Periodic
Shock Treatment Methods
These are the directions for the periodic shock
treatments sugessted by the machine manufacturers:
Chlorine treatment directions:
Add 1 to 2 cups of liquid bleach
to directly to the tub without any laundry in the tub. Run the longest, hottest cycle available on your machine.
Chlorine acts by “burning”
the cell walls of the mold or mildew. The cells rupture and they die. This method only affects the very top surface of the
mold or mildew build-up. It must be repeated as needed. It requires an extra, large, hot and empty load .
Baking
soda and vinegar treatment directions:
No, you don’t add them at the same time or you will
get the “foaming volcano” effect seen in so many elementary chemistry classes. But it could be entertaining!!!
Add 1 to 2 cups of baking soda
directly to the empty tub. Add the vinegar to the final rinse or softener dispenser without any laundry in the tub. Run the
longest, hottest cycle available on your machine.Baking soda will increase the pH (slightly caustic) and vinegar will decrease
the pH (slightly acidic). This may affect the growth of mold and mildew. Once again, this method only affects the very top
layers of the mold or mildew build-up. It must be repeated as needed. It requires an extra, large, hot and empty load
.
It has been suggested to me that the baking soda does not do much. It is the vinegar that does the cleaning.
However, it was also suggested that it will take at least 1 or 2 quarts of vinegar to be effective. This actually makes more
sense than the baking soda combination.
Commercial Products:
If the inexpensive methods do not work, there are other products that are said to work. Two
I know of are: Affresh made by Whirlpool (they recognize the problem) and Pure Washer from smellywasher.com. These are more
expensive than the basic methods.
Everyone
uses a different combination of detergent and softener. Everyone uses different amounts. All of the makes and models of machines
have different internal designs. So, no one method is the "correct"
method to control the odors.
Nu Fresh can be effective controlling odors if the other methods do not work for you.
So, why in the world am I giving you the basic treatment information
if it could cut into the sales of Nu Fresh?
Well, I am an ardent environmentalist. I want the new high efficiency
washing machines to be successful.
These HE machines drastically cut back
on water and electricity use. .
Besides, I think you will come around to Nu Fresh eventually. After you have to rewash a
few loads of clothes because the mold and mildew have come back before you got around to the next shock treatment . You may
be interested in continuously controlling the growth......
Nu Fresh
will get mold and mildew odors out of clothing or any other washable materials if the other methods have not been successful.