Boring question about removing gungy stuff from washing machine

[soyabean]

From time to time washing comes out streaked with grey dried on gunge (Cant think of another word for it) and I can see that in between the barrel and the machine its dirty. If I poke around with a chopstick (hours of fun)I find soggy grey stuff, but dont know how to get rid of it all. Just running a rinse doesnt seem to have much effect. Any ideas? The 'filter' never seems to actually filter anything. Its a Bosch Maxx

[rosehip]

Hi, could it be a blocked pipe. When I had a washer/dryer I used to get grey fluffy gunk (?) and I'm sure dh pulled the pipes out and cleaned them. Good luck. PS my dishwasher is not working
I push the button and nothing happens - no water gushing through, any ideas?

[hmb]

Try a limescale removing tablet if you live in a hard water area, and that might help. Calgon is the name of one for washing machines.

[Snugs]

If you mean the horrible 'damp cardboard' stuff inside the rubber 'sill' then I sympathise - we seem to get this frequently and it has on occasion caused the machine to smell.

The only thing I've found that is any good is to get in there with my fingers (yuck) and kitchen paper and drag the stuff out. I am tempted to have a go with the steam cleaner but I'm not sure what effect that amount of pressurised steam would do to the rubber - might make it worse.

[Snugs]

Oh and I regularly use Calgon tablets and it doesn't make any difference to the gunge so it can't be anything to do with limescale.

[whymummy]

try running a rinse and add lots of vinegar it works with mine

[soyabean]

Rosehip, hmb, snugs, whymummy, thanks all of you. I knew I wd get some good suggestions here! I am hoping it is not a blocked pipe and will try all the other things first. I have been in there with a chopstick and a cloth and removed a fair amount of the stuff, and have set it on a hot wash, empty, to see if that clears any of it.
Thanks all, and happy easter

[donnie]

half a pachet of soda crystals in the drum, then run a really hot wash, 90 degrees if poss. That will sort out any gunge problems. Soda crystals are in all supermarkets with cleaning products and cost nothing !

[soyabean]

thanks donnie

[woozle]

My washing machine man recommends citric acid - available from wine making section of Boots! HTH