How to clean the inside of a washing machine and keep it that way

[Rockfella]

The buildup under the impeller is mainly from the SA8 then. I do not see any scale so you do not need a descaler. Not sure if the black stuff at the bottom of the tub in the second photo is mould. Maybe.

View attachment 160927View attachment 160928

That is one year of SA8 liquid detergent buildup. Good you posted these photos as they serve as an approximation for others as to what to expect when using liquid detergent. If Fabric softener is also used then expect double this residue, particularly if you cannot wash in warm water or use hot water. This is why the LG top loader manual says to make every fourth wash a warm wash.

Are liquid detergents not good overall? I have had no bad experience with SA8.

That is good news then for others who cannot get into the machine. So long as maintenance washes are regular the wash action should clean most of the residue.

Will try to do hot washes once in a whie.

I don't know what clog you are referring to but if you want the deal with the residue under the impeller...

Yes it is soft easy to remove dirt whatever it is called.

100gm Vanish powder in hot water. Let it run for a few minutes. Then let it sit for an hour. Then run it again for 15 minutes. Done. Repeat every couple of months. Dissemble after a year and compare the difference with the photo above. Your case is easy as there is no steel basket so 90% of the tub will be clean. The residue is only under the impeller and the part of the tub that the impeller covers.
So you only need enough hot water to completely submerge the impeller and no more. For those with regular top loaders, they will need to fill the entire tub right to the top as there will be residue on the back of the basket as well as the rub.

Thanks

The missing something is your lint filter which seems to be missing for some reason. There is no lint that I can see in your latest photos. The buildup under the impeller is from liquid detergent residue.

It broke.

Ensure the Vanish powder is stored in some airtight container or make sure the ziplock bag of the 400gm packet is tightly sealed between uses. Moisture must not be allowed to get in otherwise the percarbonate in it will quickly expire. The percarbonate is the active cleaning agent you rely on to remove the detergent residue.

Noted.

View attachment 160929View attachment 160930

To clean these pipes the hot Vanish solution needs to fill them and sit there for at least an hour. So you will have to figure out how to fill them. So after five minutes maybe run the drain pump. Plug the pipe outlet then stop the drain pump. Let it sit for an hour then let it out when you empty out the main tub.

I figured out how to do this while cleaning. Machine needs to be opened from rear.

Considering the amount of plastic piping as well as the tub in this machine you should not use any chlorine bleach like Clorox or Rin. Try the Suma D4 tabs if you need to remove any smells or mould. Use about four with enough water to cover the impeller. That will be about 5-10 litres of water. Let it sit for an hour in hot water. Keep in mind the Suma will not be as effective at removing detergent residue as Vanish. In theory, you should not need the Suma but it's good to have it if necessary.

I won't thx again

 

[blr_p]

Are liquid detergents not good overall? I have had no bad experience with SA8.

All detergents leave a residue. Liquid detergents particularly sold in India have a fats base derived from palm oil I think.

I won't say they are bad. They dissolve better in colder water which means they will clean better at that temperature within reason.

If you have a machine with an internal heater that can wash in warm water then I prefer powder detergent as they don't leave this oily residue. There is a powder residue though. I find powders easier to dose and quicker to pour. If you use the timer for delayed washing then powder detergent is the only option as liquid will harden in the detergent compartment if left for hours.

The only time I use liquid detergent is to wash microfiber towels as the builders used in powder detergents are not good for microfiber towels. They clog them up and the microfiber towel will lose its absorbency over time.

 

[Rockfella]

All detergents leave a residue. Liquid detergents particularly sold in India have a fats base derived from palm oil I think.

I won't say they are bad. They dissolve better in colder water which means they will clean better at that temperature within reason.

If you have a machine with an internal heater that can wash in warm water then I prefer powder detergent as they don't leave this oily residue. There is a powder residue though. I find powders easier to dose and quicker to pour. If you use the timer for delayed washing then powder detergent is the only option as liquid will harden in the detergent compartment if left for hours.

The only time I use liquid detergent is to wash microfiber towels as the builders used in powder detergents are not good for microfiber towels. They clog them up and the microfiber towel will lose its absorbency over time.

