High performance washing system for a horizontal axis washer

An apparatus for laundering fabric items comprising:

• a wash tub for receiving a wash liquid;
• a rotatable wash basket having a peripheral wall disposed within said wash tub, said fabric items being disposed in said wash basket;
• means for introducing wash liquid to said wash tub;
• means for rotating said wash basket at a speed to effect tumbling of the fabric items within said wash basket;
• means for recirculating said wash liquid onto said tumbling fabric items;
• means for controlling the quantity of wash liquid introduced to said wash tub in response to the quantity required for saturating said fabric items while tumbling said fabric items within said wash basket;
• means for mixing a predetermined amount of detergent with a predetermined quantity of said wash liquid for forming a wash liquor;
• and
• means for rotating said wash basket at a speed to effect more than one gravity centrifugal force on said fabric items such that said fabric items are retained against said peripheral wall for a first period of time while continuously passing said wash liquor through said fabric items.

A method of laundering fabric items in a washing apparatus including a perforate rotatable wash basket disposed within a wash tub, said wash basket having a peripheral wall defining a wash zone, means for rotating said wash basket about a horizontal axis, said method comprising the steps:

• introducing said fabric items into said wash basket;
• introducing wash liquid into said wash tub for saturating said fabric items with said wash liquid;
• extracting said wash liquid from said fabric items;
• mixing a predetermined amount of detergent with a determined portion of said extracted wash liquid for forming a wash liquor;
• rotating said wash basket at a speed to effect more than one gravity centrifugal force on said fabric items such that said fabric items are retained against said peripheral wall for a first period of time;
• and
• continuously passing said concentrated wash liquor through said fabric items.

A method of laundering fabric items in a washing apparatus including a perforate rotatable wash basket disposed within a wash tub, said wash basket having a peripheral wall defining a wash zone, means for rotating said wash basket about a horizontal axis, said method comprising the steps:

• introducing said fabric items into said wash basket;
• introducing wash liquid to said wash tub for saturating said fabric items;
• rotating said wash basket at a speed to effect tumbling of the fabric items within said wash basket;
• recirculating said wash liquid onto said tumbling fabric items;
• subsequently, combining a predetermined amount of detergent with a portion of said wash liquid for forming a wash liquor having a detergent concentration level within a predetermined range;
• and
• rotating said wash basket at a speed to maintain said fabric items against said peripheral wall and continuously passing said wash liquor through said fabric items for a first period of time.

An apparatus for laundering fabric items comprising:

• a wash tub for receiving a wash liquid;
• a rotatable wash basket having a peripheral wall disposed within said wash tub, said fabric items being disposed in said wash basket;
• a collection zone formed into said wash tub;
• a holding tank;
• a mixing tank;
• means for introducing an adequate quantity of wash liquid to said wash tub for saturating said fabric items;
• means for extracting said wash liquid from said fabric items into said collection zone;
• means for sending said extracted wash liquid from said collection zone to said holding tank;
• means for sending a portion of said wash liquid from said holding tank into said mixing tank along with a predetermined amount of detergent such that said portion of said wash liquid and said detergent form a wash liquor;
• means for sending said wash liquor from said mixing tank into said wash tub;
• and
• means for rotating said wash basket at a speed to effect more than one gravity centrifugal force on said fabric items such that said fabric items are retained against said peripheral wall for a first period of time while continuously passing said wash liquor from said collection zone through said fabric items.