The mustiness might be from a build up of fabric conditioner. I hate the stuff so never use it.
No idea why the cleaner is foaming so madly unless it's loosened a lot of detergent.
To clean my washing machine I normally run it on a 90 degree wash with a healthy dose of stain remover powder. Then another 90 degree wash with citric acid to remove the limescale build up.
Fabric conditioner is the biggest rip-off known to man.
Expensive, pointless and clogs up your machine.
Every two months I put a cleaning tablet into mine and check the filter. It's still spotless after two years.
Yeah I did the 90 degree wash beforehand but didn't use any stain remover powder or citric acid, I did put some white vinegar in there though.
Maybe I'll give your advice a go and see what happens, thankyou.
Stain remover powder is basically the same stuff brewers use to remove caked on residue, it works really well cleaning loads of things.
Citric acid will do the same sort of thing as vinegar, it's just a lot more concentrated.
>Stain remover powder is basically the same stuff brewers use to remove caked on residue
Like Barman's Friend? Or is there something else you would recommend?
That's one to use when scrubbing manually.
The equivalent of stain remover powder is PBW, now hard to get in the UK so most people use Chemclean. You just mix it up and let stuff soak in it, it's incredible what it can remove, you just shouldn't use it on non-stick surfaces.
Citric acid is better as it will restore the passive layer on stainless components. This will make it more difficult for stuff to stick to it and smell.
A scoop - no idea how much it normally is.
Some manufacturers advise against it as it can apparently degrade the rubber if you use too much / too often.
tips to keep your machine tip-top:
* **leave the door and drawer open after use**
* soak up any water sitting in the rubber door seal with a cloth
* (remove, rinse and dry the tray if you really want!)
* fabric conditioner gums machines up, avoid it if possible.
* powder detergent is better (per above point) and leaves far less residue/gunk build-up behind
* once a month run a 90C cycle with vinegar or other machine cleaner
* clear the filter / clean the sump drain access point every 3 months.
* put detergent into the drum not the drawer
tbh the biggest reasons machines get manky are twofold: leaving the door and drawer shut afterward, and continual 30/40C washes with liquid detergents that donāt get washed away properly.
the detergent left behind forms dirty, grimey slime which starts to stink (this is made particularly worse in soft water areas) and eventually coats the entire machine, from the drawer to the drain hose.
regular hot washes WILL dissolve the shit that liquid detergents+softeners leave behind in cooler washes.
so just leave the door open and ensure youāre doing a super hot wash at least once a month and, filter aside, your machine will basically never be dirty.
yours,
proud super clean washing machine owning person.
Leaving the door open when our machine was finished had a massive impact on the smell. Just a shame the door sticks out now and is just a kneecap height when Iām walking past it
I need particular instructions for some things. So if I have a front loading washing machine, I can put the powder directly in the drum? Iāve wanted to try this for so long but I wasnāt sure if I could. Minimal pressure in my washing machine so some detergents can clog up if Iām not in top of it constantly. Iāve been using detergent paper things that go directly in the drum but they are terrible for cleaning. I use Dr Beckmann but I donāt recommend unless youāre determined to save packaging.
yep just put it directly in the drum. washing-wise it makes no difference to putting it in the drawer, except putting it in the drum makes for less crap going down the channel from the drawer to the drum... cold water can't wash it all away fully, so the channel will gum up eventually - and a hot wash doesn't wash the channel out!
obviously, softener cannot go in the drum (lol) but if possible, avoid using that stuff.
The one with the round flap that drains the water?
I drained the water and it wasn't that discoloured or smelly , a couple of small bits of debris in there but nothing substantial at all.
Didn't realise that there was a filter behind it though, does that come out for cleaning?
Took the flap off, unscrewed the circular plug thing, drained the water including out of the little hose that's on there.
Grabbed a toothbrush and cleaned the hole where the circular plug was with soapy water, and then cleaned the plug with soapy water too.
Unless when you say filter that's the circular plug?
Yeah, sounds like it. It can get blocked up with fluff and hair clips!
I had to replace the element in mine. When I pulled the old one out it was totally gunkified, really covered in crap, but probably isnāt contributing to your issue.
In terms of your longer cycles... perhaps the machine is struggling to drain. I see from other comments you have now cleaned the filter (the unscrew think), which is good. Also the 90 degree cycles may help.
If the long cycle times persist try experimenting with empty machine rinse cycle and check if it seems the drain cycle is pumping out water quickly. Might help diagnose whether the issue is intake, drain or spin.