Liquid Concentrated Laundry Detergent 1 L - Cleans Toughest Stains | Amway India

Amway India presents SA8 Liquid Concentrated Laundry Detergent 1L pack, it cares for clothes by keeping colours true and containing natural softeners.

www.amway.in

I do leave white clothes in the washer for hours/days sometimes.

 

[blr_p]

On pg.39 of the Samsung manual for this model (WW70T502NTW1TL) I found the below. You will likely find this for most Samsung front load models

How do they expect the drum to remain clean then? They seem to imply their drum clean cycle is so good that no cleaning agents are required. I don't believe that.

I've followed such advice for years and my drum did get dirty over time as detailed in the opener.

Tub clean cycles with no product are not as effective as using the right cleaning agent and if done regularly will keep any machine clean for its entire working life.

I do leave white clothes in the washer for hours/days sometimes.

You can get away with it in a semi-automatic. With a basket in the machine, this will lead to mould growing in the tub that you cannot access over time.

 

[lockhrt999]

Buy pack of 3 or pack of 5, if you are descaling your washing machine after many years. my machine needed 3 packets to remove every bit of residue.

Did you use all of them at once or did you run multiple cleaning cycles?

 

[gokul.ece22]

Did you use all of them at once or did you run multiple cleaning cycles?

I used only one packet for each cycle.
my machine needed 4 cycles to remove every bit of scales/gunk etc.

If your machine has not been cleaned for many years or scale buildup is heavy, you can use 2 packets per cycle.

Use with warm water, it increases the efficiency.

 

[6pack]

That descaler powder messed up the plastic in my washing machine. All the top part of the plastic inside the drum has become like this. Some deposit looking like a fragment of a rock came out by breaking some plastic edge below the agitator I think. Guess I'll have to buy a new wm soon. Don't know what broke since the machine finished it's job without complaining.

Do front load washing machines work well if the water TDS is high and has iron in it? Some of my new taps have rusting on them in just a few months after installation.

 

[lockhrt999]

That descaler powder messed up the plastic in my washing machine. All the top part of the plastic inside the drum has become like this. Some deposit looking like a fragment of a rock came out by breaking some plastic edge below the agitator I think.

If I'm not wrong, that rock is the scaling itself. And those marks you see on the plastic maybe that's how the original plastic looked like before it got dull looking scaling cover. I'm not sure but I think you need to run descaler a few times more. . @blr_p might know what's happening.

 

[Rockfella]

Please suggest a fully automatic washing machine. Budget 18k, can be stretched if it is worth it.
Tia.

 

[blr_p]

View attachment 162298

That descaler powder messed up the plastic in my washing machine.

What descaling powder?

Do front load washing machines work well if the water TDS is high and has iron in it? Some of my new taps have rusting on them in just a few months after installation.

High iron usually results in rust colour stains on the clothes. Do you see that kind of stain? Otherwise, you don't have iron in the water.

Get a water hardness kit and tell us your hardness. TDS is a meaningless number.

 

[6pack]

If I'm not wrong, that rock is the scaling itself. And those marks you see on the plastic maybe that's how the original plastic looked like before it got dull looking scaling cover. I'm not sure but I think you need to run descaler a few times more. . @blr_p might know what's happening.

Yes, that rock like thing was scales which got removed. I never saw the plastic in such bad shape before I used this descaler brand. Ice used IFB and other descalers and none of them messed up the plastic in the drum.

What descaling powder?


High iron usually results in rust colour stains on the clothes. Do you see that kind of stain? Otherwise, you don't have iron in the water.

Get a water hardness kit and tell us your hardness. TDS is a meaningless number.

It's that Lyzene or lygienic brand I linked to in this thread sometime back.

I see some brown mud like scales on clothes. And the taps have rust marks on the threads. Plus the water filter I put on the mainline has a metal mesh which has rusted here and there.

 

[blr_p]

It's that Lyzene or lygienic brand I linked to in this thread sometime back.

Never heard of it, Can you post a link?

I see some brown mud like scales on clothes. And the taps have rust marks on the threads. Plus the water filter I put on the mainline has a metal mesh which has rusted here and there.

Mud like scales can be mud too?

What about wash basins, toilet commodes and clothes? is there any orange staining there?

If there is iron in your water you will have to attach an iron filter where the water will be used. The filter should say 'birm' as that is the oxidizer used to convert the soluble iron (ferrous) if present into precipitate (ferric) that the sediment filter then traps. Watch this video to understand the chemistry involved.

