Tips for cleaning the grottiest most disgusting front load washer on the planet?

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ertyu
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Tips for cleaning the grottiest most disgusting front load washer on the planet?

Post by ertyu »

If you are following my journal you know that I recently moved into a cheap but centrally located utter dump of a flat. With it comes the oldest, most foul-smelling, black gunk covered washing machine. I want to disassemble and clean it. I have already seen a couple of YouTube videos about how to open it and how to clean the filter, so my next step here is to purchase a screwdriver and get going. I also googled, but beyond “run a wash with baking soda and vinegar,” there wasn’t much. Now, I strongly suspect baking soda and vinegar wouldn’t cut it here. I did learn about where the filter is, so I will remove that, and I will also remove the tray where the powder goes. But I highly doubt the funk simply stops where I can reach. What is your guys’ advice on how to approach this?

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Alphaville
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Re: Tips for cleaning the grottiest most disgusting front load washer on the planet?

Post by Alphaville »

baking soda and vinegar will bubble up and neutralize each other.

i have no idea but wow congrats on moving!

anyway for gunk and grease i use orange oil in various stages of dilution. be careful with it because it will melt certain plastics hahaahaa.

recently i had problems with a clogged sink. baking soda and vinegar produced a mechanical force kind of like using a plunger—the bubbles, shooting. but that did nothing.

what finally actually uncloggged the hair and gunk was dumping a bit of 45% vinegar straight into the thing. that melted everything right off and the water rinsed the rest.

i guess first step is identifying what exactly is the substance you’re trying to clean because that will determine the appropriate chemical to clean it.

meanwhile—wash by hand? i’ve had bad washing machines destroy my clothes in the past.

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Re: Tips for cleaning the grottiest most disgusting front load washer on the planet?

Post by Gilberto de Piento »

If the seal for the door is a accordion style it may have a lot of hair, etc in the folds. Scrub that by hand. Look for anywhere else with build up and clean it out. Then run a cycle with just bleach and no laundry. There are instructions online. Repeat this occasionally depending on use. I had to clean up an old washer not long ago, what a mess.

Also clean the dryer trap and entire dryer exhaust. If it fills up it can cause poor drying or even a fire.

ertyu
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Re: Tips for cleaning the grottiest most disgusting front load washer on the planet?

Post by ertyu »

No dryer on this one it’s old :lol:

Anyway, purchased bleach, baking soda and vinegar and will run one wash with each.

Scrubbed out what I could remove and scrub, put gel bleach in the folds of the door seal. Can’t open the filter, though. It seems completely fused, which sucks because that’s exactly where I think the smell comes from.

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Alphaville
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Re: Tips for cleaning the grottiest most disgusting front load washer on the planet?

Post by Alphaville »

can you post make/model/photos?

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Re: Tips for cleaning the grottiest most disgusting front load washer on the planet?

Post by jacob »

Keep in mind that bleach mixed with acid (like vinegar leftovers from the previous wash) will produce chlorine gas.

ertyu
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Re: Tips for cleaning the grottiest most disgusting front load washer on the planet?

Post by ertyu »

Good point. Did not realize there could be enough leftover vinegar for this. Will make sure to keep area well ventilated.

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Re: Tips for cleaning the grottiest most disgusting front load washer on the planet?

Post by ertyu »

.... aaaand it turns out the bathroom floor drain doesn’t really drain either. Sigh I know it’s ideologically impure of me, but this is getting to me. I have no problem with simple. No issue with, say, sleeping on a mattress on a bunch of shipping pellets and using a crate for a nightstand. Squalor, though, is hard.

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Re: Tips for cleaning the grottiest most disgusting front load washer on the planet?

Post by Alphaville »

what does ideology have to do with not wanting to wade in sewer backup?

i get the annoyance. you’re going to need some tools and chemicals. take a deep breath and apply patience to the work

and forgive me for not checking in your journal right now due to time pressure but is this a rental or a purchase?
Last edited by Alphaville on Tue Aug 18, 2020 9:55 am, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Tips for cleaning the grottiest most disgusting front load washer on the planet?

Post by jacob »

ertyu wrote:
Tue Aug 18, 2020 9:41 am
.... aaaand it turns out the bathroom floor drain doesn’t really drain either.
Could be full of gunk (soap residue, hair, dust, ...). For this I prefer chlorine and letting it sit for 10 mins and then follow with as much boiling water as you have pots to follow. Repeat as needed/until done. This does run the risk of sending clogs further down the line. We also do this as a maintenance routine. Chlorine dissolves all sorts of organic things. (Don't use chlorine if you're on a septic system!!)

Worse, if it's cast iron pipes and they've simply been sitting (unused) for too long. They tend to develop flaky rust inside that narrows the effective pipe diameter down to nothing. I don't know any chemical solution to this, but you can grind it out with a snake/rooter. You need a power rooter to get anywhere with that. Hand cranking won't cut it. Warning: There's a possibility that the snake will get stuck if you screw up. In that case you're looking at $$$$ to solve it. Also rooting is best done from behind the trap if you have access to it (like from the floor below if any?). Good luck if it's buried in cement!

When we first bought the house we had lots of little plumbing issues like this because the previous owners had neglected them. We got the plumber on speed dial. Must have been here 10 times in the first couple of years. I got some practice rooting with a manual which I don't recommend. However, eventually we got it worked out. Has been a few years since we last needed to take anything apart.

ertyu
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Re: Tips for cleaning the grottiest most disgusting front load washer on the planet?

