new low water He washer not cleaning clothes well..

[sosurreal09]

We have had a it a few months and I am going nuts!

my detergent is the powdered fels naptha, borax, and washing soda. this doesn't come out of the clothes (still have soap allover them) and all my clothes are coming out dirty!

so I bought some arm and hammer He detergent at the store...Still all coming out dirty!

what the flyin? I had a regular washer before and my clothes came out clean with the home made stuff..I try to help the environment getting a low water washer and my clothes are dirty. DD's clothes come out with food still on them!  I never had any issues with this before, now I am re-washing clothes which I know is not good.

How do I resolve this?

[HappyMommy2]

I think you have to use the special laundry soap specially made for those kind of washers.  My mom got one, and hates it too.  Doesn't help the environment if you have to wash everything twice! ARgh!!

You might try using half the soap you usually do in order to use up the stuff you already have.  Good luck mama!

[stephanie95]

Do you have a window on your washer? Can you see the amount of suds while washing? That will help you know if you have too much detergent or not. I don't have a window on my front-load. 

Try using half of the recommended amount of detergent. It also helps to know if you have soft or hard water. I am using Nature Clean liquid detergent. The detergent mfg recommends about a tablespoon based on the line on the cap. I have very soft well water so I use a teaspoon and still have issues with getting it all rinsed out. When I use Tide I use the equivalent of a smear. Even their HE is too much for my washer to rinse.

[jillyofthevalley]

What brand is it?  My HE front loader works amazingly well and I use homemade laundry powder in it.  Are you trying to wash too full a load maybe?  Also, are you adding vinegar to the rinse cycle?

[homemademom]

I have one, too, but it works great. My first thought is that you're using too much soap. If you're using the same amount you used with the top loader, that's twice (or more) than you need.  If that's not the problem, I'd contact the store you bought it from.

[sosurreal09]

ok It IS a top loader it's a Kenmore low water washer He

I am using 1 tsp as oppose to 2 tbsp when I use the home made

The store bought one sucks too though and I am using the recommended amount of soap on the bottle.

the home made soap doesn't was out it's the fels naptha that is staying on the clothes, but even with the store bought soap the clothes are just not getting clean! any little "stain" like oatmeal on DD's shirt it will com out of the wash with oatmeal still on it even if I do a small load.

This washer is suppose to do larger loads than a normal one!

I have not tried vinegar yet.

[jillyofthevalley]

Mine is a Kenmore but is a front loader.  I have to use about 1/8 cup of my homemade soap powder for a full load.  The vinegar helps the soap residue rinse out of the clothes.  Maybe try using more soap and the vinegar rinse and if that doesn't work definitely contact Sears.  Either there's something wrong with your machine or the actual design is just not good.  Try checking online reviews on your machine and see if others have the same problem.

[Smithie]

I have a Kenmore front loader. I have found that commercially produced liquid detergent and tiny amounts of it are a must. I also use the "heavy duty" cycle and add in some Clorox 2 much more often than I would with old-fashioned top loading machine. But my clothes do get clean.

Buy some regular detergent and a booster such as Clorox 2 and try a cycle using every possible cleanliness enhancer - prewash, heavy duty, second rinse, etc. See if your clothes come clean. Then, work backwards to see what parts you can eliminate and still get clean clothes. 

[cristeen]

Our Kenmore HE machine is also supposedly a "large capacity" machine.  But I've learned not to treat it as such.  Paritcularly with my CDs.  One thing you might try - fill the machine with the normal amount of clothes, let it get through the fill cycle until it starts agitating.  Pause the machine and open it.  Stick your hand in there - how much water is there not contained by the clothing?  This is the problem I ran into - the dipes will absorb all the water leaving nothing to agitate with, and they come out dirty.  Without moving water, the dirt can't go anywhere and neither can the soap.  This would be the first thing I'd check.

I get around this one of two ways (with CDs) - smaller load or add water manually (with a bucket).  Wait until the fill cycle ends, open the door and dump in another 2-3 gallons of water.  It's a pain, but...  My alternative is washing dipes every day. 

[His Own]

Have you moved?  If so you may have harder water than at your old house.  This can make any laundry cleaner less effective.  At our new house I have to add citric acid powder or white vinegar to every load, and in every rinse to help counter this.