To ask what could be causing black stains/fuzz on clothes after washing machine cycle?

[Chocolatefrogs]

Sorry - very boring thread alert!

I’ve just emptied the washing machine after putting on a wash of white/very light-coloured clothes.

The majority of the load is unmarked and fine, but one of my jumpers has loads of black fuzz and fibres sticking to it from the wash.

This has never happened before, so I’m just wondering what could have caused it. When I put on a wash of dark-coloured clothes in the machine, I sometimes get white-ish marks on some clothes. I’m wondering now if that’s related to this.

Could it be an issue with the filter? If it is related to the filter, how can I access it to check, and empty it if needed? Embarrassing to admit, I know, but I’ve never actually checked the filter or emptied it before. I’ve attached a photo of the filter - do I just unscrew it (putting some towels down to keep the floor dry) and then check it?

Other than this, the washing machine works fine. I can’t replace it as I don’t own it (I’m in a rented house), but I don’t think it needs replacing anyway. I think it’s just under 10 years old.

Every couple of months, I empty a sachet of limescale/grease remover into the main machine drum and run it on a cycle as per the sachet instructions (as per my landlord’s request), but I’m not sure whether this actually does anything and whether limescale is contributing to this.

Thanks!

I would put a shallow tray under the filter area before you unscrew it as water will come out. I'd let it out gradually so you don't soak the floor.

What detergent do you use? Powder seems to be better at keeping the drum clean. Have you taken the dispenser drawer out and cleaned it and the bit on the machine it fits into?

We use Vamoosh washing machine cleaner - it dissolves hair and removes lint - once a month should keep it clean.

Thanks so much, everyone.

I’ve just removed and cleaned and soaked the dispenser drawer and the part where it slots into (embarrassingly, I’d never done that before). At least I know now, I guess!!

I normally use liquid detergent rather than powder, as I find that powder doesn’t always dissolve easily. Perhaps powder would be better though! What do you all use?

I use bio powder mainly and sometimes gel.

I use powder too as supposedly is better for the machine. If your powder doesn't dissolve you might be using too much.

I stopped using powder and liquid detergent, as the drawer got so dirty. I use detergent liquid tabs now and it seems to keep the machine cleaner…

Powders contain bleaches that liquids/pods/gels don't so powders help keep the drum cleaner. I got stains on my clothes when I used solely liquid detergent.

Thanks everyone! I’ll try powder for a bit and see how that goes. Silly question, but did you make sure the powder had dissolved before you put it in the washing machine or did you let it just dissolve once it was in the machine?

So far, I’ve used liquid detergent, as mentioned, and I’ve put it in a little rubber cap (the one you get on detergent bottles) directly into the drum itself. Just wondering which is the better way to do things - add the detergent to the drawer or to the drum?

Silly question, but did you make sure the powder had dissolved before you put it in the washing machine or did you let it just dissolve once it was in the machine? You put the powder straight from the packet into the drawer, the compartment on the left. Water goes through the drawer on its way to the drum and the powder is dissolved by the time it gets there.

Have you cleaned your filter yet?

Ah fab, thanks! Yep have now cleaned the filter and it actually seemed pretty good, considering it hadn’t been cleaned in a while. I’m not sure when it was last cleaned, but it would’ve definitely been before I moved here.

Thanks everyone - I’ve definitely learned a lesson here to clean the drum and filter regularly!