Laundry Machine vs Woodchips

[4x4American]

Hey y'all, anyone ever have any problems with woodchips in your lingerie machine? I am going to be running alot of woodchip covered clothes through my 25ish year old maytag and I'm wondering if it might be a problem for the machine, should I vacuum the chips off or can I just get ask much chips off as I can by hand and then run it or what's the standard procedure? I couldn't find a laundry machine forum so I decided the next best place to ask wood be here.
Thanks!
Doug

 

[Philbert]

When machines die, I autopsy them before they go out to the curb or recycling. Just one of those 'how do they work' and ' what went wrong' types of curiosities.

From tearing apart my old washing machines (top loader and front loader) a few thought come to mind:

- wood chips would float (right?), and probably not all get out of your clothes - some would settle back in on top.

- bigger chips would get strained out by the holes in the tub, and also not get out, or could get mixed in with the next load (un-happy wife if you are married or co-habitating).

- stuff that gets through the holes could still be hard on the pump that sends the wash water up that black hose and out to the drain.


Soooooo, . . . .

I think that you will be OK with fine sawdust - that's never been a problem with me. But if you are covered in chips, I think that it would be worthwhile to hold the clothes upside down and shake them out good, paying special attention to the pockets, etc.

JMHO

Philbert

 

[4x4American]

Thanks Philbert! Just what I needed to hear, whenever this old toploader maytag goes will for sure have to tear it down to get a better understanding of how it works.
Thanks for your sharing some of your brains!
Doug

 

[KenJax Tree]

Two words.....air hose

 

[Grouchy old man]

I would do whatever I could to keep that old Maytag running and happy. The new ones ain't worth a s***. They don't get your clothes clean and will last a few years at best.

 

[mdavlee]

I shake all my close out after I've been cutting before they go in the washer. The wife and little girl don't like wood chips in their clothes. The lint catcher will have some after they're dried.

 

[redoakneck]

Got me a brand new washing machine and the chips are all still in the thorn pants' pockets when done. They don't even come out in the dryer. Now my right sock is a different story. SWMBO makes me vacuum the socks.

Air Hose is right, blow everything out as much as possible, saws too.

 

[4x4American]

all good points, our warshing machine drains into a slop sink that then goes to a sump pump which pumps the water up about 8 foot. Hoping that the sump pump will be okay with it, we just had to replace it not long ago. We put a ladies stocking on the end of the drain pipe that drains into the slop sink and that seems to do a decent job catching junk

 

[timberland ts]

Always collects in the hoddies pocket not to bad on washer but rough on the dryer.

 

[woodchuck357]

Blower side of shop vac

does a good job of blowing chips out of pockets. My air hose blows stuff off the outside of clothes fine but has to much pressure to get sawdust and chips out of pockets. The small shop vac hose fits into a pocket and leaves room for the crud to come out with the air, opening down of course.:msp_biggrin:

 

[hammerlogging]

I've found saw chips while folding my wife's clothes more than once. Never had a problem with the machines, but I haven't really lived anywhere long enough to know!

 

[bert0168]

I've found saw chips while folding my wife's clothes more than once. Never had a problem with the machines, but I haven't really lived anywhere long enough to know!

This may belong in the WTF section.......:msp_biggrin:

 

[Rounder]

My wife made me undress and shake clothes well on the porch. I've gotten to the point now that I just take a pair of jeans and sweatshirt and change at the end of the day before I leave the job. Makes for a more comfortable drive home anyways. Less mess in the truck too.

 

[hammerlogging]

This may belong in the WTF section.......:msp_biggrin:

Welcome to the 21st century. Guess I cut enough timber to be able to be nice to women, children, minorities, and all the other nice people out there. Its a nice place to be, all are welcome.

 

[hammerlogging]

My wife made me undress and shake clothes well on the porch. I've gotten to the point now that I just take a pair of jeans and sweatshirt and change at the end of the day before I leave the job. Makes for a more comfortable drive home anyways. Less mess in the truck too.

summer time the change fo clothes is standard, especially for the improved drive home. Winter, chips in the house, oops.

 

[northmanlogging]

Fresh from the war department (aka the wifey...)

She says the chips mostly collect in the lint trap, and warshes my crusty clothes separate. She's planning on making fire starters out of the dryer lint...

Machining is almost as bad for getting chips in yer pockets, there just allot sharper, and tend to draw blood... but logging puts more in yer pockets, its a trade off... pitch, diesel, grease and wood chips, or coolant, grease, way oil and metal chips. Just depends on what day it is...:msp_rolleyes:

 

[Philbert]

.. pitch, diesel, grease and wood chips, or coolant, grease, way oil and metal chips. Just depends on what day it is...

Surprised she doesn't make you take 'em to the the laundromat! I spilled some gas on my gym shoes a few weeks back - tried to wash them with some other 'dirty' clothes and made them all stink! Don't want to think about diesel.

Philbert

 

[northmanlogging]

She just warshes the really bad stuff three or four times... I've gotten good about not spilling diesel on myself. Saw gas still gets everywhere, and the coolant from my straight job is water soluble, comes right out... grease on the other hand...

 

[Philbert]

I took a tour through a commercial laundry a while back - the kind that 'leases' uniforms to factory workers, auto mechanics, etc. It was amazing how they could take greasy, dirty, smelly work clothes, and even those rags (aka 'shop towels), and get them clean in just one cycle through their industrial washing machines.

I don't think that those industrial chemicals are available to us, but I know that they also were not allowed to dump any nasty solvent type cleaners down the sewers; it was all water based stuff..

Philbert

 

[OlympicYJ]

I try and shake em out and sometimes take the air gun to em, even so still see allot of saw chips in the lint screen on the dryer too. I pick all the grease blobs off my clothes otherwise strait to the washer with similar clothes. My dad's a retired mechanic and would run his coveralls through the parts washer to get heavy grease off before putting em in the regular wash.