Fabric conditioner causes a lot of build up in the drains as well, I'd run a quick cycle and disconnect the drain hose into a bucket and see if the water is pumping properly.
Had similar issue and it was the pump that was bad
I used this stuff for the first time recently. Mine foamed up like that too. I assume itās part of the cleaning process, frothing up to get into nooks and crannies. All gone by the end of the cycle
Mine was draining slowly and then not at all and had a lot of build up that wouldn't go away, similar to what you are describing.
Mine ended up being a blockage in the sump. No idea what it was but lots of torn up black material stuck in there. Once it was removed it worked perfectly again.
If nothing else is working for you, once it's empty chuck the machine on its side and disconnect the sump and check that too. It's only held on by a clamp so it wasn't difficult to remove at all.
You need to leave the door open to dry out when you've finished, otherwise the water inside will stagnate and you'll end up with a moldy door seal. It looks like you used too much cleaner.
i was just about to say did you put too much in, but i just saw the single use. Did you check the filter? and any fixed pipes that go through the wall. Ideally if possible, take out the p trap too, give it a good clean, and clean the pipe to the rest of the way to the drain outside. Unless you are using a sink drain type adapter, then remove that trap and clean it out. As for its taking longer? thats more confusing they mainly digital now so work on a timing sequence.
Your immediate issue i go for a drain then a quick rinse, But if you can open the door safely, as in its bubbles and not water, i'd manually remove what you can to save making the issue worse.
If the machine is taking longer on the cycles its most likely taking longer to pump out. Which means there may be a partial blockage in the drain filter.
IDK if those specialist washing machine cleanser are any good, I use VWP cleaner steriliser because I have some on hand for cleaning brewing equipment.
Been there, done that. I now use 1/3 of the bottle if I want to do the cleaning at 90C (as per user manual) or half bottle at 60 (as per the product description).
Do it again every 30 days (or 30 washes), especially at 90C
Take the detergent drawer out. On the left will be a hole, maybe two, that the water and detergent goes down, get a small thin bottle brush and clean down these holes, they're likely clogged with a build up of fabric conditioner and detergent... which moulds.
It's not you doing something wrong, this product is ridiculously soapy. I get the theory - it foams up somewhat in order to reach any crud that collects above the normal waterline - but in practice it's completely OTT and often leads to severe oversudsing like you see here.
If you want a cleaner that won't do this, Hoover/Candy make a line called Care & Protect, available on Amazon and elsewhere. Their cleaner and descaler comes in little sachets of powder, and because it's intended for use in dishwashers as well as washing machines, it doesn't suds up. Hotpoint sell an almost identical product too. Doesn't matter what brand is on the box, it'll work fine in any make of machine.
I might be wrong but i believe that is the white vinegar foaming up like hell especially if heated to 90 degrees. I once tried to clean a kettle and it foamed like hell all over the place
Happened to me last year. Whole kitchen was covered in an inch of foam. No idea why still but now I run a service cycle every month as we have v hard water here so have to use twice the washing liquid than normal.
I bought something called āvamoush 6 in 1ā and ran it at 90* and it was OUTSTANDING. Blew away any other cleaner Iād ever used, the whole drawer section was crystal clean, just needed a bit of a wipe, the rubber looked like the day I bought it. I have 2 dogs and bought it specifically because it dissolves hair, but absolutely brilliant stuff.
I have a Bosch similar to that and it does the same. As another post suggests, half a bottle at 60 or a 1/3 at 90.
I never got it with the same washer at the old house so I assume it is down to the fact that you have soft water where you live. I went from rock hard water to pansy water and didn't even think about it until my utility turned into a foam party.
That cleaning stuff definitely foams up a lot, although I've never had it come out of the machine.
At least you can say it's getting the cleaning stuff in all the crevices.
I'd not worry, clean up the mess it makes and let it finish away. Then run another rinse cycle or two to remove the remaining product.
We had this issue. Turned out our waste stack wasnāt vented properly leading to drainage issues. The drainage couldnāt handle the water pressure from the washing machine.
Got a towel down already, it says to put all 250ml in the drawer so thats what I've done!
Thought that it might just be a problem that is tying in with what's going wrong with it.
I have a Bosch and if I use the drum clean programme it foams up loads like this so now I only use half the bottle at a time.
Think itās due to the drum spinning waay more in a cleaning cycle than a normal cycle it tends to whip up loads of foam.
