I LOVE having the optional Pre-Wash. It's so freak'n handy.

I find it very important for all of the points you mentioned Mama.

Sometimes you have really dirty stuff and need to get the superficial dirt off before you start the actual wash. Why wash in filthy water?

One of the reasons I'm not happy with Electrolux is that they omitted the Pre-Wash option on the latest generation. I don't get it. Thank goodness the older generation has it (WaveTouch & IQTouch).

I don't know which washer I would buy right now since Electroux did away with the Pre-Wash option, maybe the next generation will have it back (along with Eco-Hot which I substitute for warm).

Hi MamaP

Always prewash doggystuff, our sheets due to dogs, kitchentowles, cleaningmops and rags, bathroomtowles sometimes.

I do it with either vanish or detegent, if very stained both. My miele does a cool prewash and all of the above in 140-200 f -60-95 C.

Prewash ... typically only on large, grungy loads of whites (which includes yardwork socks).

I do LOTS of prewashes! Filthy kids clothes(food and dirt stains) sheets and mattress pads that have "accidents" (my son still wets the bed sometimes), and my husbands sweaty gross workout clothing. Pre washes are a MUST for these types of clothes in my opinion!

I also do prewashes for filthy items such as microfiber cloths I used on my car. I'm disappointed many mainstream washers have done away with this cycle.

My dirty washes turn into prewashes but only because of you, MP0. Your reasoning got to me and now I do it. Ignorance was bliss.

I do soaks - gardening gloves. Bucket then sink then washer. My washer will do little bitty loads so prewashing isn't really a necessity very often.

I think you just don't have heavy soils Larsi because regardless of water temp or detergent if the wash water is heavily laden with soils some is going to remain in the clothes.

I prewash every load of dishtowels and cleaning rags. Sometimes I do a high water level rinse to act as a "flush", then prewash, then boil wash. Depends on how dirty my stuff is.

I do a prewash and sometimes add a rinse with dirty stuff especially microfiber. Tepid water with some kind of detergent. It might just be a small load and then fill with the rest of that type of load that wasn't as dirty and full wash and double rinse.

I have learned to love prewash! I use it almost all the time. Really helps with the dh's athletic gear.

I have no prewash on my Duet, but I like to use my extra rinse...drain/spin extra rinse, it gives me choice of all water temps this way, tumbles for 14 minutes, and uses more water. I frequently have prewashes, you know kids and a slob of a husband= some dirty clothes, and my kitchen towels always get a cool prewash in order for stains not to set, but because we use flour sacks as washable paper towels/napkins. I contribute the fact that these are snow white and stain free with no chlorine to the prewash, and of course the high temp main wash. Face cloths also get a prewash, but frankly I'm fed up with my beautiful white face cloths that are now a nasty dingy grey...I am convinced its from liquid bath soap as I never had this problem unless liquid bath soap was used. I never should have given into my 9 yo's pleas to use liquids. And a boil wash did not help, I am a failure in this laundry case...LOL...LOL

Lots of pre-washes right now as I am doing the gardening of my small condo complex. But my machine does not give cool water on a pre-wash, it gives whatever the machine is set for in the main wash. So pre-wash on warm which really will be cool if I haven't run the water for a while, stop machine before it refills for the wash and reset to super hot (140 F.). I get my garden gloves, my pants and shirts spotless. And before I read all about pre-washes here my garden clothes always looked like dirty garden clothes. Thank you all for sharing.

The prewash on my machine uses cold water and near the end of it the heater comes on to heat the water to about 100F, then the water is drained, a slight spin, and the wash begins. I use the prewash when washing white towels that have accidentally been stained with blood from my shaving sessions, and for heavily soiled whites. I use 1/4 of the total of the detergent I am going to use, for the prewash. Works extremely well for blood and heavy soil.

I didn't even know what prewash was or how to use it until I found this wonderful forum. Now, I use it on hubby's farm clothes.

I use a prewash on anything that is dirty beyond normal. There are just 2 of here, but we can still stir up lots of dirt.