My washing isn't bloody clean. What's going wrong?

[Limth]

When I do a coloured mixed load at 40C my washing no longer comes out clean.
It doesn't smell particularly clean - it doesn't smell dirty but doesn't have a nice, fresh fragrance.
More importantly though, it isn't actually clean - there are still tea stains on a cream T-shirt; some sauce stains on napkins that would've come off previously.

Has my washing powder gone the same way as everything else in life these days and is now just actually fucking shit?
If not, what else could be going wrong?

If its just the Surf is now shit, what washing powder do you recommend? Or what else should I be doing or adding to actually get my washing clean?

For context:
I regularly do a maintenance cycle on 90C with some Dr Beckman.
I use biological powder (Surf).
I add Napisan to the white washing and that comes out well.
I don't use fabric conditioner.
I don't overfill the machine - always ample space at the top of the wash load.

It's really pissing me off.

It sounds crazy but are you definitely turning it on? Sometimes I put washing in and then when I hang it up a few hours later realise I never ran the wash cycle.

Add napisan to the mixed load too. I use it for all of my laundry.

I'm definitely turning it on 😂

I thought Napisan was bleach so not good for coloureds.

Have you taken out the drawer and cleaned it lately?

Sounds like you need to drain the filter. Make sure you have a container handy like a large lunch box to hand.

Have you taken the drawer out and cleaned inside both the drawer and the hole it sits in?

I think it's surf.
I swapped to persil powder and washing is fine again. Also total lie about the "fast dissolving".

Drain it properly and clean the filter at the bottom, also make sure there’s nothing stuck in the impeller. If machines can’t drain properly then they don’t clean properly and nothing smells nice.

This happens to me if I overfill the machine. I can only really fill it to about 70% before the wash quality starts to nosedive.

Have you checked the max load capacity for the cycle you're choosing? With modern machines it's often only the cottons cycle that can take a full load, mixed cycles often can only cope with half or even less of a full load.

I should've added that I clean the drawer when I do the maintenance wash so, yes, regularly clean the drawer.

That's a good idea about the filter - that's a job for this weekend I think!

Thanks for the heads-up on Persil. I've used Surf for years and I've always sworn by it. NO MORE!!

I use persil which seems to work well, smells nice too. The bio one. And I put it straight in the drum

Are you stuffing your machine too full? Are you using a quick wash?

@Changename12 No, as I said in the OP, I leave loads of room at the top. The drum's probably about 75-80% full. And I never use a quick wash because that's always been shit.

Bloody hell I've just done this...8;years of gunk. I always thought it was just the filter needed cleaning so thanks to those who suggested this.

Clean out the filter. I had this issue and I found it clogged with coins. Out of my husband´s pockets, hmmm

It will be your filter not the detergent, we had the same thing happen. Also try putting in less, that makes a huge difference. Use a good long wash, I can’t stand rapid eco or quick washes. 1 hour 45 min is my minimum especially on 30/40 degrees. I also swear my Dettol antibacterial additive in with conditioner.

I have found the same thing. Despite doing all the proper maintenance, nothing works. I’ve taken to adding a cup of vinegar which at least means it doesn’t smell musty.

That's because the quickwash cycle is like 15 minutes long. It's not a proper wash and the heating element can't get up to temperature in that time without causing a huge spike in electricity usage. That cycle is only for freshening things up.

Has the heating element stopped working in the machine?

All my washes were on cold water till I felt the glass door halfway through the wash and realized there was no water heating going on.
Bought a new element online for about €25, and a YouTube video showed how to change it over. The actual changeover took less than 5 mins and the machine was still going 10 years later. (And it was a cheap Beko!)

It may not be practical with a big family, but I spot treat any noticeable stains before putting in drum, just pour a bit of liquid detergent on it and rub into the mark, before the machine wash. My machine is ancient and I always use surf powder and liquid and that seems to work. I never wash on lower than 40C, and need a long enough wash for the machine to get the water to that temp.

@bigdecisionaboutwork I want to say yes because the whites come out really well. But I will check next time I've got a cycle running - thanks for that suggestion!

Do you have hard water? It could be that the machine is gunked up with limescale and so it's not taking in enough water. Still stains on the clothes makes me think not enough water.

Also is it possible that someone might have knocked the feed in tap to the water line so it's running more slowly? Washing machines tend to fill on a timed basis, so if the water pressure is crap and it's running at less than 10L/min then there won't be enough water getting into the cycle.

When you run a maintenance wash/drum clean and you add the Dr. Beckman stuff, do you know what this is? (It's usually citric acid, which is good) and are there visible bubbles in the machine when this cycle is running?

The last Beko I had, after a while the drum failed to turn the other way, anticlockwise, I think. You had to pause the cycle every time it wanted to turn anticlockwise 😂Very annoying fault, I must say.

@BertieBotts I actually noticed the other day that the water pressure is low so that's a great call, thank you.

The Dr Beckman stuff is called "Service" or something.

Yes there are bubbles. I noticed bubbles today actually.