Korean Job Discussion Forums

[PeteJB]

Ok, so I have a problem with doing good laundry. To be frank I have little experience with doing the laundry and just throw everything in usually, but ofcourse I would do things more carefully if I knew how. While I can just about read the Korean on my washing machine, I don't know what kind of detergent is best, what I should or shouldn't use, what I shouldn't mix together, which spin and temperature settings to use, etc. First here is a run down of the options on my washing machine:

Default Settings:

표준/삶은 - Standard (Thorough)
절전/삶은 - Power Saving (Thorough)
합섬 - Whats this?
란제리 - Lingerie
울 - Wool
손세탁 - Hand Items (delicates)
급속 - Rapid Wash
이불 - Bedding
유아복 - Baby clothes

Advanced Settings:

추가선택 (Additional Options)

BIO세탁 - Bio!
불림 - Not sure here...
애벌세탁 - One time (Rinse?)
헹굼+탈수 - Rinse then Dry
탈수전용 - Exclusive Drying

헹굼 (Rinse Options)

강+배수멈춤 - High Heat, Drain and Stop
표준+배수멈춤 - Standard Rinse , Drain and Stop
온수헹굼 - Warm Water
강 - High Heat
표준 - Stanard Rinse

탈수 (Spin Options)

1200
1000
800
400
탈수안함 (Do not spin)

물온도 (Water Temp)

95
60
40
30
냉수 (Cold Water)

Whenever I do my washing, I can never get whites to really look white, and often my towels are very dry. Sometimes my clothes end up smelling with a sour laundry smell, and I have to wash them again. Though I suspect this has something to do with the drying process rather than the rinse. Normally I use all standard settings and put everything together (800 Spin, 40 Temp) with the liquid 피죤 stuff. Lately I've switched to powdered Oxyclean as I've heard it's good..

So, with the above settings, how can I do my laundry well? I know towels are meant to be done separately, but what options should I be aiming for when doing clothes and towels? Specifically, the type of rinse, speed and temperatures. [/i]

[peppermint]

Don't wash your darks and whites together- that should keep the whites brighter. If you're washing only whites, you could add a little bleach to the water as well (anything not white in that load will be afterwards though, especially if you add too much)

To get the towels soft, add a little fabric softener. I don't remember brands, but it will have a pic of a kid cuddling into something most likely and probably be in a pink or purple bottle.

The sour smell, means the clothes are taking too long to dry. Either you left them in the washer for too long before hanging them out, or the spin cycle on you've been using isn't long enough to remove most of the water. Try a longer one than whatever you've been choosing

Higher temps will increase your electric bill, and may cause colors to bleed, if you're still mixing the darks and lighter stuff. Oxyclean should be fine with a low temp setting

[earthbound14]

Well, every time I ask Koreans about the settings on the washing machine they just say push the button (the start button). Seems that's all most Koreans do. So I push the button. I don't worry about all the other settings, although running warm water is a good way to help get stains out.

1) I find the best thing to do is use detergent that doesn't have bleach or says something about colour safe on the package. Keep your clothes sorted, darks and lights, especially new red or black clothes (when washed for the first few times they will bleed on your other clothes!!!!). Keep bleach well away from the washing area. My mother always used bleach....but I refuse to use it. I have ruined too many clothes with bleach. If you have a stain, get at it as soon as possible, use hot water, rub detergent into it, wash by hand, then into the washer....if the stain still seems to be there after you've washed it, don't let it dry (the stain will set), wash it again. Bleach will put holes in you nice whiteys in no time too....For washing things by hand you can still buy bar soap in Korea, and all bathrooms are set up for hand washing in Korea (that's what that silly tap is for in most BRs). If you need to scrub it, get a brush (boot brushes do OK).

2) Get fabric softener. My clothes are always rinkly as poo here, so I always use fabric softener. I use Pigeon...they all seem the same to me. Put it in the little tray in the washer at the beginning of the wash cycle. When the laundry is done, pull it out ASAP, shake it out, stretch it, smooth it a little, whatever, then hang to dry. This usually keeps wrinkles to a minimum. Polyester clothes are great in Korea because they don't really stay wrinkled, they dry quickly and they are pretty good for being active (they dry quickly, will not retain moisture in the humid Korean weather a and they are can often be made to be very breathable and thin....so they feel cooler than cotton. The only problem with polyester is some types retain smell and sometimes stains easily)

3) get little mesh bags to protect your good clothes. Korean washing machines chew your clothes, so I put as many of my clothes as possible in those little mesh bags (2,000 won). I even put my t-shirts in them.

4)push the start button!!! Easy! Cold water is good for all clothes, it just doesn't get stains out as easily.

Wash wool sweaters by hand. I almost always try to wear underwear under wool sweaters and I rarely wash my wool clothes. Wool is fantastic, it doesn't retain smell, dries quickly and is a great insulator even when wet. One of the best materials for winter clothes ever. It just sucks to wash it. it tends to shrink and get all stretched out. When you wash wool it smells like a wet dog, this is actually a good thing, their are some natural oils on wool that protect it and help give it those great qualities, harsh detergent will strip this stuff away and is hard on the fibres. So I wash wool as little as possible, by hand, with little detergent, and set on the floor (flat) to dry. Sometimes I stretch them to the right shape (as they shrink a little when they are washed).

[PeteJB]

It's ok to use Pigeon and Oxyclean at the same time? But, can I put the Oxyclean in first or do I have to wait for the second intake?

[nolegirl]

Send it out

[Faunaki]

For whites - learned from my MIL:

1. Put white clothes in small metal pot, pour hot water over them (not much, just enough to cover them), add a bit of detergent. Let sit for a while (sometimes a day or too kkkk).
2. Get the do it yourself wash board and soap, put on some sandals, squat and adding more hot water, give the clothes a good soaping. For nasty stains, scrub the area hard.
3. Then rinse a lot. Like rice. Do it over and over again.
4. Now throw it in the laundry (cause you didn't rinse it properly).
4. Hang it up to dry (cause you rinsed it properly and all the stains are gone).

Time consuming and annoying but golly gee so white!

[crusher_of_heads]

Thanks-a really useful thread, and that's counting the adjosshis who are fluent in Korean and don't ahve a phrasebook

ps in a posedown between Faunaki's avatar and mine, who wins?

[Yaya]

Also wash your whites if you sweat in them, because if you don't, yellow stains will appear in the armpits and other areas.

[Faunaki]

[genezorm]

[Bigfeet]

Some good advice given on here. For color clothes, use warm water for washing and cold water for rinsing. For whites, use hot water for washing and cold water for rinsing.

I only wear white undies so I can wash the heck out of them. You can't do the same with color undies so don't buy any.

I also don't buy clothes that have special washing instructions.

[PeteJB]

When I asked my Korean friend if she has any tips for doing good laundry, she just responded '세탁기 돌리렴' - Which basically means 'spin the machine'

[earthbound14]

[NightSky]

[PeteJB]

Another friend of mine said she just pushes the option which is fastest and doesn't know what the options mean. I sometimes think if a foreigner studied Korean hard enough they'd learn how to utilize it better than a native

Alright, well I'll see how it goes. But doesn't Oxyclean have bleach in it? It says so on the bottle (표백).