ALBUM to wash my washing machine?

[lmrcpr]

I have always put the occasional (theoretically monthly, realistically about twice a year) empty wash on at 90, with a tiny bit of washing up liquid to clean the machine (soft water area,I think hard water areas have to have different cleaning).

I must normally do it when no one else is home, but my husband has just been very confused when he asked what was in the machinine and thinks I am mad and that no one else does it.

I run my be through with washing machine cleaner every couple of months. I also use a descaler in every wash

Why would you need to clean a washing machine, it does that every time you use it !!!!.
That's why it's called a washing machine.

Because if you use liquid or gel and cooler washes you get a build up of gunk in the pipes and hidden parts of the machine. Sometimes you get black mould inside which doesn't always show, like the crap you find in the drawer if it isn't cleaned often.
Even if you use a 60 degree wash often you can still get this gunk.
The machine can also pong if it is not cleaned.
Instructions include how to do a maintenance/ cleaning cycle for a reason.
Using powder and liquid alternately can help prevent the gunk.

I use vinegar in my 90 degree wash, it makes the door nice and clean. Water here is the hardest in the country and comes out of the taps white.

Yes you are supposed to do this. Our machine has a specific cycle for cleaning the machine. We try to do it at least quarterly.

Oh and we do generally use 30° washes. And we have extremely soft water - it can cause issues.

I do one every month or so. My machine has a self cleaning cycle and I usually use that. I also do one anytime I’ve washed the dogs bedding.

Because if you use liquid or gel and cooler washes you get a build up of gunk in the pipes and hidden parts of the machine. Sometimes you get black mould inside which doesn't always show, like the crap you find in the drawer if it isn't cleaned often.

There you are then.
My washing machine repair man advised not to do many low temperature washes as they do the machine no good at all, and I use powder. We also have lovely water where I live, so maybe the combination of these 3 means we don't get an issue where others might

I was told by my washing machine engineer to always use soap powder for the service wash. Liquids cause slime build up and mould in the sump because they don't contain any bleach (it isn't stable in liquid detergents). They can even clog the outlet pipe esp. if you constantly do 30 degree washes. Only powder has bleach - you don't need special cleaner, just powder detergent.

I always do tea towels on a 90 degree wash and this keeps the machine clean.

once a month a 90 degrees (vv hard water area so we use soda crystals)

No - what's mad is not doing what you are doing then having to take the side panel off and remove and immerse the soap pump in sections into bowls of diluted Kilrock to de-frost the chalk and then the Meccano task of reassembly. I'm sure James May would do a programme on this.

Just continue doing what you are doing. And save yourself the hassle. Unless hubby facies the alternative of doing what I had to....

I do my towels at 90 degrees so don't need to run it empty at 90 degrees.

Quite normal, but Washing Soda crystals are good for cleaning out the sludge of soap and fabsoft.

You can put white cotton towels in, no need to run it empty. Being white they will not fade, and it will soften them and improve their absorbency by removing residue.

@Vicky1990 because you get a build up of bacteria from your clothes and dead skin cells, enzymes and if you don't do this step once a month you can end up with a bio-film which means the bacteria has reached a strain that cannot ever be removed. Washing machine goes to the tip.

Think of it as the equivalent of washing yourself in the bath, and then other people using your bath but never cleaning the bath out - ever...

Same applies to dishwashers! i've never washed myself in a dishwasher

And as for this craze for 30 degree washes at the moment... Blood/human body temperature is 37 degrees. That means that washing is being done far below the temperature which would kill pathogenic bacteria or yeasts - that is the ones that survive on humans.

30 degree washes es or eco 40 degree washes (which means sub 40 degrees) do not kill bacteria. At best they get washed off into the sump. Liquid soaps are very highly scented specifically to disguise the fact that the inside of the machine may be stinking.

At least a soap powder will have a bleaching effect, but the best is a good hot wash AND soap powder. It also means that you don't have to add tons of extra stain removers because 30 degree washes don't actually clean very well either.

Bleach doesn’t work at high temperatures, it becomes inactive so anyone using it is just rotting your rubber seal.

We do a monthly cleaning cycle for both the washing machine and the dishwasher.

It’s a perfectly ordinary thing to do!