Has anyone figured out any tricks for getting their saddle pads clean when using a top load washer?
I can’t seem to get my saddle pads as clean at home like I can when I take them to the laundry mat. I blame the HE, low water settings it has.
I find they get cleaner if I put the water on Super Plus large load fill even for one or two pads. Hot wash.
I also vacuum the hair off first. And if there is caked on dirt, I will let the pads soak for a while, an hour or even longer if I forget 
in the hot first wash water.
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Does your machine offer a pre-soak option?
I wish I could find a laundromat that allowed the washing of horse/pet items. There are none in my part of the world.
I soak just by leaving the lid of the washing machine open. It fills but won’t start rotating until the lid is closed.
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Bleach.
Pretreatment of the hard dirt by spraying and letting it sit on the pad for an hour or even longer, before washing. I use Spray And Wash, Shout, for good results. I also double rinse with plain water to make sure all the soap is gone. Sores up some horses skin if any soap residue is still in the fabric.
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Bleach used sparingly on white pads.
I do two or three pads at a time (depending on thickness) but with the washer on largest setting. Use hot water. Mix in oxyclean before putting in blankets. Agitate for a minute or two, then let them soak for at least a couple of hours. Then add detergent and turn the washer back on. The I run them through another full wash cycle or two with just water. My pads come out quite clean. (Though they stink pretty bad while soaking.)
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By allow, do you mean sculk in wearing dark sunglasses and hope no one notices?? :o
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Laugh.
I am clearly too much of a rule follower. If there is a sign that says no horse/pet laundry I believe them.
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If you can head towards an urban area, they won’t even know what horse laundry is.
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True that. When I was living in a major city I skulked in with fleece pads, and a woman looked at me wisely and said, “I know what those are”. I thought “Snagged!” until she followed up with “You have a bedridden invalid at home, right?”
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My 18 yr old top loading washer does fine with pads if I let it soak them first. Then I do the heavy duty wash cycle & they come out clean. If there is any hair left on them, I air fluff them in the dryer (which I bought for $60 & had been in a garage fire, so I clearly do not have fancy or specialized appliances lol) for 5 mins & it’s gone.
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Also one plus of doing your saddle pads at home is you can do them more frequently and they don’t get so filthy and are easier to wash.
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If you’re on a well your water chemistry may be different.
I have a big, top load, agitatorless machine. I always have to use the soak function and wash them twice. After the first wash, there is always still dirt in between the creases and folds formed from how the saddle pad was positioned in the washing machine.
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with out top loader, I have to put the pads in dirty side out, put in oxy clean, detergent and then hit pre soak option and make sure to add extra water. That does decent job on ours.
I use a curry brush to get as much of the hair off as I can and then put in the dryer for about 10 minutes after washing to get remaining hair off.
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:lol::lol::lol::lol::lol:
I’m jealous of those who have a pre-soak or large load option 
My new washer doesn’t have that and I’m kicking myself for not thinking of those options when I bought my new washer 4 years ago.
My laundromat has a sign that says horse blankets are not allowed, but I tell myself that these are saddle pads are not blankets and I get as much of the horse hair off as I can so I don’t ruin it for everyone else
try just leaving the lid open. The machine shouldn’t start until you close it.
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