To tell you all this important fact about Miele tumble driers

[trimbletramble]

I know this isn't really an AIBU but it really is worth telling everyone about.

Even though it's quite boring.

Our Miele tumble dryer was constantly turning itself off and beeping, complaining about its airways being blocked (even though we cleaned the fluff off them very assiduously every day** and even took out the whole big filter at the bottom of the machine and rinsed that out and everything).

So we called out a repair guy, who shrugged his shoulders and said he couldn't see anything wrong with it.

So then we called out a specialist Miele guy and he told us that not only did we need to clean the fluff off but also we should have been actually washing (with washing up liquid) the little detachable filters that go just in front of the drum.

Who knew?!!

Call out charge of over £100 for some guy (very nice man but still) to show me how to use some Fairy liquid.

So I thought I'd better tell all of you in case I'm not the only ignoramus.

Call out charge of over £100 for some guy (very nice man but still) to show me how to use some Fairy liquid.

sorry but love it.

Were you getting the f66 error code?

Ours has been doing this all the time, despite be emptying the fluff filter after each load

Is the washable filter the one that sits behind the little square door at the front?

Yes the f66! Although I only know that now (it doesn't have that sort of display).

The filters are the little long thin rectangular ones just in the rim when you open the door. Gotta rub them gently in a circular motion with your finger and some fairy liquid

I’ve done the long thin filter AND the one behind the square door just in case

If that fucking tumble drier wakes me up in the night again with its beeping after this, I’m going to lose it!

Don;t all tumble dryers have them. I've got a cheapo Grundig and I de-fluff the main filter after every use and wash the little black filter once a month.

Wait, wash the detachable foam type one? Or the detachable mesh one… I’ve been cleaning fluff but not washing!

So do you mean we should use diluted washing up liquid (as though we were washing up) and give them a good dunk & dry? or do you use it neat? I've had a Miele for 10 years now and the flippin' thing is always flashing the red light telling me to "clean out airways" when there's nothing in them!

Also.... some vacuum cleaners have them too and you have to wash them.

This should be common knowledge 🙈

I've just checked the instructions on my cheapo Grundig. You have to wash it by hand in warm water, you don't have to use washing up liquid. Sometimes I do, sometimes I don't.

I don't have a Miele, but my druer is always doing this! Thanks for the tip OP, I too religiously clean the fluff and regularly wash out the condenser but never the actual filter itself. Going to do it today!

It's the same with air conditioners. We have to take the filters down, remove all dust then wash with washing up liquid

That might be the most boring sentence I've ever typed.

If you remove the filters and put a few finger drops of water on the filter and it sits like its on top of a weatherproof treatment its time to get out the washing up liquid.

This is just Miele all over. We have a Miele dishwasher and it has instructions that if the dishes have a lot of stuff on them you should immerse them in standing water, not running water, because that's more environmentally friendly before putting them in the machine. I'm like dishwasher, wind your neck back in, think yourself lucky if you get dishes rinsed at all! Sorry you don't find yourself in a house that takes your status as a top class dishwasher seriously enough, but we did buy you half price ex display

Yes everyone! Washing up liquid.

What you have to do, is:

1. Hold the filter up to the light. Can you see through it? If yes then fine. If no, proceed to point 2

1. Take the filter over to the sink and very gently give it a little caress with a little drop of washing up liquid till it's nice and see through again

1. Replace filter

I honestly never had any idea and I think it's not in the manual either.

Good luck my fellow tumble dryer owners! The beeping was sending me up the wall; I developed a sort of extreme sensitivity to it

OP I knew this already!

I clean the fluff off them every time I take dry washing out, and put them through the dishwasher every now and then.

Thanks !!

Wait, what?

There's a cheese grater thing that comes off and out of the bottom left hand corner of my tumble dryer. No idea what it's called but my god it gets black stuff caught in the sharp bits. Never been able to clean it without slicing the top layer of skin off my fingers in neat parallel lines.

Rushes to get home to inspect the filter...
I do rinse the one from the bottom but not the door one.

I have a horrible Hotpoint with a constant filter error despite having cleaned them all.... but not with water and washing up liquid!!

Thanks OP, definitely trying this later.

Yes we've always done this (since MIL was fleeced by a 'repair man' for doing exactly what you described).

I have a 20 year old Electra tumble dryer and have NEVER washed the filter in the door, had no idea you were supposed to! Anyway, it's still going strong. I do have a Miele washer though.

@IntemperateSpirits dae stick your fingers in it! use the shower or hose to wash it.