Washing machine - should there be bubbles?!

[trilbydoll]

The other day DD opened the cupboard door while the washing machine was on and I noticed it was full of bubbles - I was using up some liquid which had gone straight in the drum.

Generally I use powder in the draw. Recently DH has been saying his clothes aren't clean and this morning I've realised the powder has left the draw but I can't see any bubbles.

Powder would foam up exactly the same wouldn't it? I think I've just been rinsing our clothes for weeks! I'm a bit confused about where the powder has gone if not in the drum though.

Powder is better for your machine than liquid. I only notice bubbles in ours when there's a towel wash in - I think it's soap residue on the towels from shower gel, etc. We live in a soft water area, I only use powder. Not seeing bubbles is not something to be worried about. Most of the cleaning is done by the water and agitation.

Your machine not washing properly is more likely to be connected with using laundry liquid - it doesn't contain bleaching agents and creates sludge in the machine which affects how it works.

Run the longest, hottest wash with a cupful of washing soda crystals and the machine empty. The water may look grey and sludgy during the wash cycle. You might have to repeat this if it looks very mucky.

Stick to powder.

Okay, thanks, I didn't know you don't get bubbles. They're very reassuring though!

I'll clean it through. I do usually use powder because I thought it was better for cleaning clothes, I was starting to doubt myself.

Why don't you experiment by putting the powder in the drum, rather than the drawer? Then you'll know if it's the powder itself or if it's someone not making it from the drawer to the drum.

*somehow

too much detergent and not enough clothes can make it foam badly.
I would run an empty hot wash to get rid of as much soap as possible.

Washing powders & liquids shouldn't foam up. They're designed to be "low sudsing". If they weren't, they'd foam up like washing up liquid and the splashing aroundwould mean bubbles all over the kitchen.

Having said that, we've got a few things that foam up because of the material they're made from. We've got a fleecey bed throw thing that always foams up no matter how much or how little you put in.

Do you have soft or hard water? How much detergent are you using and what kind of detergent is it - bio, non bio, Ariel, Persil etc??

For info, we're in a soft water area and use about 70-80ml of Persil bio powder for a full 6kg wash. More will be needed for hard water though and other detergents may require more or less. Check the dosing advice on the box

Also, just another thing to consider, the more foam you have in the washer, the more difficult it is to rinse out. You end up with a lot more residue left on clothes with more foam in the drum, so the less bubbles the better

Really? No bubbles ever? You learn something new everyday! I always run an extra rinse at the end of each cycle. We're in a fairly hard water area but I generally use a bit less than the box says, I assume the manufacturer is always trying to con me.

In a hard water area, you might find it beneficial to add some soda crystals to the machine in every wash to help soften the water and make the detergent work more efficiently.