I say they dont, she says they do. She wins so I'm currently pre washing them in a bucket of freezing water outside. Any comments?

"Any comments?"

put warm water in the bucket.

you're nto expecting to win this on logic are you?

I have to go through this rigmarole as well mate. Hope someone comes along to disprove this theory soon!

Isn't that a bit like cleaning/dusting before the Cleaner arrives?

I think though you ought to be posting on ineedabackbone.com

probably does. so what though?

tell her its only damaging your half.

or to get over it.

I take mine into the wet room/shower with me and chuck them on the floor when I shower, really not that hard to do and saves me buying a new washing machine every year.

Filling your washing machine with large amounts of grit and dirt is a great way to block the filter. It can also leave grit in the wahsing machine for the next load, which might not be a good thing if your washing anything delicate. Generally i flick/scrape most of the crud off or if its really bad, blast with a hose/rinse in shower.

Whats wrong with soaking them for a while to get all the main clumps of mud off?

Your superior knowledge is no match for her (any womans) puny intalect.

Mine just goes straight in.

My wife was bought up with the shite and mess associated with horses though, so she's not bothered a bit of mountain biking mud going through the washing machine. I've even had my spd shoes and camelbak in there.

I shower fully clothed

I cycle naked

We have an 8 year old Indesit washing machine, which wasn't expensive new. It's washed dirty MTB clothing at least once a week for it's entire life. It's also washed Camelbaks, muddy towels, shoes and rucksacs too.
Not once have we ever prewashed anything.

It's fine. Not the slightetst problem ever.

Stop worrying about it!!! 🙂

EDIT
Filter? What filter? Never touched it!

I've been using the same washing machine for filthy bike gear for 9 years now, with no apparent damage…

After yesterdays ride I had to rinse them off. The mud tends to clump together and block the waste pipe but also not all the little bits of crap get rinsed out in the fuirst wash so your second wash containing your tighty whiteys will have little bits of dirt and leaves on it.

never had a problem, but then its never been my washing machine so couldnt realy care. My parents somehow seem to detroy the things.

Simon – do you put it on a heavily soiled wash too?

Mrs Stumpy and I quote " have you washed your mucky bike kit in here without rinsing it outside in the -6 deg perma frost outside ?" now did I lie or did she see me ? " Why darling what seems to be the problem?" "Yes or no, answer the question" to which I reply " Errr No" " In that case then your white shirt, T shirts and white boxers must have always had grit,sand and mud marks on as part of a design feature" Doh !

Why are you having a discussion about cleaning with your wife? Just throw them on a heap on the floor. The only time you need to get involved in cleaning discussions is when she's not done it in time for your next ride.

(I say it doesn't damage the machine though). It all gets washed down the drain pipe and collects in the filter. Now when the filter needs cleaning out, *that* a mans job. Make sure you bring your entire toolkit with you and wear full overalls and big bobba boots. Spend a couple of hours looking inside the machine and sucking your teeth/shaking your head, drink about 4 cups of tea while you're doing it. When your wife has the audacity to question if you know what you're doing, give her a withering look and say it's a big job and she'll have to pay you in kind.

(I'm just going off what my wife says the plumbers always do at our house)

My local washing machine repair place's website:

http://www.muswell-hill.com/foxandco/pages/wmfaq.htm

Rinse off gritty mud.

The items to be avoided include rubber-backed bath mats, pillows, duvets, old rugs, anything thickly covered in gritty mud, curtains with the hooks on, anything that is so old that it is in danger of disintegrating and single heavy items that cannot be evenly spread around the drum.

I normally give my riding clothes and shoes a quick blast with the dirtworker to get the worst of the mud off before getting changed, then they're fine to go in the washing machine when I get home. Else give them a blast in the shower when you're home.

Simon – do you put it on a heavily soiled wash too?

No, just a normal wash

After Hit the North i dug my clothes out of the mud with a shovel.

Then put them in the washer.

I just rinse myself off with the hose whilst washing the bike, bit chilly I suppose but aslong as you wash the bike first it's not a problem

I do all the laundry, and the only thing I do is hose it down if it's really claggy, like PP I've never had an issue

I peel my dirty bike clothes off outside the back door (so I drop mud in the house), take 'em in the shower with me, thwen throw them in the wash. It's always me who cleans the filter anyway.

Damage the machine or not?!?!? It's. A. Washing. Machine. Go figure. 😀

It's always me who cleans the filter anyway.

there's a filter ??

I would worry more about your drains silting up over time.

I rinse the bike and myself off at the same time before i wash the clothes – I don't want my nice clothes or her nice undies covered in mud, GT 40 and the like . . . . . . otherwise the machine does get clogged up sadly 😉

If they’re only a bit dirty they go straight in, if my kit is very muddy I just peg it up on the washing line and leave it for the rain to rinse through for 24Hrs (normally if it’s muddy out there’s bound to be some rain along) or maybe break out the pressure washer they don’t need to be spotless just the major clumps gone…

My missus hasn’t got a clue about the washing machine anyway, she knows of it but seems unsure as to how it works or indeed what it actually does, I do a fair chunk of the washing, a bit of mud won’t kill it…

My missus hasn’t got a clue about the washing machine anyway

or at least that's what she pretends…

No she really is unaware, I can put anything I like in there and she'll assume I know what I'm doing and it's all OK, She's the one that leaves old tissues, Change and hair clips in pockets…

Isn't the more important question; "What damages the washing machine more, mountainbikers kit or ramblers kit?" 😉

We've had our washing machine since 1998, I wash my kit after every ride so that averages out at about 2 or 3 loads a week and I also have to fix the machine, I can honestly say that more damage has been caused by coins and hair clips than the good old Quantocks grit.

i had to take my waste hose off and flush it out wiht a hose pipe there was so much dirt lodged in it it started to overflow??? tell tale water under the machine on kitchen floor… oops! not popular. now once or twice a year i pull the machine out and do it again. better safe than sorry. anyway if i have to shell out on a new machine there is less for me to spend on bits for the bikes eh?

Did the washing machine come with a crown race?

I leave my muddy kit to dry, then brush it off with a stiff brush, then it goes in the washing machine reserved for the purpose in the garage.

What is this washing machine thing to which you are all referring. I leave all my dirty stuff in a corner and the next day it's clean in a drawer. I always assumed it worked this way for everyone.

Our 4 year old washing machine needed the visit of an 'expert' not so long ago because of dodgy grating sounds emanating from within the barrel somewhere.
I had been getting it in the neck for a while about not rinsing my bike gear beforehand and surely it was all the smeg off my garb that had created the problem.
Anyway, 'expert' sets upon the machine in a Graeme Obree styley only to pluck out a bra wire.

No complaints anymore here 😀

Take off outer layer before entering the house and drop in empty bucket.
Take said bucket indoors and fill with warm water then swish it around a bit.
Wring out and transfer to washing machine.
Job done.

I usually put my wetsuits (covered in sand) through the rinse of my washer. No probs. All my bike clothes go straight in. Have done for decades. The only parts that would really see wear would be the drain pump and that's a centrifugal type of pump, the wear on it would be next to negligible. Other parts will fail first due to wear and tear. Get on with it.