Patent ID: 8136189

Claim:
A method for controlling a washing operation of a washing machine, comprising: selecting one of an infant clothes-oriented washing program or a regular washing program based on kinds of laundry to be washed; selecting an operating mode from a plurality of operating modes of the infant clothes-oriented washing program when the infant clothes-oriented washing program is selected; and performing a washing operation corresponding to the selected operating mode, comprising controlling an operating rate of a motor and a washing temperature of the washing operation based on the selected operating mode of the infant clothes-oriented washing program, wherein selecting an operating mode from a plurality of operating modes of the infant clothes-oriented washing program comprises selecting at least one of a first operating mode that removes protein contaminants from items to be washed, a second operating mode that sterilizes and disinfects items to be washed and prevents damage to the items to be washed, or a third operating mode that increases a sterilizing effect on cotton based items to be washed.