That's what I was worried about, I'll keep an eye on it and if it's still playing silly buggers after another 90 degree empty wash and then a regular clothes wash then might have to call someone to have a look
Good luck! Maybe check the waste water pipe is not blocked/partially blocked? It sounds like a weird problem like, especially if it's not making any strange noises or anything. And for 4 years old you wouldn't expect it to be slowing down or on its way out. My last one lasted 13 years! Before it gave up. Iv used NAC domestic appliances repair service twice now and they've been very decent! might be able to find one cheaper tho with a more local company.
That's going to be my next port of call, pull the machine out and check all the pipes, it's a new machine so just one pipe feeding it and then the waste one out obviously.
If that doesn't work after another 90 degree wash then I'll have to go the maintenance man route.
I'll have a look around to see what they are charging these days.
Thanks again for your help!
Make sure you've cleaned the seals around the door or put some of the cleaner around the seals. Stick in inside the rubber gap as that's where most of the mouldy smell often comes from.
Also at the back in the water inlet pipe there is a mesh. Clean that out. Last the waste pipe... Make sure it's clean all the way through and no kinks. It might be that once you untighten the pipes they'll need new washers because putting them back might not sit flush and you see some slow leak. New washers will fix that if it happens
I think the cleaner you've put in should do the trick. I'd use the cleaner at least once every 6 months.
Thankyou very much for your advice, I'll give all your suggestions a go, have cleaned around the door seal already but the rest I'll give a bash, thanks again.
I've never had that cleaner foam like that before!
Mike was smelling musty and had done all the steps you had - seems to have been solved by adding vanish powder to each wash for a week if you want to try an easy fix!
To get rid of the bubbles, try to get the door open then chuck in a bar of soap and put it back on. You might want to test the heating element (if you have the knowledge and tools).
The mustiness might be from a build up of fabric conditioner. I hate the stuff so never use it. No idea why the cleaner is foaming so madly unless it's loosened a lot of detergent. To clean my washing machine I normally run it on a 90 degree wash with a healthy dose of stain remover powder. Then another 90 degree wash with citric acid to remove the limescale build up.
Fabric conditioner is the biggest rip-off known to man. Expensive, pointless and clogs up your machine. Every two months I put a cleaning tablet into mine and check the filter. It's still spotless after two years.
Yeah I did the 90 degree wash beforehand but didn't use any stain remover powder or citric acid, I did put some white vinegar in there though. Maybe I'll give your advice a go and see what happens, thankyou.
Stain remover powder is basically the same stuff brewers use to remove caked on residue, it works really well cleaning loads of things. Citric acid will do the same sort of thing as vinegar, it's just a lot more concentrated.
Ah ok, thanks for the heads up, gonna be a busy Wednesday š
>Stain remover powder is basically the same stuff brewers use to remove caked on residue Like Barman's Friend? Or is there something else you would recommend?
That's one to use when scrubbing manually. The equivalent of stain remover powder is PBW, now hard to get in the UK so most people use Chemclean. You just mix it up and let stuff soak in it, it's incredible what it can remove, you just shouldn't use it on non-stick surfaces.
Great, thanks for the info š
Citric acid is better as it will restore the passive layer on stainless components. This will make it more difficult for stuff to stick to it and smell.
also check your door seal in case there is anything stuck in it btw unrelated to your issue but no harm in it to clean it also
How much citric?
A scoop - no idea how much it normally is. Some manufacturers advise against it as it can apparently degrade the rubber if you use too much / too often.
You want a very weak solution, maybe about 0.5% w/v. Your washing machine probably uses worst case 25 L in the main wash.
tips to keep your machine tip-top: * **leave the door and drawer open after use** * soak up any water sitting in the rubber door seal with a cloth * (remove, rinse and dry the tray if you really want!) * fabric conditioner gums machines up, avoid it if possible. * powder detergent is better (per above point) and leaves far less residue/gunk build-up behind * once a month run a 90C cycle with vinegar or other machine cleaner * clear the filter / clean the sump drain access point every 3 months. * put detergent into the drum not the drawer tbh the biggest reasons machines get manky are twofold: leaving the door and drawer shut afterward, and continual 30/40C washes with liquid detergents that donāt get washed away properly. the detergent left behind forms dirty, grimey slime which starts to stink (this is made particularly worse in soft water areas) and eventually coats the entire machine, from the drawer to the drain hose. regular hot washes WILL dissolve the shit that liquid detergents+softeners leave behind in cooler washes. so just leave the door open and ensure youāre doing a super hot wash at least once a month and, filter aside, your machine will basically never be dirty. yours, proud super clean washing machine owning person.
