Washing machine leaving a grey sludge on my clothes

[Schemester]

Every time I was clothes they come out of the washer with a grey film/sludge on everything. It's mostly noticeable on the dark stuff but it's on almost everything and once it dries is very hard to get off. The washing machine is on ya few months old and it's a may tag. I've tried cold, hot, and warm water. I've tried big and small loads as well as different detergents. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Is there mould/slimy stuff in the detergent drawer? You might need to dismantle it to see.

You need to find PigletJohn.

Mine does this from time to time, the thing that seems to keep it at bay is specialist washing machine cleaning stuff. I can't remember the brand I've got but if you put 'washing machine cleaner' into Amazon quite a few come up.

I also add a few drops of tea tree oil to the detergent which is supposed to help with bacterial build up.

Also, try wiping inside the clear plastic window at the front of the drum, especially underneath, as that is where a lot of the sludge deposit seemed to reside and smear on things.

What are you using in your machine? Laundry liquid or powder? Do you clean out your powder/conditioner drawer after every use?

The washing machine is only 2 months old and it doesn't have a detergent drawer. The soap just goes in a hole in the side that goes into the machine almost right away. Also we use just a basic liquid soap. And it's a top loader not a front.

Liquid soap isn't good for washing machines. Try soap powder.

Try a wash on max temperature with no clothes and no soap. And swap to powder soap in future.

Can I ask why liquid soap isn't good for the machine?

If I use washing powder on dark clothes I get a white residue on clothes. I only use liquid now on darks.

If you scroll down a bit on this website it explains about liquid detergents, and halfway down the page here

what country are you in?

Thanks bunbaker that's very helpful.

It was originally another mumsnetter that pointed me to that website, so I can't claim the credit.

Have you emptied the filter? I did mine for the first time last weekend (machines a year old Bosch) and it was disgusting.. Really really disgusting.

As it is a Maytag, and top-loading, I suspect it is not in Europe. Our machines and detergents are different so our solutions may not work.

Over here I would suspect soap buildup, either from excessive amounts used, or from low-temperature washes which do not dissolve it well, and I would have suggested a hot hot hot service wash with no soap or fabsoft, but a cup of washing soda crystals if available, to wash away the residue. If the water foams up and goes grey, that's the residue dissolving. Do it again until it stays clear. If your machine has aluminium wet parts then the soda may not suit it.