whoever it was that recommended soda crystals for smelly washing machines!!! (ar any other experts..)

[Tutter]

i tried a cycle at high temp, but the machine still pongs, and some clothes don't smell clean after being washed.

so... i have just bought some soda crystals but have no idea howmuch to put in - no instructions for use in de-stinking washing machines!

anyone? (it's a 1kg pack btw)

sorry, don't know but will watch thread with interest.

Don't know about soda crystals for washing machines (though I do use them for drains and some other things). I de-pong the machine by running a 95C cycle with just white malt vinegar in all the dispensers. Very effective, and it also descales the machine.

Just consulted my household cleaning book (not that it gets much use in this house!) - it says to pour half a pack into the drum, then put the machine through a boil wash.

Something else you can use is white vinegar - half a cup in the machine, then put it through a boil wash.

I use about the same amount as I would use of powder. Agree vinegar is also good as is breadsoda.

oh shit. yes, white vinegar - that was also recommended. why oh why didn't i pick up some of that while i was in sainsbo's...?

thanks WWB - will assume that my pack is the same size as your book is thinking of (!) and plonk it in on a hot wash

It doesn't actually say what size pack it's thinking of! I assume that the standard size is 1kg though.

i shall pop my head round the door of the utility room in a mo and let you know if the machine is haemmoraging (sp.?) foam

sadly I have a link for the soda crystals website - may help

www.dri-pak.co.uk/index.html

hmmm it actually suggests a slightly different product for washing machine maintenance.

i shall report back when when the cycle is finished. one good lungful of the air inside should tell me all i need to know (earlier it smelt awful...)

Tutter check the drain isn't blocked (any bra wires or baby socks gone astray??)too - and don't stick your head in the machine too often either!!

Use about 2 cupfuls on a boil wash in an empty machine, and that should do the trick.
If you use a small amount in every wash you can cut down a bit on the amount of powder you use and it will help to stop limescale accumulating and causing white marks, or a breakdown.

if you look at the website below it suggest adding it to your cooking apples?!

hot wash cycle finished and bad smell still there.

time to get dh to dig out the book of words and figure out how to remove the filter methinks.

don't suppose anyone has a bosch exxcel and knows how to do it...?

(and lol at apples!)

Tutter have you "lost" any pets lately? A missing gerbil perhaps?

Tutter - to remove the filter on our Bosch..

bottom left hand corner of machine there's a little screw. Use a coin to open it, then twist off cap. (Have a bowl handy!)

Inside there is a mini hosepipe - drain this into your bowl then rummage about to find obstructions. In our house these are usually 5p coins or golf tees (dh's, not mine!)

HTH

sue

no, but the ducklings on the water feature (so glad cod isn't around to "ponce!" me) have dwindled in numbers recently. everyone thought it must be a fox, but....

does kind of smell a bit dead-animally.

thanks sassy. will try when ds is in bed - if it try beforehand he will "help" and may eat whatever lurks within...

I think you might have noticed a duck wandering into your washing machine! I was thinking of something smaller like a hamster or gerbil!

but these are teeny weeny baby balls of fluff sue.

very - each year they arrive (prob thinking it's safer than on the river) and each year their numbers slowly dwindle...

Could it be the drain or U-bend? Someone has some info about such things here (scroll down a bit).

Tutter your machine could be eating the ickle wickle baby balls of fluff

Well?

What was it...?

Duck, hamster, blockage?

still on tenterhooks sue

dh cleared the pipe and filter - no fluffy animals

drain doctor coming tomorrow to see if anything 'further down' ...