Clothes washing method

The method of washing clothes in a vertical axis clothes washing machine having a wash fill, wash, spin extraction, rinse fill, rinse, and spin extraction operations including a tub, an agitator, a first basket within the tub, water control valves for feeding hot and cold water into the machine at a first flow rate, electrically powered drive means for operating the agitator to effect washing of the fabrics and for rotating the basket and agitator in unison to centrifugally extract water from the fabrics, communication means to allow water to flow from the basket into the tub, drain means to take water from the tub and direct it to an external drain during spin extraction, the improved method including:

• (a) placing a second basket within the first basket and positioned on the agitator for movement therewith;
• (b) placing fabrics to be washed in only the second basket;
• (c) continuously introducing fresh water from the water control valves for feeding hot and cold water into the second basket during the continuous washing and rinsing operation at a second flow rate less than the first flow rate;
• (d) flowing wash and rinse water through the second basket into the first basket at a rate sufficient to prevent a bath type washing and rinsing action in the second basket, and from the first basket into the tub;
• (e) oscillating the agitator and second basket with the agitator in unison during the continuous washing and rinsing of the fabrics in the second basket;
• (f) pumping water from the tub to an external drain during the continuous washing and rinsing operation;
• (g) stopping both the flow of water into the second basket and the oscillation of the agitator and second basket;
• and
• (h) spinning the basket to centrifugally extract water from the fabrics while pumping the water from the tub to an external drain.