What do you consider would be the outcome of using a dishwasher cleaning pack in a washing machine?

Andy

Can't see it would cause any problems Andy, just don't try putting the dishes in there!

Dave.

Remember the start of the Steptoe and son film with the old man sat in the sink with the dirty dishes?

Andy

Yes I do Andy.

I'm surprised the web master is about to move a post at quarter past eleven on a Saturday night!

I seem to remember a discussion along this line before, modern detergents lacking the strong chemicals along with low temperature washes are leading to black mould issues in the machine again, and the lay of the house isn't happy!

Andy

It's like being sent to Coventry, only a lot more lonely!

Just clean out the filter than adding a foreign substance meant for another appliance.

I may be accused of washing machine abuse!

One of my daughters and her boyfriend went to Silverstone and got in on the Friday morning to camp the weekend having borrowed our camping gear. When it was returned for me to hose down I found the lads best Nike Air trainers covered in Silverstone mud along with the tent.

I have to own up to hosing the Silverstone mud off the trainers, then putting them through the washing machine along with my work clothes on a 60 degree wash, they looked really good afterwards, the machine seems OK as well!

Andy

As to the original question - assume it's because the machine started smelling, or you were experiencing black "greasy" bits on your clothes - or both?

This is caused by build-up of soap, from either fabric conditioner and/or use of washing liquids, in too large quantities, without regular cleaning.

To stop the build-up in the first place, put the machine on a 90 wash once every month or two, with nothing in it.

To get rid of it, many of the domestic appliance repairers use a little bleach and a hot wash.

BUT

You need to be very careful with the amount of bleach you use (absolute max a capful, but in some cases that might be too much), not necessarily because of the damage to the machine, but because it softens the water and makes things much more soapy. This is a much bigger problem here in places like the North West where we have very soft water in the first place. Too much, and the machine oozes soap suds from the soap drawer and overflow!

If the build-up in the machine is very bad, you might need a few goes at hot washes to get rid of all the soap.

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Eur Ing Graham Kenyon CEng MIET

Graham - I remember buying our first automatic washing machine (Hoover keymatic) and the pair of us sitting in front watching the foam gently filling the whole thing.
We didn't know you had to use special power, but it beat BW TV.

Almost as bad as when I watched the test transmissions on our new colour TV (I was on shift work at the time) and a film about the desert had me spellbound. I really got a shock when I opened the curtains and found it grey and wet outside.

Easily pleased, me!!

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Norman

Hi Andy,

Here's what I do. Vinegar and baking soda are pretty safe, unlike bleach which can be tricky, and they do the job well with little worry.

1. Set your washing machine to the largest load setting and then turn it on, allowing it to completely fill with hot water and begin to agitate.

2. Open the lid on the washing machine and add 3 to 4 cups of white vinegar and 1/2 to 1 cup of baking soda to the water. Allow it to agitate for a few minutes and then shut the machine off. Let the solution sit inside the machine for an hour or two.

3. Restart the washing machine and let it complete the wash cycle and fully drain. Shut off the machine again.

4. Remove the fabric softener dispenser and the bleach dispenser if your machine has one. Wash both of these with a 50/50 solution of hot water and white vinegar.

5. Use a clean rag, wet with the water and vinegar solution, to wipe the inside of the machine. Be sure to wipe all surfaces including the blades of the agitator, the top rim of the wash bucket and the lid of the machine. Put the fabric softener and bleach dispensers back into place.

6. Run the empty washing machine one more time using hot water.

Hope this helps!

Brenda
Link removed

Let me explain my point of view:

First, regarding my socks; I buy 4-8 socks pairs/ week. I'm not reusing them more than 3-4 times. I buy new ones.

Now, the same principle is applied to my laundry and washing machines by default. After few years (after the warranty is expired), I just sell it and buy another one, with warranty. The probability to broke it is higher as the time goes by. What then? Buy spare parts, pay someone to replace it, then how much time will it work, being repaired? It might look cheaper, but it's also possible to pay more on spare parts & repairs (not to mention the stress generated by our better side). I am doing the same with all my white goods, hope you'll see the benefits in this.

There is a specific washing machine cleaner on the market now, made by the same company as Stain Devils.
I haven't used it, but did notice it at the supermarket the other week.
Might have a crack at it at some point.

G00gle for "Dr. Beckmann Service-it"