I have said it for years. My only addiction in the whole wide world is chocolate. Magnificent. Sweet. Cocoa. I try to sneak a little bit of chocolatey goodness into each day. I usually consider it a safe addiction, or at least I DID until this little run-in I had with an Andes chocolate…

The day started out no different than usual, I was following my tummy. I decided to pop an Andes mint chocolate into my sweater pocket for a little pick-me up treat for later on. Problem was I forgot about it until it was a little too late!! Let’s just say my day got busy!

Everything about this situation was unfortunate! Not only was my poor, delicate sweater’s pocket all gooey and gross with melted mint chocolate, but my craving was still not satisfied. I was TOTALLY looking forward to that piece of candy! Bummer.

As soon as I got home I changed out of my sweater for it to be washed… But how was I going to do that?

I felt like I was in a tricky situation… a predicament have you. Here I had my very delicate sweater that needed to be treated that way; delicately. But I also had an gosh-awful horrible brown chocolate stain to take out of that delicate sweater.

I thought about it for a few minutes and decided I couldn’t run the risk of ruining my sweater even further, so I was going to put my washer on a light and sensitive wash setting. Like a hand wash or delicate cycle.

But what were the differences in these two wash cycles? There had to be differences since there were two separate settings on my Whirlpool Duet Washer.  Why choose one over the other? Before I would have considered them the same cycle, but to my disbelief there are a few minor differences.

Happily, my machine answered my questions and concerns with the nifty “more information” button on my Whirlpool’s LCD Screen. It was just too easy, I didn’t have to pull out a manual or do research online! My washer tells me the exact settings right then and there! How handy is that?!

The difference between a Delicate and a Hand Wash:

Delicate: “Use this cycle to wash sheer fabrics, lingerie, or washable silk garments to protect the delicate fabrics from shrinking or wrinkling. This cycle combines low-speed tumbling and low speed spin for gentle fabric care, Because there is almost no spinning action, garments will contain a higher amount of water at the end of the cycle.”

*Items such as lingerie, bras, baby socks, clothing with strings, beads, etc.

The Standard Set Settings: 40 minutes of warm/cold temp, low speed spin, light soil level, and single rinse.

Hand wash: “Use this cycle to clean hand washable garments. (check the care label). This cycle feature gentle tumbling and low spin to provide optimum garment care. Similar to the way garments are hand washed in a sink the wash action of this cycle combines periods of low speed tumbling and soaking. Low speed spin reduce wrinkling.”

* Items with a tag stating “hand wash”

The Standard Set Settings: 30 minutes of cold/cold temp, low speed spin, light soil level, and single rinse.

Alright, so the big difference was the way that the cycles soaked and spun. So after scraping off the big chucks of dried chocolate, I decided to wash this garment with the delicate cycle. I’d just have to trust that this Whirlpool cycle would do the trick!

In it went.

Tip: Always make sure to check your garment tags for words like “hand wash” or “dry clean only” before you just throw them in your washing machine!

You wouldn’t want to shrink a shirt so bad that is could fit your 3 year old, or destroy your beautiful beaded shirt by putting it in the wrong load!

The delicate load finished and my washing machine sang it’s “finish tune” – a little song so I can tell that it’s done. When I went to check out my navy sweater… I found absolutely no chocolate in the pocket!! Sure enough, we were free and clear!

Of course before I transferred the delicate item into the dryer, I checked the tag again to see if it was safe for drying. It was safe on a low tumble, and of course the Whirlpool Duet Dryer has a setting just for that!

So there you have it. I still love my Whirlpool Duet after 3 months, because it helps me solve problems like this one!

Chocolate tried to ruin me, but I truly experienced saving grace thanks to my Whirlpool Duet Washer! Now I can try and forgive dangerous chocolate for it’s hazards and begin to rekindle our loving relationship.

( See my First Whirlpool Post and Second Whirlpool Post here)

Disclosure: I wrote this review while participating in a test-drive campaign by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Whirlpool and received a complimentary Whirlpool Duet washer and dryer to facilitate my review.