What does delicate washing in a washing machine mean and how to set it up yourself

When you have items made from thin fabrics in your wardrobe, you need to handle them with the utmost care. Assistance with care will be provided by modern washing machines equipped with delicate and hand wash modes, and models of household appliances with the ability to configure separate programs for silk and woolen fabrics.

  • Delicate washing mode - what is it?
  • Designations on different brands
  • Delicate fabrics
  • How to set up delicate mode yourself
  • Washing rules
  • Drying products
  • Proper ironing
  • Recommendations and videos

Delicate washing mode - what is it?

When choosing a gentle washing program, take into account the fabric’s ability to withstand high temperatures, spinning, friction, and twisting. These parameters are most relaxed for delicate products. In combination with a mild detergent, such measures protect the fabric from damage, make it more elastic, maintaining the shape and texture of things.

gentle mode

Gentle mode for SMA

The abundance of accessories, mixed fabrics, rich colors, the presence of sequins, beads, lace inserts and silk trims do not allow the product to be washed as usual. Just 20 years ago, only professional equipment or manual methods were suitable for these purposes. Nowadays, even the most capricious fabric can be easily cleaned by resorting to automatic washing.

Rules for using the washing machine

Tips on how to properly wash in an automatic machine will help you extend its life for many years. Here are some recommendations:


  1. It is best to install the unit on a flat floor and additionally put silicone covers on the legs. This procedure will allow her to remain motionless while spinning the laundry.

  2. After each use, it is necessary to dry the drum and rinse the compartment for powder and detergents.
  3. Cleaning the filter installed in the unit body from various debris will allow it to work without failures.
  4. Do not overload the machine, this will lead to excessive vibration and subsequent breakdown.
  5. Under no circumstances should you wash with low water pressure, this will lead to premature wear of parts.
  6. Regardless of the quality of tap water, experts recommend using an anti-scale agent during washing.

Compliance with all the described rules and recommendations will allow your assistant to work for as long as you want.

Designations on different brands

On clothing labels and household appliances, washing modes are marked with a basin icon indicating the temperature. The instructions for the unit must indicate symbols and symbols. The manufacturer sometimes simply divides the settings by type of fabric. Ready-made programs already include restrictions on heating, drum rotation speed and spin degree.

produces equipment with gentle and hand wash functions. The programs differ only in duration. According to the technology, the products are soaked without friction.

indicates gentle mode with the icon of a hand placed in a basin. An even more gentle hand wash option is indicated by a pen on the control panel. LG uses a skein of yarn to indicate the wash cycle for wool and silk.

Bosch machines use dresses and shirts as settings images. The butterfly symbol implies a delicate wash.

Are you unplugging your washing machine?

Oh yes! No

specializes in producing equipment with many options for setting up a gentle and efficient mode. Engineers believe that it is correct to divide the gentle circuit into different temperature ranges.

Electrolux offers its fans 3 types of possible basic settings in digital memory, and also allows you to change the initially selected temperature during the program.

Let's start the machine

Operating an LG washing machine is one of the simplest, because most of the models available on the Russian market are assembled in Russia. Therefore, all cars have Russified control panels. However, we list the procedure for starting the wash:

  1. load the laundry into the drum of the machine, according to the maximum load for this type of laundry;
  2. pour powder into the cuvette and add conditioner if necessary;
  3. plug the machine into the network;
  4. press the On button. on the panel;
  5. after the sound signal is heard, select the desired mode by turning the toggle switch clockwise;
  6. Click the Start button with a triangle drawn. Before starting the wash, you can separately select the spin speed, wash temperature and additional rinse.

For your information! If the machine is new and has not been washed in it, then you need to run the machine on a short cycle without laundry to wash off the dust and dirt inside the drum and check the operation of the equipment.

Delicate fabrics

Thin fabrics containing natural fibers are at risk of damage during washing due to the delicate structure of the threads.

Types of delicate fabrics:

  • silk and its derivatives (chiffon, viscose, organza, satin);
  • knitwear;
  • wool;
  • polyester;
  • nylon;
  • velvet.

Expert opinion

Irina. Housewife.

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If we are talking about knitwear or cotton in bright colors, then it is enough to lower the water temperature to 30 degrees and reduce the spin speed. The fabrics will not fade, the color and pattern are clear. For these textures, the main thing is to maintain the shape, so the water should be cool, detergents in the form of gels and gentle spinning without curling.

Products made of lace, perforated linen and cotton do not tolerate heavy foam and do not tolerate friction. For them, soaking in cold water is optimal. Such products respond best to hand washing or rinsing and spinning at low speeds.

Recently fashionable velvet wardrobe items should be washed at a temperature of 20 degrees, do not wring out and dry only after the bulk of the moisture has disappeared.

Silk fabric should not come into contact with water warmer than 30 degrees. Wet fibers are most vulnerable to damage. Therefore, chiffon, silk and viscose are carefully rinsed at no more than 400 rpm and dried without spinning. Stains are removed first using chlorine-free products.

Mode for fine matters

Washing mode for delicate fabrics

How to change the program during washing?

if at some point during the execution of the washing mode you want to change the conditions, then you need to completely reset the program of one mode and start another. After all, you can’t immediately switch from 95 degrees cotton to a delicate 30 degrees. So, if you are not satisfied with the selected mode, then you need to reset it first.

