Gunk in the Washing Machine

Occasionally I’ve noticed a grey slime like deposit on some of the washing when it comes out the machine. Is there any treatment I can run through the machine to purge it?

hottest wash the machine will do with bio powder. mibbe twice if its bad.

Then do it once a month.

Our machine seems to collect that stuff in the seals around the door, its grim. I get blamed for the amount of scanky kit that goes through it! The boss says you can get stuff from homebase etc to clean it, must investigate that further…

It’s a consequence of using liquid detergents and low temperature washes. It might shift by just dong a big “boil” wash, or you can buy stuff to remove it.

Use white wine vinegar – pour about half a bottle in and use the rest on the rubbers etc then put it on a 90 wash. It ends up smelling nice and fresh.

This statement

It’s a consequence of using liquid detergents and low temperature washes

is very important in my marriage! ITS NOT MY STUFF CAUSING IT! Thank you Druidh…

It ends up smelling nice and fresh vinegary

Vinegar and bi carb soda. Stick it in the drum and run a boil wash (Kim and Aggy tip 😀 )

Dr Beckham’s I think It’s called. Or a boil wash with a little non bio powder.

has to be bio powder as it has a little bleach in it to kill of the gunk forming microbes

I just put a cap of bleach in on a boil wash every so often (with nothing actually in the machine).

Since using Halo Sport Wash to wash my riding kit the slime problem has gone (Halo kills fungi/moulds which I think it what the slime is).

After every use wipe around rubber door seal ensuring you remove excess water that collects at the bottom.

Every six weeks run a 60 degree wash without garments.

You can’t do a hot wash with bio. The hot water kills the bio bit. At least that’s what I was told.

The grey gunk is ok on toast

http://ariel.co.uk/faq/why_should_i_do_a_maintenance_wash.aspx

http://ariel.co.uk/faq/how_do_i_do_a_maintenance_wash.aspx

I used a proper cleaner from a supermarket and to be honest it was no different than putting on a 90degree empty wash

I do a boil wash with a couple of dishwasher tablets

soda crystals on boil wash

It’s a result of selling our waste water treatment process to Spanish companies. They offer a poor service and the discharge seeps back up your drain pipe and screws your washing up.

Ok, bio works with enzymes which are de-natured by over 40 degree temps. If there is bleach in a bio powder then it is simply the bleach (I’m surprised there’s bleach in bio) not the enzymes working.

I need to sort this out too. We got some of those Ecoballs which work fine until the stink of said grey sludge is exposed. Then your laundry smells of the sludge and not laundry products 😕 We’re back on the liquid.

It’s a consequence of using liquid detergents and low temperature washes.

When our machine died, geezer said it was because we had been using powder detergent on low temp washes, which meant that the powder hadn’t properly dissolved.

“It’s a consequence of using liquid detergents and low temperature washes.”

I lead and interesting life and did lots of googling on this. We had a new kitchen installed and were very concerned that the drainage pipes didnt have enough slope on them as the washing machine was smelling quite badly.

….anyhow from everything I read it said liquids make your machine smell, so we have changed to powder and it really has helped.

Also every so oftern clean the machine out by putting a dishwasher tablet in the powder draw thing, and one in the drum. It really does work! Clean as a bell and no smell.

never ever heard of doing a ‘cleaning’ wash… machine is 7 years old and doesn’t have any build up. we always use liquid non bio though (very very occasionally bio for greasy bike-work clothes) & it usually is on 30 or 40 deg wash…

I’m told it’s typically caused by a combination of using liquid detergents which don’t have bleach in them and low temperatures that don’t kill off the bugs and things.

We do a wash on the hottest setting – 90C I think – with a powder detergent every few weeks to clear out the thing, usually with any dishcloths/microfibre cloths or whatever else needs sterilizing in it so it’s not a total waste of detergent and electricity.

Also worth checking the detergent dispenser draw is clean – nasty things tend to grow in there.