what clothing cannot be washed in an old top-loading washer?

The laundry rooms in our apartment complex have been retrofitted. There are now mostly front-loading machines that use very little HE liquid detergent and cannot run on powder detergent.

They left two old top-loading machines that can be used with powder detergent.

I do realize the HE detergent is economical, but for one reason or another, I have accumulated enough powder Tide and powder Oxy-clean (sp?) to last an eternity. I need to burn through the powder Tide. I have no money to waste atm.

I am thinking that at the very least, bed sheets (cotton) and towels can go into the top-loading machine. I do not wear jeans. I wear skirts, dresses, and yoga pants. Most of them require cold cycle. But do they require front-loading washers?

Also, I have a few of those net bags, some with zippers, some with strings. If I put blouses that have buttons, or tank tops that have spaghetti straps into those bags and close them securely, can I put them into the top loading machine?

Another thing is that the new front loading washers only have a 23 min cycle. They do not allow an extra rinse cycle. Can clothes be washed so efficiently in just 23 mins?

There is an officially declared state of drought in California, so maybe the change is due to that...

I think pretty much any machine-washable clothes can be washed in a top-loading washer, as long as it has a cold or a gentle setting. Just check the labels on your clothes. I've used mesh bags in top-loading machines with no problems too.

My old apartment complex had the high-efficiency washers. I can't remember exactly how long the cycles were, somewhere between 20 and 25 minutes, and I never had problems with my clothes not getting clean. I mean, I wasn't covered in mud or anything, but they always got my stinky workout clothes sufficiently un-stinky.

stinky workout clothes are the best test ever!

There is also a HE detergent that comes as a powder, but your issue is really how to use up your "life time supply" of conventional detergent. I do not think that there is really any clothing you cannot wash in a conventional top load machine as long as you use the correct settings.

It is true that HE machines require HE detergent. Conventional detergent willover suds and make a total mess and could wreck the machine

That is exactly right. I have a lifetime supply that I do not want to waste. I will look at the settings of the top-loader because until now I have not had a chance (or a need) to do that.

I have a top loading washer - I wash everything in it. I use the handwash setting for dry clean only stuff.

I will check if the machines have that setting. I do not like spending money on dry cleaning, either.

When I grew up we washed everything in top loading machines because that is all we had. We put bras in the mesh bags to protect them, but nothing else was needed to be put in those bags.

I dont believe there is a difference...

I have tank tops I will put the way I would put bras - the spaghetti straps can otherwise get caught around this vertical thing in the top-loading washer. Other than that, I also do not see the reason for the bags if not to put bras inside.

I have a top loading washer...I wash everything in it. I wash sweaters (and bras and tank tops) on the gentle in the bags you mention. That seems work well.

hmnnnnnn... if it says "dry clean only".... rofllllllll

I just did a load of towels and they came out just great.

Now waiting for a load of lingerie to finish.