washing felt filter socks in washing machine

What is your regimen for washing filter socks?
I have six socks and wash them all at once in the washing machine with hot water only. Air dry.
Should I be using bleach? If so, do I need to do an extra rinse?

 

i use bleach and extra rise when i do mine then air dry

 

I used to use the washing machine but it was causing the clothes afterwards to smell funny. So lately what I do is after I use them, I rinse them in the sink, then I soak them for a day or two in a bucket of bleach. Then, I pull them and rinse them thoroughly in the sink and let dry. This seems to get them just as clean as using the washer with only a little more work.

 

In addition to the washing with bleach, I let them dry then soaked them in a water/de-chlorinator solution. I guess I was paranoid! /DesktopModules/ActiveForums/themes/_default//emoticons/smile.gif

 

You have to be careful not to use just any de chlorinator as it could make your skimmer go CRAZY

 

I soak them in bleach/water (1:3 ratio) until they are ready to wash. The chlorine in the bleach really eats most of the detritus in this step. They come out of the bleach water pretty white. Then turn them inside out, and wash them in the wash machine with bleach. After they come out, I soak them in a bucket of tap water with Amquel using the Amquel at about 5x the prescribed dosage. After this step, all odor of bleach is gone and they are really clean. Next, I turn them right-side out, and then I air dry all of them on a single bungee cord suspended from the ceiling with a bucket under it.

I know this sounds like a lot of steps, but honestly, it's less work then when I was manually rinsing them and they come out *much* cleaner, and using bleach when washing them in the wash machine will prevent other laundry from getting an odor.

--AJ

 

I learned quickly from Kirk at CC that bleached items are perfectly safe once the items are dry. The chlorine evaporates and leaves nothing behind. That is how they clean everything at the school and have never had any incidents where something was killed. Also, bleach can be rinsed out as it does not leave a residue that can harm, but it is always better to let it dry and evaporate anything that might be left.

 

I've never heard that before...good to know.  I started the Amquel soak because of the bleach odor after they were dry.
One other thing that I've also been careful of is to make sure to use the cheap bleach that doesn't have any of the stuff to make it smell better or other additives.
--AJ

 

you think the amquel step is necessary?

shouldn't andy be chirping in here scientifically explaining the characteristics of chlorine in terms of dissipation in water, air, half-life etc.? Ha ha I am joking but really, I hope he has something to say on the matter.

 

http://factsaboutbleach.com/bleach_and_the_environment.html

Here is an interesting link. Looks like bleach begins and ends its life cycle as salt so all that should remain when dry is salt. Just like tap water, if let sit long enough, the chlorine will completely evaporate. I know this is why you have to continue to add chlorine to pools and hot tubs.

 

I know the amquel step is not needed as long as you let the items completely dry and or rinse them off thoroughly.  Like plastic buckets and jugs only need to be rinsed off as the bleach can be easily washed away.

 

I only did it because of the odor.  Doesn't sound like it's necessary.  My routine is one that I developed myself, not one that I read about online...and I used Amquel because I had a gallon of it left from my freshwater days.
--AJ

 

And please by no means think I am trying to be an expert. I am simply telling what works for me and what Kirk (who I consider to be a professional) has told me.

 

My Tank used 2 filter socks at a time so I had6 bags in a cycle.
2 in the tank, 4 in process or cleaning.
Once I had 4 dirty bags I turned them inside out, rinsed them and then washed in the machine with bleach.
I then hung them in my fish room to dry....It was widely posted in the chemistry forum of RC that fully air drying will completely rid the socks of all traces of bleach.

Worked well for me for a lot of years...

eins

 

I just wash with water no soap, no bleach.

 

I have about 20 4" socks, (2 in use at a time) Out of the sump I turn them inside out, give them a quick rinse and into a bucket until washing. In the washer on whitest whites with a double rinse, add 1 cup bleach to the bleach reservoir and 1 cup a amquel+ in the fabric softener slot. Their pretty much dry after the spin cycle and air dried the rest of the way until use.

 

Aren't any of you that wash these in the washer, worried about residue from soap left in the washing machine being left in the socks when you wash them.

 

i was also wondering that same thing

 

I should say that I spray mine out in the sink, soak it in a shoe box size tube for a day or two with a cap full of bleach, then rinse it again and let it air dry completely.change mine every 4 to 5 days.