Patent ID: 7627920

Claim:
A method for operating a washing machine having a tub with a drum, rotatably mounted in the tub for rotation about a generally horizontal axis, and configured to hold a fabric load, and a liquid recirculation system configured to recirculate liquid from the tub to the drum, the method comprising: a pre-wash step comprising: recirculating a first volume of detergent solution sufficient to saturate the fabric load between the tub and the drum to wet the fabric load while still permitting recirculating, but without submerging a portion of the drum in the detergent solution; and rotating the drum about the horizontal axis; then a heating step comprising introducing steam into at least one of the tub and the drum to heat the saturated fabric load; and a washing step comprising: providing additional liquid to the tub to form a second volume of liquid greater than the first volume, and washing the fabric load in the second volume of liquid by tumbling the fabric load in the second volume of liquid.