Thread Number: 7584
Help - brown gunk in my front loader |
[Down to Last] |
|
Post# 148243 , Reply# 1   8/13/2006 at 18:16 (6,436 days old) by rinso (Meridian Idaho)   |   | |
Checkrate/Likes
 
     
I have had the brown gunk problem in more than just one appliance. It is also in my coffee maker. According to the local water department, it can be iron sludge or a harmless fungus. My approach has always been to clean it out with 409 and paper towels. |
Post# 148250 , Reply# 2   8/13/2006 at 19:34 (6,436 days old) by golittlesport (California)   |   | |
Checkrate/Likes
 
     
Maybe try throwing a few gallons of white distilled vinegar in the machine and let it soak for a while, turning it on to tumble a bit intermitently to splash the vinegard solution around. Then run the machine through a complete cycle empty. You use white distilled vinegar to clean out a drip coffee maker to clear out the mineral deposit buildup, so I'm thinking maybe it will disolve your brown gunk. Any machine, top or front load can develop a build up of laundry products, mold, or a combination of the two. Fabric softener is notorious for turning in brown sludge if it builds up...as can be found in many agitator-dispensers of the more piggish people. But in front loaders the softener flushes into the drum with water, so I don't know if that is it. Do you clean out the dispenser drawer and inside the dispenser area now and then like the manufacturer says to? Anyway, good luck getting rid of it. |
Post# 148280 , Reply# 3   8/13/2006 at 21:35 (6,436 days old) by mayken4now (Panama City, Florida)   |   | |
Checkrate/Likes
 
     
Dahlin, you have to dry and clean your machine everytime you finish your laundry. Wipe the interior and the dispenser components, and you wont have this issue ever again. Yea, they are suppose to be automatic, but they (Whirlpool or whoever) have not mastered the cleaning of the machine. Bet you have cats in the house too! LOL Steve |
Post# 148315 , Reply# 4   8/14/2006 at 00:28 (6,436 days old) by launderess (Quiet Please, There´s a Lady on Stage)   |   | |
Checkrate/Likes
 
     
First, the brown gunck sounds like oils, and soils not being competlely held in suspension and washed away. What detergent are you using? If using small amounts of non-HE detergent to keep sudsing down, often you are not getting the full cleaning/soil suspension power of a detergent. This is often true if using mainly warm to cold water washes and or you have very dirty laundry. To clean the machine, first turn up your hot water heater if possible, so you can have the hottest water possible. Then add 2-3 cups of baking soda to the detergent compartment, and as the machine is filling add one cup of white vinegar. It should make a foamy mess, which is what you want it to do. Run the machine through a complete wash cycle, repeat if necessary. You may also try using any automatic dishwasher cleaners sold in hardware stores. If all else fails, contact Miele and buy a box of washing/dishwasher machine descaler. Next, you may have to find another good detergent that works in your washer. Make sure it can clean well but is low sudsing/clean rinsing. Finally leave the door to the washing machine and detergent dispenser drawer open after each wash load. A closed moist place like the inside of a washing machine is prime mould growth territory. If you suspect your washing machine has a mould problem, the vinegar/baking soda treatment should take care of that as well. It may take several times, but it should work. L. |
Post# 148400 , Reply# 7   8/14/2006 at 15:41 (6,436 days old) by launderess (Quiet Please, There´s a Lady on Stage)   |   | |
Checkrate/Likes
 
     
Don't know what I would "have", but the vinegar/baking soda method works quite well, thank you very much. It is even suggested by Miele tech for cleaning out their washing machines. But as American domestic washing machines seem to have no warnings against LCB, suppose long and or repeated exposure to high concentrations of the substance shouldn't be a problem. Have never used LCB in my Miele, only the methods outlined in my previous posts, and so far no mould, no gunk. Maybe once every quarter or six months will run a 200F wash. Just for the record, white vinegar is a very effective biocide and fungicide. It also removes soap/detergent scum and other organic films. Just as many bathroom cleaners (those that do not rely on chlorine bleach) and anti-mould products, vinegar is acidic. However unlike chlorine bleach white vinegar does not harm stainless steel or other surfaces. |
Post# 148460 , Reply# 10   8/14/2006 at 21:09 (6,435 days old) by neptunebob (Pittsburgh, PA)   |   | |
Checkrate/Likes
 
     
It makes a difference, even after the water is treated. If you live South of Downtown your water comes from the Mon and has a higher mineral content than we lucky ones who get our water from the Allegheny river. I agree about the dishwasher detergent, with no clothes. May have to run through two cycles, we use Cascade Complete. I would even add a little bit of Dawn, this is one time we want the foam. Is this the Frigidaire Sears front loader or the HE3T? We have a Neptune, and once I removed the front of the drum and wiped underneath the washbasket, this helped with the mold. I also cleaned the piece that covers the drum. I am not sure how to remove it in your washer, sorry. Nep |