If it's mostly in the ferric form then a sediment filter is all that is needed to filter it out.

 

[6pack]

Lygienic Advanced Descaler (Set of 5) Washing Machine Deep Cleaner Powder by eGalaxy Traders https://amzn.eu/d/3xDnAyy

Mud like scales can be mud too?

What about wash basins, toilet commodes and clothes? is there any orange staining there?

Maybe it's mud. I clean the wash basins, toilet commodes, kitchen sink about two times a week. I see muddy water most times. The toilet cistern is full of mud but no orange stains there.

 

[blr_p]

Lygienic Advanced Descaler (Set of 5) Washing Machine Deep Cleaner Powder by eGalaxy Traders https://amzn.eu/d/3xDnAyy

Ah, now I remember. This is made by the same people that do Atomic which top loader owners rave about.

Maybe it's mud. I clean the wash basins, toilet commodes, kitchen sink about two times a week. I see muddy water most times. The toilet cistern is full of mud but no orange stains there.

Why do you think it's iron instead of mud? iron or ferric deposits will have a more reddish colour than mud which tends to be mostly brown. Mud mixed with iron will also look brown. The only way you will know is if you test the water for iron. It does not take much to cause problems. 0.3 ppm is all it takes.

 

[blr_p]

View attachment 162298

That descaler powder messed up the plastic in my washing machine. All the top part of the plastic inside the drum has become like this. Some deposit looking like a fragment of a rock came out by breaking some plastic edge below the agitator I think. Guess I'll have to buy a new wm soon. Don't know what broke since the machine finished it's job without complaining.

What I understand by the "top part of plastic inside the drum" is the disc that encircles the impeller. Just that.

The part you posted here isn't the impeller but a disc that encircles it IIANM

How is the impeller and is there any damage?

I find it weird that just one component got damaged but otherwise every other plastic thing in the machine is fine. Is that correct?

How long have you been using that descaler to get an idea of the time it takes to cause this damage?

 

[6pack]

Yes, looks like the part encircling the impeller. The top of the impeller is fine. I don't have the tool to remove the nut that's holding it to the tub to see what damage has been caused. I don't know where that plastic bit came out of. I've searched the tub but nothing is broken afaics. The part does seem it came out of the machine because it was there in the clothes when I took the clothes out after everything was done.

I used the descaler for about 2-3 hours i think. I had let it run the entire wash cycle and shut off the machine for 2 hours because I didn't see any dirt in the water. After that I let it complete.

 

[blr_p]

Yes, looks like the part encircling the impeller. The top of the impeller is fine. I don't have the tool to remove the nut that's holding it to the tub to see what damage has been caused. I don't know where that plastic bit came out of. I've searched the tub but nothing is broken afaics. The part does seem it came out of the machine because it was there in the clothes when I took the clothes out after everything was done.

In other words, just one part was affected and nothing else. That is the part made from ABS and the rest is all PP. Why would they make one part from a different plastic

Don't have to remove anything. If the impeller is fine then the bottom is as well.

The way you said messed up your machine i thought the damage was much more extensive. It is not. Just that circle.

I used the descaler for about 2-3 hours i think. I had let it run the entire wash cycle and shut off the machine for 2 hours because I didn't see any dirt in the water. After that I let it complete.

So this happened after just one try then?

Should be easy enough for people to tell then. If there is no visible damage after the first use then it will be fine.

 

[6pack]

Maybe it's designed not to be kept for long hours.

 

[lockhrt999]

It probably came out of this gap. You should post that rock here.

 

[blr_p]

In July I think. Had only one packet of that IFB descaler which cleaned a bit.

This is the bit I'm interested in. You're saying IFB's descaler helped?

To get an idea of the damage to @6pack ' machine, It's ONLY limited to the area between the red circles.

View attachment 163301

It probably came out of this gap. You should post that rock here.

That implies the disc is PP which I would expect. These are injection moulded parts. It makes ZERO sense to use a different plastic for the impeller and that disc which for all purposes looks identical to me.

But if you see further up there is some damage to that disc. So it's not clear. Is it damage caused by the descaler or just wear and tear after ten years of use?

Now that it is clean you can more clearly see the plastic.

Another thing is the disc appears white here but the pic he posted later is grey. Could just be the lighting.