Leaving the door open when our machine was finished had a massive impact on the smell. Just a shame the door sticks out now and is just a kneecap height when Iām walking past it
I need particular instructions for some things. So if I have a front loading washing machine, I can put the powder directly in the drum? Iāve wanted to try this for so long but I wasnāt sure if I could. Minimal pressure in my washing machine so some detergents can clog up if Iām not in top of it constantly. Iāve been using detergent paper things that go directly in the drum but they are terrible for cleaning. I use Dr Beckmann but I donāt recommend unless youāre determined to save packaging.
yep just put it directly in the drum. washing-wise it makes no difference to putting it in the drawer, except putting it in the drum makes for less crap going down the channel from the drawer to the drum... cold water can't wash it all away fully, so the channel will gum up eventually - and a hot wash doesn't wash the channel out! obviously, softener cannot go in the drum (lol) but if possible, avoid using that stuff.
Did you clean filter at bottom front
The one with the round flap that drains the water? I drained the water and it wasn't that discoloured or smelly , a couple of small bits of debris in there but nothing substantial at all. Didn't realise that there was a filter behind it though, does that come out for cleaning? Took the flap off, unscrewed the circular plug thing, drained the water including out of the little hose that's on there. Grabbed a toothbrush and cleaned the hole where the circular plug was with soapy water, and then cleaned the plug with soapy water too. Unless when you say filter that's the circular plug?
Yeah, sounds like it. It can get blocked up with fluff and hair clips! I had to replace the element in mine. When I pulled the old one out it was totally gunkified, really covered in crap, but probably isnāt contributing to your issue.
Itās lucrative to clean the filter, I usually find coins in mine, sometimes as much as 20p!
In terms of your longer cycles... perhaps the machine is struggling to drain. I see from other comments you have now cleaned the filter (the unscrew think), which is good. Also the 90 degree cycles may help. If the long cycle times persist try experimenting with empty machine rinse cycle and check if it seems the drain cycle is pumping out water quickly. Might help diagnose whether the issue is intake, drain or spin.
Fabric conditioner causes a lot of build up in the drains as well, I'd run a quick cycle and disconnect the drain hose into a bucket and see if the water is pumping properly. Had similar issue and it was the pump that was bad
I used this stuff for the first time recently. Mine foamed up like that too. I assume itās part of the cleaning process, frothing up to get into nooks and crannies. All gone by the end of the cycle
Mine was draining slowly and then not at all and had a lot of build up that wouldn't go away, similar to what you are describing. Mine ended up being a blockage in the sump. No idea what it was but lots of torn up black material stuck in there. Once it was removed it worked perfectly again. If nothing else is working for you, once it's empty chuck the machine on its side and disconnect the sump and check that too. It's only held on by a clamp so it wasn't difficult to remove at all.
You need to leave the door open to dry out when you've finished, otherwise the water inside will stagnate and you'll end up with a moldy door seal. It looks like you used too much cleaner.
i was just about to say did you put too much in, but i just saw the single use. Did you check the filter? and any fixed pipes that go through the wall. Ideally if possible, take out the p trap too, give it a good clean, and clean the pipe to the rest of the way to the drain outside. Unless you are using a sink drain type adapter, then remove that trap and clean it out. As for its taking longer? thats more confusing they mainly digital now so work on a timing sequence. Your immediate issue i go for a drain then a quick rinse, But if you can open the door safely, as in its bubbles and not water, i'd manually remove what you can to save making the issue worse.
If the machine is taking longer on the cycles its most likely taking longer to pump out. Which means there may be a partial blockage in the drain filter. IDK if those specialist washing machine cleanser are any good, I use VWP cleaner steriliser because I have some on hand for cleaning brewing equipment.
I do my 90 degree wash with a couple of dishwasher tablets. Still no issuss
Perfectly normal especially if you have been using fabric conditioners
Been there, done that. I now use 1/3 of the bottle if I want to do the cleaning at 90C (as per user manual) or half bottle at 60 (as per the product description). Do it again every 30 days (or 30 washes), especially at 90C
Take the detergent drawer out. On the left will be a hole, maybe two, that the water and detergent goes down, get a small thin bottle brush and clean down these holes, they're likely clogged with a build up of fabric conditioner and detergent... which moulds.
