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Fleece Can portable washing machines wash fleece?

peanny77

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Hello everyone,
I use fleece as bedding for my guinea pigs.I have to hand wash it,which takes about an hour and a half.Next year is going to be a VERY busy and important school year so I don’t think I could spend that much time to wash it.My parents also don’t want to see me “trapping myself in the bathroom” and hand wash all that “dirty stuff” and are going nuts.They won’t let me use the washing machine, “animals aren’t clean blah blah”.
I need to get another washing machine for them.I don’t have much money,so I can only afford a small portable washing machine,but I’m afraid that it can’t clean the fleece well,so I end up wasting my money and hand washing it again.Can I use it for fleece?If I can,which one below can I use?
 

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bpatters

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No clue here. They're not used much in the U.S.
 

Thunder

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You could see if they would let you wash it in one of those washable bags. I don’t know what they are called.
 

spy9doc

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They won’t let me use the washing machine, “animals aren’t clean blah blah”.

Every time I hear this, I think "what a silly argument". Did your Mom ever use cloth diapers on her children? Has no adult in your family every pooped or peed in their pants? If this happens, does she just throw away those clothes??

Cavies (guinea pigs) are just about the cleanest animals in ones household. They keep themselves clean, we keep their cage clean, and they don't go outdoors and pick up nasties from other people and animals. You brush the fleece prior to putting it in the washer, wash with something like All Free & Clear (no additives or scent), add a bit of bleach, and that will take care of most anything. After you do your load of piggy items, you should wipe out the washer, and perhaps then run it on a short cycle with detergent and bleach and there will be no problem with subsequent human laundry.

Now having said this, I confess that I rarely go through all the steps......and just about the only thing I find is the occasional piece of hay and rarely a little hair. My only caution is to not do a wash of dark clothes immediately after the piggy load or you may see some hair. I make it a point to wash towels, sheets, or other light colored clothes first.

I wouldn't waste my money on either of the items you show.
 

Kelsie

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You could see if they would let you wash it in one of those washable bags. I don’t know what they are called.

The bags you are referring to are called horse blanket washing bags. For the longest time you could only find them on Amazon and they were shipped from England. Now they are available in a few places. A website called Wheeky Pets has them and they do ship overseas. I have several of them and they do work very well. All of the hair is contained in the bag and after each use you can just shake them out.

I admit, I don't always use them. Like [MENTION=19714]spy9doc[/MENTION], I'm not concerned about the little bit of hair that might get into my washer. After I do my pig laundry I just run a load of white clothes with bleach. I think the clothes my husband wears while he is working in the yard are a lot dirtier than anything my pigs can do. Lol! I do realize though that same people are uneasy about washing fleece in their washers.
 

peanny77

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Every time I hear this, I think "what a silly argument". Did your Mom ever use cloth diapers on her children? Has no adult in your family every pooped or peed in their pants? If this happens, does she just throw away those clothes??
My mom have never used cloth diapers.And,you don’t know how many times I tried explaining this to my parents.But,they always say no. “That’s a complete waste of water and electricity,and the washer is still dirty!”.Now they’re complaining about my pigs’ existance,and when they see ONE of their poop on the floor,they shout at me.
 

MaiaBex

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My mom have never used cloth diapers.And,you don’t know how many times I tried explaining this to my parents.But,they always say no. “That’s a complete waste of water and electricity,and the washer is still dirty!”.Now they’re complaining about my pigs’ existance,and when they see ONE of their poop on the floor,they shout at me.

Even with having never used cloth diapers, I'm sure your mom had to deal with cleaning pee and poop off your clothes when you were a baby. Disposables aren't perfect, just disposable. I'm with [MENTION=19714]spy9doc[/MENTION] -- it's a silly argument that has more to do with personal preferences than it does logic. As both a mother and a cavy slave, I can guarantee... baby poop is MUCH more icky than guinea pig poop. Baby poop stinks, stains, and requires soap and water for thorough cleaning -- guinea pig poop doesn't stink or stain, and it can be cleaned up with a broom and dustpan. (And it's mostly contained, which is more than I can say for a toddler with a leaky diaper. I was soooo glad when my kids were finally potty trained...)

As for your original question of portable washing machines, I don't have any experience with them, so I can't say for sure. But just looking at the measurements listed for the one, I'd be worried that it's not big enough to handle large pieces of fleece like floor liners. It might be okay for potty pads and other small items; it is supposedly meant for washing clothes, after all. Maybe if there's one that is robust enough to handle jeans, it could handle floor liners. But like I said, with no experience, I can't say for sure.

You can try telling your mom that another mom says that washing guinea pig fleece is no worse on a washer than washing towels, sheets, and baby-pooped items. I don't know if it would help, but maybe the input of another adult (a lot of us, actually) would make a difference.
 

peanny77

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No,I don’t use liners,I use a blanket on top of puppy pads.I guess it can wash a fleece blanket.
 
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