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Is your water hard? If it is, and if you use a carbonate type non-phosphate detergent, you will most probably notice
limestone* deposits on your clothes and washer surfaces. The hardness of your water and your washing frequency
will determine how rapidly the limestone will build up. If your water is VERY HARD (11 or more grains) and if you
wash just a few loads a week, you may see limestone buildup in just a few months.
Effects on Clothes
Although limestone buildup
occurs more rapidly on cotton,
it will eventually affect various
fabrics in the following ways:
“
Gives a stiff, harsh, rough feel to
fabrics such as toweling.
● Causes colors to fade and become
dull
and dingy.
“
Causes graying of fabrics.
● Leaves a white, powdery
residue on dark-colored items.
“
Causes spot-fading of bright
colors as a result of direct contact
with detergent.
● Reduces wrinkle-resistance
of permanent press fabrics.
● Destroys effectiveness of
flame-
retardant finishes on cottons such
as children’s
sleepwear.
● Increases fabric wear because
of the scrubbing action between
limestone deposits on the fabrics
during washer agitation.
Effecb on Washer
“
Unsightly buildup on all washer surfaces exposed to
the wash solution.
● Mat-like, crusty formations caused by lint adhering
to the sticky limestone deposits.
● Increased service calls because of limestone deposits
in the pump, recirculation water hoses, filters and
other washer parts.
● Reduced useful life of washer.
Recommended Methods to Reduce
Limestone Buildup
● Use a powdered phosphate detergent or a liquid
detergent if these are available in your area.
G
Install a home water softener. This will significantly
reduce limestone buildup.
● Use a packaged non-precipitating water softener,
such as
Calgon
brand with phosphate.
Good Washing Practices May Delay Limestone Damage to Clothes
The following recommendations
will
temporarily
delay the effects of limestone on your clothes. These
are generally good washing practices and will give
better
soil
removal whether or not you have hard
water or use carbonate detergent.
s
Use hotter wash water, for example up to
150°F.
(65°C.)
for cottons. This also improves oily-soil
removal.
● If you wash in cooler water to save energy, use more
detergent to promote better washing. Also be sure to
use bleach on
bleachable
fabrics. Use hot water
whenever possible.
s
Add detergent and allow washer to fill and agitate
for three or four minutes to dissolve detergent before
adding clothes.
● Increase amount of detergent. See guide on next
page for recommended detergent amounts in relation
to water hardness.
● Increase use of bleaches, presoaks, packaged water
conditioners, prewash soil and stain removers to
help in removing stubborn soils and stains.
● Use greater care in sorting loads. Wash very dirty
loads separately and increase detergent to help keep
dirt from redepositing on less soiled items. Wash
delicate items separately to prevent damage from
heavy, sturdy clothes.
“
Wash smaller loads to increase cleaning action of
washer.
● Use fabric softener to counteract stiffness or
harshness in clothes.
(continued next page)
●
LIMESTONE–technically called CALCIUM CARBONATE–is caused by the
reaction of the calcium in the hard water with the sodium carbonate in the detergent.
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