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How to set up delicate mode yourself

If the washing machine model does not provide a separate delicate program, then gentle washing is easy to install yourself:

  1. At the initial stage, they study the recommendations on the product label, pay attention to the temperature regime: if the recommended limit is up to 20 degrees, then we set the spin speed to the lowest level.
  2. Manually switch the water heating to minimum or remove it completely.
  3. Set low push-up speeds (up to 600). For fabrics that require special care, wash in cold water; steaming and tumble drying is strictly prohibited.
  4. An additional rinse will improve the quality in cold water.

After selecting these parameters, washing will take place in the delicate mode:

  1. With plenty of water, which will reduce the risk of friction damaging the delicate fibers.
  2. The low temperature will prevent the laundry from losing its brightness and shape.
  3. The rotation speed of the drum is minimal, so the accessories: rhinestones, sequins, rivets will not be damaged.
  4. Spinning at low speeds will be as gentle as possible, without twisting or pressure.

Are you using citric acid?

Oh yes! No

Helpful information

Tips that will be useful to all owners of an LG washing machine:

  1. To reduce the washing time in any mode, you need to reduce the water temperature and spin speed.
  2. To wash sports shoes, it is recommended to use the “Quick 30” program. The “Sportswear” option is not suitable for this purpose, as it involves keeping the sneakers in the water for too long, which can be detrimental to them.
  3. The timer can be turned on not only for modes, but also for certain stages, for example, spinning, draining or rinsing.

Washing rules

When following the rules for caring for delicate fabrics, pay attention to the choice of detergent. They use liquid gels, shampoos for wool, solutions for fabrics that require careful handling. The powder should not contain chlorine, additives of phosphates and enzymes should be excluded.

Wash items with chiffon elements, silk inserts, knitted fragments and lace underwear only in special bags made of mesh material to prevent any deformation.

Expert opinion

Irina. Housewife.

Ask a Question

The spin function can be turned off completely; this will not affect the quality of the wash, and delicate fabrics will retain their original appearance longer.

It is worth remembering that not all powders are equally soluble in cold water. Check this property in a small container:

  • take water at the temperature at which the mode is set;
  • add a teaspoon of powder per 1 liter of liquid;
  • stir lightly and leave for 20 minutes;
  • The granules should dissolve on their own in water without forming sediment or flakes.

delicate fabric

Delicate fabric

What other modes are there?

The Duvet program deserves a thumbs up. As the name suggests, it is suitable for bulky bedding. But it can also be used for other large things with fillers. In this mode you can wash a winter jacket, a sofa cover or a large sleeping blanket. You will have to wait exactly 90 minutes for things to be washed at a temperature of 40 degrees.

The silent program will help out when you need to wash at night. It also helps if someone is sleeping at home.

During its operation, not only noise, but also vibration is reduced to a minimum. However, this mode is not suitable for things with medium and heavy soiling. They need to be postponed until a more convenient moment.

The “Sportswear” option deserves attention. It will help you refresh your form after training in various sports. The program will also help with simple physical exercises. It provides excellent washing of membrane fabric. This option is also recommended for refreshing clothes after strenuous physical work in the fresh air.

Many people are interested in which mode to use for shoes. It’s worth considering here that even the best-quality sneakers can’t stand rough handling. Their washing temperature should be up to 40 degrees (ideally 30). The washing time should not exceed ½ hour, and therefore the “Fast 30” program is most often chosen. You will only need to additionally install the “no spin” option.

The “No Crease” mode is designed to simplify subsequent ironing of things. It is often used for shirts and T-shirts. Some items made of synthetics and mixed materials do not need to be ironed additionally; just hang them carefully on a hanger. But such a program will not cope with the processing of cotton and bed linen. As for the “Bubble Wash” mode, it involves removing dirt due to air bubbles, and at the same time increases the efficiency of using the powder.

Bubble treatment:

  • improves the quality of washing;
  • prevents damage to things;
  • cannot be carried out in hard water;
  • increases the price of the car.

“Bulky items” is a program for items that absorb a lot of water. The processing time will be no less than 1 hour and no more than 1 hour 55 minutes. The longest work time is typical for the Baby Clothes program; This type of washing is the most gentle and is of high quality. The laundry will be thoroughly rinsed. The water consumption will be very high; The total cycle duration will be approximately 140 minutes.

Drying products

The washing process without spin means that items will contain excess moisture after being unloaded from the machine drum. You can remove it by first drying it in a terry towel.

Woolen products are first dried on a horizontal surface, placing a dense, dry, lint-free cloth underneath. The item is straightened out, restoring its shape, avoiding creases. In the process of absorbing moisture, the lining is changed to dry.

Silk, viscose, chiffon blouses are dried without direct sunlight, in the open air. The product is transferred to a vertical position only after complete drying, choosing wide hangers for storage.

Do you wash by hand?

Oh yes! No

Proper ironing

When the ironing symbol is crossed out on the product label, it means that ironing of this type of fabric is prohibited. If we are talking about a thick woolen sweater, cashmere dress or coat, this does not pose a problem. But there are also thin blouses that do not tolerate contact with the iron. Only a steamer will help here.

ATTENTION: There are items whose design provides for a compressed effect. They are even washed by tying them in a knot. Ironing is also excluded for this category of products.

Thin fabrics of wool, silk, and viscose are ironed and steamed from the reverse side, carefully avoiding seams and fittings. The temperature regime is observed according to the instructions on the item’s label.

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