Pre-wash in a Bosch washing machine

The ability to pre-wash items is available on almost all Bosch models. You can see a text or corresponding icon on the control panel. This is an additional program that can be connected to the main loop if necessary.

Despite the demand for this function, many housewives do not fully understand what happens to the laundry at this stage. Let's figure out why you need the pre-wash option in a Bosch washing machine. Let's talk about the advantages and disadvantages of the regime.

Similar to regular soaking

Housewives often equate this function to soaking. In reality this is a different procedure. Pre-washing replaces hand-washing clothes.

The mode should be started if the laundry is heavily soiled or there are complex stains on the fabric. For example, activating the option will be justified if the drum is loaded with a work uniform, a tablecloth soiled during a feast, or the pants of a child who fell into a puddle.

The purpose of prewash is not to remove stubborn stains, but to soften them so that the dirt can be washed away during the main cycle.

In fact, there is an effect from the regime, and it is very noticeable. Let's figure out how the machine works during the pre-wash.

What happens at this stage?

The option is compatible with almost all Bosch washing machine programs. It can be connected when cleaning synthetics, cotton items, jeans, shirts, and delicate fabrics. There are modes in which pre-treatment is a mandatory procedure, for example, “Cotton 90”. Here it is immediately added to the main stages of washing.

How does pre-wash work?

1. The machine takes in water and heats it up to 30°C. At this temperature, stains from grass, juices, cosmetics, and coffee are well soaked.
2. The detergent dissolves in water. The powder must be poured into a special compartment.
3. The drum begins to rotate smoothly, cleaning the fabric.
4. At the end, the waste liquid is drained and the machine begins the main wash.

Usually, when adding this mode to the cycle, the machine runs longer by 30-120 minutes. The duration of pre-treatment depends on the Bosch washing machine model.

When selecting a function, the powder should be poured into two compartments of the dispenser at once - for the main and pre-wash (it is indicated by the symbol “1”, “I” or “A”).

Launch Features

Starting a pre-wash cycle is not much different from turning on the washing machine as standard. The main difference is that you have to pour the powder into two compartments at once and press the button marked with the icon. It activates the function. The algorithm of actions will be as follows:

• put things in the drum;
• pour the powder into section “1”. It can also be denoted by the Roman numeral I or the letter A;
  
• add detergent to the main wash compartment. You can also add a stain-fighting mixture or oxygen bleach here (it is important that it is dry);
• set the desired cleaning program;
• turn on the pre-wash. On the electronic panel of Bosch machines there is either a corresponding inscription or a “basin with a stick” icon;
• wait until the machine finishes working;
• remove the laundry from the drum.

If you are worried that your appliance will “eat” the powder from both compartments during the pre-wash, check this. Stop the cycle after 20 minutes and see if the product is still in the cuvette.

An experiment will help you verify the effectiveness of the additional washing step. “Scroll” one batch of laundry on the standard mode, the second – by connecting pre-treatment. Judging by the reviews of housewives, things washed with the activated function are cleaned much better.

Features of using the function

The instructions will tell you how to correctly select and combine the options programmed in the washing machine’s memory. The manual describes all the subtleties of using the modes. If you read about the prewash function, you can find out the following:

• Only dry powders, stain removers and bleaches are allowed to be poured into the main cycle compartment. Do not pour gel into the compartment. The liquid will certainly flow through the pipes into the tank at the initial stage;
• The add-on is not compatible with express programs. If the option does not start, you are probably setting the quick wash mode;
• Only dry powder may be poured into the pre-cleaning section.

The manufacturer decided that it was not worth setting up the ability to connect the pre-wash option to express programs. Then the point of quick cleaning will simply disappear, because the cycle duration will double. Therefore, if things are heavily soiled, you will have to abandon the short one and choose a longer mode.

Advantages and disadvantages

Each option programmed into the washing machine has positive and negative sides. The pre-wash mode is absolutely safe and does not harm even the most delicate fabrics. Any product that can be washed in an automatic machine can be subjected to this procedure.

By adding a mode, washing efficiency increases. And that's a plus.Things washed first in thirty-degree water and then in warmer water become cleaner than with the standard cycle. By activating the function, you can be sure that all the dirt will be washed out of the fabric fibers and “run away” into the sewer.

The main disadvantage is the increased consumption of water and electricity. Typically, pre-wash lasts from half an hour to two hours, it all depends on the SMA model. During this time, the machine “eats” extra kilowatts and passes an additional ten liters of water through itself. Some housewives try to wash their clothes by hand for this very reason.

As for time, the situation is twofold. On the one hand, it takes longer to wait for the equipment to finish washing. On the other hand, the machine will do your work, and you can do other important and useful things.

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