Urghhhhhh! You need to do this especially if you do maintenance washes!

[DameDiazepamTheDramaQueen]

I do an empty hot wash about every 8 weeks and get the drawer out and give it a clean and scrub.

I've been pretty busy I forgot and haven't done it for a while so I did it a couple of days ago, since then it has STUNK to high heaven , imagine rotting vermin mixed with eggs

So I have done 3 hot washes since with soda crystals as it's obviously dislodged some gunk in the pipes.

Then the fabric conditioner compartment got blocked and wouldn't drain so I googled and it said to take a toothbrush to the roof of the drawer compartment to dislodge any gunk.

So I did, dear God, it was black with mouldy gunk, all the bottom was fine but I'd never thought to look at the top of it

Please go and look at yours and tell me I'm not the only manky mare

I felt like I was hypnotised by mn. I had to go downstairs and look at the washing machine

Nothing in the drawer but some scale. I use Method because I like the smell. Now I can feel smug about my drawer [

GingerFoxInAT0phat, it's really easy. When you take out the drawer, there should be some sort of plastic cover that goes over the fabric softener bit. On mine, it's at the back behind where you pour the softener in. If you take it out, there's a little plastic tube underneath that will be blocked up. Have a look on the underside of the cover too, that gets blocked up too.

Ahh, oh yes I cleaned that!

Reading a previous poster about washing at higher temps I'm wondering if mine wasn't too bad because I wash most stuff at 40 and towels and bedding at 60 so do quite a few hot washes.

It was nice been able to shut and open then drawer with ease rather than practically having to put my foot on the door due to all the gunky powder!

I am ashamed to even ask this, but what is a service wash?? I wipe my machine down inside and out with an antibacterial wipe every week but that's it. god, i'm a slattern

AnnieOnAMapleLeaf it's a periodic empty wash on the hottest temp (90 or 95 degrees) with soda crystals/bleach/white vinegar/washing machine cleaner...people use different stuff. It cleans the seal, drum and outer tub.

Ah ok - I guess I am not a slattern. I do an empty hot wash with bleach whenever I remember.

How does bleach not damage your clothes? Are you all using Domestos type bleach of some sort of special laundry bleach ?

What can you do to get rid of the blackness on the door ring? I have a steam cleaner - would that help?

Wipe the blackness away with a cloth.

It won't go easily!

DameDiazepamTheDramaQueen, it's just a squirt of normal household bleach on a boil wash but run the machine empty with no laundry in it. The rinses on the cycle will get rid of any bleach residue.

I'm. It going to risk it, water collects behind the seal, it would be just my luck to ruin all our clothes! I'll stick to soda crystals and powder detergent

Hypnotised here too -read the thread earlier and went straight out to clean the detergent draw. Not too bad , I use powder, but it was ready for a clean, hard water area so some limescale build up. Will clear out the filter tomorrow. The power of mn is scarey

Put white wine vinegar in the conditioner bit and bicarb in the powder bit, do a hot wash and it will be like new.
Clean the roof bit with a paste of both of them, leave to soak for an hour, then wipe off.
Don't forget to do the tiny filter usually bottom right by your feet.

I HATE YOU ALL!! There I was, all snuggled in front of the telly after a busy day, when suddenly I find myself scrubbing my drawer and putting a "maintenance" wash on. Fuckers .

We had a guy come and service out machine, hr said a lot of the smell is because we use too much detergent. In modern machines they only need 2Tbsp of liquid. You dont need to fill to the manufacturer line.

I didn't know you were supposed to do this regularly!

So I just had to go and check my machine... the drawer was not tooooo bad, a bit of white crusty powder and a bit of orange slime (boak). The roof of it wasn't bad either. Now doing a hot empty wash (no vinegar or bicarb in the house).

The only time I every did empty hot washes (again and again and again) was after I accidentally washed a shit. Yes really. We used cloth nappies, you're supposed to rinse them then put them in the bucket, well DH had 'forgotten' and chucked it straight in the bucket once, I lifted out the mesh and pushed it straight into the machine... The smell afterwards was - bleurgh. And persistent. We never made the same mistake again.

Soooooooooo, machine is STILL whiffs even after another 95 wash and a few normal cycles

I just bought some Dettol washing machine cleaner and if it doesn't smell nice after that then it never will as the detergent is megga strong.

Washing machine is now perfect and smells lovely and fresh, well worth the money for getting it nice again. I'll keep on top of it with soda crystals from now on and I probably won't have to use the strong stuff again.

The whole house smells fresh

No liquids, no conditioner, only Bio tablets, occasional hot washes, drawer out EVERY time, door open. Not black, no scrubbing, no smells

My door and drawer are open as we speak

Yes, forgot about leaving the door open, we only shut ours when it's in use, never gets musty that way.

Service washes make the machine stink. I'm never doing one again.

But how can you bear it knowing all the stinking crap that's in the pipes and machine? Ewwww!