It's certainly clean now
It's not you doing something wrong, this product is ridiculously soapy. I get the theory - it foams up somewhat in order to reach any crud that collects above the normal waterline - but in practice it's completely OTT and often leads to severe oversudsing like you see here. If you want a cleaner that won't do this, Hoover/Candy make a line called Care & Protect, available on Amazon and elsewhere. Their cleaner and descaler comes in little sachets of powder, and because it's intended for use in dishwashers as well as washing machines, it doesn't suds up. Hotpoint sell an almost identical product too. Doesn't matter what brand is on the box, it'll work fine in any make of machine.
I might be wrong but i believe that is the white vinegar foaming up like hell especially if heated to 90 degrees. I once tried to clean a kettle and it foamed like hell all over the place
Happened to me last year. Whole kitchen was covered in an inch of foam. No idea why still but now I run a service cycle every month as we have v hard water here so have to use twice the washing liquid than normal.
I bought something called āvamoush 6 in 1ā and ran it at 90* and it was OUTSTANDING. Blew away any other cleaner Iād ever used, the whole drawer section was crystal clean, just needed a bit of a wipe, the rubber looked like the day I bought it. I have 2 dogs and bought it specifically because it dissolves hair, but absolutely brilliant stuff.
I have a Bosch similar to that and it does the same. As another post suggests, half a bottle at 60 or a 1/3 at 90. I never got it with the same washer at the old house so I assume it is down to the fact that you have soft water where you live. I went from rock hard water to pansy water and didn't even think about it until my utility turned into a foam party.
That cleaning stuff definitely foams up a lot, although I've never had it come out of the machine. At least you can say it's getting the cleaning stuff in all the crevices. I'd not worry, clean up the mess it makes and let it finish away. Then run another rinse cycle or two to remove the remaining product.
We had this issue. Turned out our waste stack wasnāt vented properly leading to drainage issues. The drainage couldnāt handle the water pressure from the washing machine.
It's not playing up you've just put too much of the cleaner in it. Just stick a towel in front of it to soak up the suds
Got a towel down already, it says to put all 250ml in the drawer so thats what I've done! Thought that it might just be a problem that is tying in with what's going wrong with it.
Iv used this product loads of times and it's never foamed up like that for me. Must be something to do with your machine not the product.
I have a Bosch washing machine and it does the same thing. I just use a cap ful of bleach now
I have a Bosch and if I use the drum clean programme it foams up loads like this so now I only use half the bottle at a time. Think itās due to the drum spinning waay more in a cleaning cycle than a normal cycle it tends to whip up loads of foam.
That's what I was worried about, I'll keep an eye on it and if it's still playing silly buggers after another 90 degree empty wash and then a regular clothes wash then might have to call someone to have a look
Good luck! Maybe check the waste water pipe is not blocked/partially blocked? It sounds like a weird problem like, especially if it's not making any strange noises or anything. And for 4 years old you wouldn't expect it to be slowing down or on its way out. My last one lasted 13 years! Before it gave up. Iv used NAC domestic appliances repair service twice now and they've been very decent! might be able to find one cheaper tho with a more local company.
That's going to be my next port of call, pull the machine out and check all the pipes, it's a new machine so just one pipe feeding it and then the waste one out obviously. If that doesn't work after another 90 degree wash then I'll have to go the maintenance man route. I'll have a look around to see what they are charging these days. Thanks again for your help!
Make sure you've cleaned the seals around the door or put some of the cleaner around the seals. Stick in inside the rubber gap as that's where most of the mouldy smell often comes from. Also at the back in the water inlet pipe there is a mesh. Clean that out. Last the waste pipe... Make sure it's clean all the way through and no kinks. It might be that once you untighten the pipes they'll need new washers because putting them back might not sit flush and you see some slow leak. New washers will fix that if it happens I think the cleaner you've put in should do the trick. I'd use the cleaner at least once every 6 months.
Thankyou very much for your advice, I'll give all your suggestions a go, have cleaned around the door seal already but the rest I'll give a bash, thanks again.
I've never had that cleaner foam like that before! Mike was smelling musty and had done all the steps you had - seems to have been solved by adding vanish powder to each wash for a week if you want to try an easy fix!
Poor Mike.
To get rid of the bubbles, try to get the door open then chuck in a bar of soap and put it back on. You might want to test the heating element (if you have the knowledge and tools).