Why does the fabric softener section in my washing machine fill up with water?

[Manoo]

Ever since we bought this blooming machine the fabric softener section fills up with water, and I'm sure that although I continue to use fabric softener, it is just getting diluted and staying in the drawer, and my clothes are staying crispy.

Anyone know of any solutions to this problem?

It gets blocked up with residue. You need to get the whole drawer out and scrub it clean in very hot water and washing up liquid (I keep an old toothbrush for this very reason, you need a very small brush). Someone I know puts hers in the dishwasher but I don't fancy putting mine in with eating utensils and am too green/mean just to run the dishwasher with just that in it.

Its a chore but it does work. Mine seems to need doing every couple of weeks. As if we didn't have enough to do!

Is the back of it blocked?

Sometimes fabric conditioners go gunky and block the tubes resulting in it filling up with water - I don't know why

Have you tried taking the soap dispenser out to check it?

Once it's cleaned out, you may find another brand of softener gunks up less. My Ecover stuff is quite a watery consistency and doesn't block. Likewise, if you use the condensed kind of softener (to save packaging - very good of course), you might find it better to water the softener down before it goes in.

I used to have a large softener bottle, which once used up, I refilled using a condensed bottle and topped up with water. Seemed to "wash through" the drawer more easily.

mine is always full of water and i do not use fabric softener..is yours a Bosch?

Thanks everyone, I'll try washing it all out, and also try a 'thinner' fabric softener like Ecover, or try thinning out the concentrate stuff we use.

NotanOtter the machine is a Baumatic. It's already broken once and cost a fortune to repair, and is now making a funny noise, so I'm not impressed.