Help! Washing Machine making things DIRTIER!

[tipp2chicago]

I have a Zanussi washing machine, 5 years old (I think). I faithfully run a maintenance wash the first Saturday of every month. I also cleaned the door gasket just last week really thoroughly; pulled it out as far as I could and cleaned all the ridges etc. I also cleaned the filter which had some grey gunk on it. I live in a hard water area. We have a water softener on the mains supply.

It is now making my things filthy. I just took out a load of sheets and am seriously considering throwing them out as they're so bad.

I am running another maintenance wash now at 95C with biological washing powder and vinegar instead of softener.

If that doesn't work, does anyone have any ideas of what else I can do? I could probably manage to disassemble it myself if I had to, but I have a 4 month old baby who likes a lot of attention so I don't really have a lot of time for such tasks.

Please help, oh wise Mumsnet community.

Try running it on a boil wash with either just vinegar or just soda crystals in it, no washing powder.

Thank you Potion Maker, will do. DH is worried now in case the outlet needs to be unblocked.

Ok, vinegar wash finished, sheets gone back in to see if they come out clean this time. Fingers crossed.

Hope it works, I feel quite responsible

Same happened to me I opened the top to find the concrete weight had broken in half and the dirt was the concrete seeping into the machine.

Why can't dh check the outlet pipe and dismantle it...or even look after the baby whilst you do it? Is there some reason he can't do any of that?

Is it greyish gunk on a front loading washing machine ?
A combination of low temperature on a regular basis and using liquid detergent makes our machines gunky.

Soda crystals on a 95 degrees wash should help - mine needs doing every month or so.

And I am buying again washing powder instead of the liquid stuff.
Good luck !

PotionMaker, the vinegar wash worked perfectly, thank you so much. The sheets now look like new (almost).

I never use liquid detergent, only powder, I find it much more cost-effective.

DH couldn't do anything yesterday bc he came home from work at 6.15 and was gone again at 6.30 to teach a class.

Glad it worked

Good that it is sorted.

I find that a monthly maintenance wash with empty machine and a pack of soda crystals cleans not only the machine but also the drains.

Adding Soda Crystals to next week's shopping list right now.

when the sheets came out dirty, was it a general greyness, or was it black specks?

Like dirty grey stripes?

'mmm

could it have rubbed off the door or door seal?