Post by ertyu »

@Alphaville: no need to check the journal, no pressure. It’s a rental, but according to BG law, the landlord is not on the hook. So as a tennant, you know that when you take an apartment you’re responsible for any small maintenance tasks you need to do (plumbing, appliance repair, etc). This creates a really lose-lose situation. Landlords dgaf, tenants don’t make repairs and maintain appliances because it’s not their property and because if the condition of the property improves, you will be kicked out because landlords can now raise the rent. So there are really 2 tiers to the rental market, with rent about 2x in the second tier. I pay 135 euro per month for a very run down property that is a 6th floor walk-up, has dilapidated furniture, and iffy appliances. I also saw a 230 euro per month place with solid furniture and new appliances. The landlord to that was very rude to me, though, because he didn’t think I could afford his property. I guess one way to look at it is, I now have 90 euro a month to spend on repairs lol.

@jacob: pipes aren’t metal. Construction is too new, metal would’ve been too expensive- so I assume PVC. I got a manual rooter: this looks like a long metal spiral with a plastic handle. I will try with commercial drain unblocking powder tomorrow and escalate from there. Worst case scenario, it’s construction waste.
Last edited by ertyu on Tue Aug 18, 2020 11:19 am, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Tips for cleaning the grottiest most disgusting front load washer on the planet?

Post by Frita »

Argh, plumbing! I would also add a few suggestions:
• Use hot water when running a load of cleaner through or when hand scrubbing.
• Another cleaner that comes to mind is borax. Wear gloves, make a paste, scrub, let set, scrub some more, remove, and rinse.
• I would consider wiping dry the gasket and letting the door remain open to circulate air (Or just wipe it down too.). Once clean, this will prevent this gross mold from regrowing.

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Alphaville
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Re: Tips for cleaning the grottiest most disgusting front load washer on the planet?

Post by Alphaville »

hey! just read your journal. awesome!

the best thing to pour into stuck drains is sulfuric acid. it’s usually sold as a professional grade bla bla bla. requires sturdy gloves and goggles and decent venting though. sells in plastic bottles inside of sealed bags (here in the usa anyway) and will smell like rotten eggs and might stain the metal thing around the drain but oh it works... use with great caution if you value your fingers :lol:

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Re: Tips for cleaning the grottiest most disgusting front load washer on the planet?

Post by unemployable »

Another suggestion: dish soap. In the US, the best stuff to use for this is blue Dawn, branded as Dawn Ultra, with the baby chicks on the bottle. If you can get blue Dawn do not use anything else. Cuts grease and oil -- what it's advertised to do -- but won't react with metal or plastic.

In the drain, pour a bit in and let it sit, preferably overnight. Not too much, like two or three tablespoons at a time. In the washing machine I'd try running a ghost load with about the same amount. If you're taking things apart you can soak parts in it, again preferably for several hours or overnight. Cheap and you can find it everywhere.

You can wash clothes with dish soap, too, especially if the stains are grease or oil based.

ertyu
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Re: Tips for cleaning the grottiest most disgusting front load washer on the planet?

Post by ertyu »

Thanks for the tip, I’ll research the ingredients and see if there’s a local alternative that’s close.

Update: seems to be a mix of NaOH and regular dishwashing liquid :D. Sounds doable.

I wonder if that stuff you use to clean ovens and extractor hoods might not work well, too...

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Re: Tips for cleaning the grottiest most disgusting front load washer on the planet?

Post by unemployable »

Lye (NaOH) might eat through your pipes and give you bigger issues. I wouldn't be nonchalant about using sulfuric acid, either.

Dawn is owned by Procter & Gamble, which apparently sells dish soap in Europe under the name Fairy. Not sure whether it's the exact same stuff or whether the equivalent of blue Dawn exists. I'd try any major-brand full-strength dish soap to start. It's a cheap, low-risk product. My point with blue Dawn is that it has somewhat of a cult following in North America, and if you can get it you shouldn't buy anything else.

I'd try an enzyme-based drain cleaner - in the US, Zep is one brand -- before strong acids or bases.

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Re: Tips for cleaning the grottiest most disgusting front load washer on the planet?

Post by Alphaville »

best to check with landlord then...

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Re: Tips for cleaning the grottiest most disgusting front load washer on the planet?

Post by jacob »

@unemployable - @ertyu has plastic pipes (see above). Should be rather resistant to inorganic acids and bases. Bigger concerns for H2SO4 and NaOH are lungs, skin, and eyes. Such solutions can get quite exciting!

Thanks for the blue dawn tip, BTW. We'll try that.

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Re: Tips for cleaning the grottiest most disgusting front load washer on the planet?

Post by Lemur »

@Unemployable

Something special about that blue-dawn....I cleaned my house siding (which had badly stained green moss / black moss) earlier this year using a combination of bleach + blue dawn soap. Came off easy and I didn't have to vigorously scrub either. Just laid it on with a sponge then hit with a power washer.

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Re: Tips for cleaning the grottiest most disgusting front load washer on the planet?

Post by horsewoman »

The Dawn cult is so prevalent that I bought a few bottles when I was in the States!

I have never seen Dawn anywhere in Europe and I think that there might be something in it that is to strong (toxic?) for European regulations? It really cleans a lot better than German dish soap.

Borax is also not allowed in Europe!

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