Washing machine doing my head in. Leaving dirty streaks on washing.

[Lemevoir]

Exactly the same thing happened about two months ago and I did several maintenance washes to get it properly clean (or so I thought). Thought I'd solved the problem, but it's happened again... My washing machine is annoying me so much!

About a week ago I washed some towels and they came out with dirty, streaky, scummy marks over them.

I must have done three or four 60 or 90 degree maintenance washes in the last week using Dr Beckmann (have used both the powder and the liquid) but the washing is still coming out with scummy marks.

I've been getting between the seal and the drum and into all the little nooks and crannies in the seal with a cloth after each maintenance wash and I'm still bringing out muck.

What's going on??

I almost always use bio washing powder (very occasionally I'll use a delicates liquid for when I wash delicates/wool jumpers).

Most of my washes are done at 40 degrees or higher, although I have started to do some washes at 30 to save on energy.

I do high-temperature maintenance washes using Dr Beckmann or bicarb or soda crystals every few months (but probably not as frequently as I should).

I live in a hard water area.

Machine is three years old.

After a week of almost constantly cleaning the washing machine, I just want my clothes to come out clean 😩

I had this a few years ago. The marks looked a little bit oily. The machine broke down a few weeks later and couldn't be mended. The bearings had gone and I had to buy a new machine ☹️

I'm really hoping it's not the bearings as this machine is only three years old. The bearings went on our old machine and I remember we really knew about it because it made such a racket during the spin cycle.

I don't think these are greasy/oily marks. It feels scummy/possibly slightly gritty. We live near the coast, so I wonder if that's a (weird) factor.

This happened to me with a machine that was 'only' 5 years old. It was the bearings in my case too.

Same here with the bearings and the noise started not long after getting those marks on everything. Also wasn't an old machine. Do you overload the machine with heavy loads of towels?

Mine was 5 years old when the bearings went. I'd paid for a five year warranty and the bloody thing broke about 2 weeks after the warranty expired

This is currently happening with our machine too which is only a year old.

I've got that with my last wash but not oily marks just soap scum that rubbed off. Sounded a bit noisy last time it was on spin - hope it's not on its way out!

No, I don't think I overload the machine with towels - usually two bath sheets and 3 or 4 hand towels.

It's a 9kg drum - I used to weigh the washing when I first got the machine but haven't done so for years as I never got close to exceeding the maximum weight.

I really hope the washing machine isn't on its way out. It only seems like yesterday we were choosing a new one and getting it delivered.

Might need to call on the local washing machine repair service for them to take a look...

I had this problem, it was a build up of washing liquid and conditioner around the rubber on this inside of the drum and happened more if I had a full load and the washing was against the rubber. You need to clean all of that off. Are you putting too much powder in? (powder is better than liquid) I don't use conditioner any more and reverted back to powder and haven't had any problems since.
Hope you can sort it, very frustrating when you've dried the washing and then find the marks.

Have you cleared the drain at the bottom to check it's not blocked? We have one on the front of the machine and it can get a bit mucky...

Hmm, I don't think I'm using too much powder. Usually one scoop for a full load, sometimes only about a quarter of a scoop if its a small/not particularly dirty load. We live in a hard water area so I think the advice is to use slightly more powder.

Fabric softener - never use for towels, usually about 3/4 capful per wash load. Might try washing without for a while.

But wouldn't 3 or 4 hot maintenance washes using Dr Beckmann dissolve any build up of fabric softener?

Good call- I'll check that tomorrow. I know last time this happened a few months ago I cleared the filter at the front and some fluff/bit of muck came out.

You need to run a cloth round the rim of the door, right into the rubber seal

You'll find loads of black grease in there

Check the seal round the door first

Right inside it, not just on the surface

Have you cleaned the rubber door seal , sometimes it gets scummy up round it and maintenance washes don't clean it
I usually wipe it with a cloth

I had this. Brown slightly greasy marks. Horrible.

I managed to resolve in the end. I got a bottle brush and shoved it between the seal and the drum. Then slowly turned the drum. What came out on that brush stank and was the exact colour of the stains. Repeated it and repeated it. The gunk that came out was huge. I then washed again, empty, 90c with 4 dishwasher tablets in the machine. They don’t have a surfactant so don’t make bubbles, but they are very good at cleaning grease.

no more brown marks.

I repeat the process once a month.

@DeliberatelyObtuse @healthadvice123 Yeah, I've been getting right in there with a cloth - not just on the outside/most visible bit of the seal, but into all the nooks and cranies in the seal and between the seal and the drum. Loads of muck coming out and after several maintenance washes and getting right in with a cloth, there's still muck coming out.

Thanks for this @Mykittensmittens . Looks like I need to get myself a bottle brush. I can only poke the cloth so far between the drum and the seal, so hopefully cleaning with a bottle brush and then dishwasher tablets is the way to solve this.

I did the same as @Mykittensmittens but I used an old (but clean) toothbrush to get it under the seal really well. It solved the problem but to keep on top of it I have stopped using bio gels and just use powder, do an empty hot wash every so often, and make sure I don’t overload the drum.

I had a problem with clothes coming out smelly and marked and after getting my husband to take the machine apart, we realised the water in pipe was too low and dirty dishwater was going into the washing machine so might be worth checking.

Have you cleaned out the drawer and behind the drawer? Have you checked the hose? That can get filled with scummy slime if it drains at an upwards angle and allows water, softener and detergent to build up inside.

Ooh, thanks @Bobbybobbins and @BooksAndHooks I hadn't thought of checking the hose. Obviously if that's the cause of the issue then the grime will keep coming back until its resolved.

I'm currently following @Mykittensmittens technique. So much scum and grime is coming out from between the drum and the seal. I used the torch on my phone to have a good look and there's such a lot of brown muck there.

@tiredandstripey I tried using a toothbrush, but the handle of the brush was too wide to wedge between the seal and the drum.

@Lemevoir hi OP. I was wondering if you ever managed to solve this issue? Mine is doing the same thing - it's OK on a 40 degrees or higher, fast wash, but on a 30 degree wool cycle everything comes out covered in tan coloured slimey sludge. It's disgusting. I've done 3 sets of 90 degree cycles today, one of them included washing machine cleaner.

But I put back my 30 degree woollens to try again (without any detergent or fabric softener this time) and they've come out just as bad.

I hate it! They're coming out worse than when they went in.

Hard water area too. Hoping you found a cure. Ps. My machine doesn't sound as though it's bearings are going.