Straight Talk About HE Washers and HE Wash Detergents

This may come as a surprise to you but I had never seen a "traditional" washing machine - with a stick-like agitator in the middle - until I moved to the US in my early 20’s. In fact I was kind of horrified of the fact that I had to peel my laundry off the sides and that my pants got all tangled with my shirts. I had so many clothes that I had to hand-wash because I was afraid of them getting ruined by the monstrous washing machine.

Ok, maybe I am exaggerating a little bit, but the day that I bought my first fancy-schmancy high-efficiency (HE), front-load washer was the day I understood why there are so many happy, smiling moms in the appliance commercials.  I have several reasons why I love my HE wash machine; clothes stay in better shape for longer, I don’t have to hand wash even delicate silk and cashmere, my kids' clothes get clean, and they're in good-enough shape to give them as hand-me-downs when they grow out of them. The HE washer makes my life easier.

But this is the most important thing of all: HE washers use 50% to 80% less energy and 20% to 66% less water, making it a more ecological choice. I knew all that and more about HE washers and I have been moving my LG washer with me around the country since I bought it. But what I didn’t know was the scientific facts about bubbles in washing detergents - specifically in the HE washing detergents.

I had an opportunity to meet with the Wisk bubble scientist last week to learn more about the bubbles in washing detergents. See – when you wash clothes with HE washers, you won’t see bubbles. I know – how fun is it to see your laundry through the window just bubbling away? But alas, that is the very reason why HE washers work so well: You need less soap and fewer bubbles – and your clothes get cleaner without the residue of the detergents. In fact HE detergent cleans better than regular detergent. If you or your kids have eczema, you understand what a huge deal it is to have truly clean laundry; clean of detergents!

Some other facts about HE detergents:

- You should only use HE detergent with HE washers. They are specially formulated to effectively clean and rinse your clothes with less water and fewer bubbles.

- More bubbles does not mean cleaner clothes.

- HE washers can have mold buildup, but by using HE detergents you prevent it; also run bleach or vinegar through your HE washer once a month to prevent mildew and mold buildup.

Wisk is running a  Bubbles and Bubbly Contest  that is currently running on LaundryHe.com. You can take the Bubble IQ quiz and enter to win your very own fabulous HE washer and dryer.  And because we now know that HE machines require HE detergent, they are also giving away five one-year supplies of Wisk HE detergent.