 said:

I would have thought softer water , huge amount of more bubbles, huge amount of bubbles then suds lock on an automatic,

That's why you use different amounts of detergent for different levels of water hardness. If you use too much in a soft water area you may get too many soap suds, and if you don't use enough in a hard water area you'll get poor wash results and a build up of limescale inside washing machine. 

[Whitegoodshelp (Andy)]

20 minutes ago, andyr12345 said:

 

I have just took a photo of our arial powder and arial liquid ingredient's , I am not a scientist so it means nothing to me ... but I am predicting no water softeners or limescale removers in the ingredient's there?

 

It will be the surfactants no? Breaking down the surface tension in the water. 

[Whitegoodshelp (Andy)]

22 minutes ago, andyr12345 said:

Also the washing action is to 'scrub' clothes to get them clean ... how can you scrub them clean if they are washing in soft water?

The scrubbing is done by the laundry all rubbing against each other as the drum turns back and forth and they are lifted up and dropped down.

 Just like people used to bash laundry about in rivers. That's why washing items on their own isn't as effective. And putting too many in the drum causes them to all turn around in one big mass, and stops them rubbing against each other reducing wash efficiency.