What led to my desire to "strip" my washing machine of gunk and buildup?
For some time now when I take my freshly washed laundry out of the washer to put into the dryer I'd find little hard chunks of brown, waxy debris. It didn't smell horrible, in other words...it wasn't poop! It felt like soap and crumbled easily in my hand. There weren't huge quantities of it but it was enough to definitely notice. I knew it was buildup coming from somewhere inside the washer.
The above happens off and on over time and I finally decide to see if I can find where the brown gunk is coming from.
Step 1 (for me): This depends on your washing machine.
I took the top off of my agitator. It is a two part thing that I never use. Inside the agitator I can tell it fills with water as the washer is used and drains when the washer drains. I look down inside and can see hard brown AND slimy brown gunk. Gross!
The agitator does come off completely and this would probably be the preferred method of cleaning it, but mine is attached with a bolt that is clearly rusted and I fear that if I tried to take it off it would either break off or not be able to be reattached.
Step 2: I take a bit of vinegar and pour it in to the agitator and it does not drain down as it should. The gunk is creating a barrier.
Step 3: With the help of my trusty shish kabob stick and a flashlight I dig down in there, break off and scrape off as much as I can. Whatever I break off or scrape off falls down inside the agitator. (I am pretty disgusted at this point, to know that my laundry has been washing in water that moves through this slimy gunked up thing!
I hold my finger on the mechanism that makes the washer agitate and let it swish around.
Step 5: The brown chunks of muck and slimy layer of film on the water was gross and I worried about trying to let it drain. So I got out the wet/dry vac and sucked it all out. Then I let it fill again and I repeated Step 3 and 4 continuing to add more vinegar.
Finally, I ran another rinse cycle with fresh clean water and when I was satisfied there was no more gunk agitating out of it I called it a day!
Let me say, these photos are gross, the gunk was gross and the smell was really gross. But other than sporadic chunks of brown waxy stuff in the bottom of my washer from time to time there was no other signs that it was this bad. The water was always clear when washing/rinsing my laundry.
So...when is the last time you inspected your washer with a shish kabob stick and flashlight?
I did this not too long ago with my washer. I found putting baking soda down there then putting vinegar and letting it foam up, letting it soak for a little bit then pouring boiling water in helps to clear it out as well. :) definitely some crazy weird funky gunk that gets built up in there.
ReplyDeleteI have a top-loading HE washer. I have NO IDEA what may be lurking down there under the agitator. I wipe down the barrel with vinegar every few months to remove the calcium deposits, then do a 'clean machine' cycle with bleach to hopefully kill and brown slimy monsters.
ReplyDeleteOh I am so glad you posted this! I was having the same issue and did my own version of this a while back. My husband thought I was nuts spending a couple of hours pouring vinegar and hot water into the washer over and over while poking with a skewer stick . I never thought to use the wet vac though. I will have to do that next time!
ReplyDeleteIn my front loader the gunk hides in near the front under the rubber barrier (as well as the occasional sock). I have rubbed a rag in there but I should probably take more time. EW
ReplyDeleteAlso take a ziploc bag put vinegar in it place on shower head with a rubber band or tie with something. Leave for awhile and it will run better. Lots of usese for vinegar
ReplyDeleteHah! I love the investigation you did-nice tools! We have a front-loader HE and after every cloth diaper rinse, I try really hard to remember to wipe out the rubber barrier. I imagine poop stuck in there and it horrifies me. So far I've found nothing:)
ReplyDeleteOh my gosh! My washer is old. Older than me even. I suspect it REALLY needs this! Thanks for posting!
ReplyDeletewww.TinyTipis.blogspot.com
Ew; mine gets like this, too. There's this cup thing on the top of the agitator post and it fills up with nastiness. I don't understand why - I don't understand how it fills full enough for the yuck to get in, but not full enough for the wash water to run through it and clean it back out!
ReplyDeleteso i totally took mine apart yesterday to do this keep in mind i dont even use fabric softner because my son has sensitive skin and i dont want residue in my diapers but it was my inlaws machine previously so i knew the gunk was there. I took off the agitator too adn it was so gross the brown film was unbelivable the under side of the agitator was the grossest part!! i pulled out a huge hunk of lint and hair from center. it was gross to think that it was getting on my clothes as i washed them.
ReplyDeleteMine is only a year old so I ran some dawn through hot cycles in it (like with diapers)then the Vinegar there was a waxy white residue that was comming off on my dark clothing I will be running a white vin through it once a month so that I can keep crap from building up!
ReplyDeleteOh my gosh! I have been thinking about this a lot lately actually! And have been to afraid to just "do it" Your post has encouraged me in that it can be done! We have been CDing for over a year now. I and I am begining to notice that my washer has a funky smell when it is not in use and my clothes just aren't as clean as they use to be. Colors not so much but my whites look dingy...guess I know what I will be doing this afternoon!
ReplyDeletep.s
I think a toilet brush would be a good tool for the job!