Want a new washing machine

Slinky

We currently have a 10 year old Bosch we are looking to replace before the VAT goes up at the start of next year. It's been very reliable but is getting really noisy, and realistically isn't going to last forever.

However the thing that really bugs me about it is the carp design of the powder drawer. It's full of nooks and crannies that get black mould growing inside them, and inside the machine where the powder drawer sits it's even worse. I've tried steaming the mould out of the machine with the wand tool on a wallpaper steamer, but nothing shifts it. The water to clean our clothes all runs though this section, its not nice thinking it's carrying mould into the wash.

Can anybody recommend a machine that doesn't get this sort of problem?

googler

What happens if, once you've finished washing, you leave the drawer open for water to evaporate and for things to dry out....?

27col

It certainly does not happen on our Hoover Nextra HNL 6166. I have just looked. It is as clean as a new pin and not a nook or a cranny to be seen.

Slinky

googler wrote: »

What happens if, once you've finished washing, you leave the drawer open for water to evaporate and for things to dry out....?

I've tried that. What happens is you get a build up of small amounts of powder and fabric conditioner in the nooks and crannies that the water doesn't wash through properly. I can't ever get the darned thing totally clean so there's always some more powder/FC for the mould to feed off and grow.

Slinky

27col wrote: »

It certainly does not happen on our Hoover Nextra HNL 6166. I have just looked. It is as clean as a new pin and not a nook or a cranny to be seen.

How long have you had the machine?

27col

Slinky wrote: »

How long have you had the machine?

Not sure exactly, probably 5 or 6 years. You know how it is, it's always longer than you think.

Barneysmom

I've got a Hoover Nextra too and thoroughly recommend it.
The drawer is nice and clean, I do take it out and give it a good wash down in the sink every so often when I think about it

Op, do you pull yours out and clean it, a good sharp tug will get it out, and use hot soapy water to get all the stuff out of it.

Slinky

Barneysmom wrote: »

I've got a Hoover Nextra too and thoroughly recommend it.
The drawer is nice and clean, I do take it out and give it a good wash down in the sink every so often when I think about it

Op, do you pull yours out and clean it, a good sharp tug will get it out, and use hot soapy water to get all the stuff out of it.

Oh yes I had that lovely task yesterday, took about half an hour with a scrubbing brush, old toothbrush, cotton buds and a piece of wire, to try and get the mould off it all. It's right up there with cleaning the hair out of the shower tray trap on the list of jobs you enjoy doing!

Even after half an hour it's not spotless. I've tried bleaching it in the past too. The problem is though you can't get a decent go at the bits inside the machine where the drawer fits into. They've got mould in so it's not long before it all starts up again.

macman

Remove it and put it through a hot dishwasher cycle (not so hot that it melts the plastic though). A bit of white vinegar should take care of any mould in the drawer recess.

Slinky

macman wrote: »

Remove it and put it through a hot dishwasher cycle (not so hot that it melts the plastic though). A bit of white vinegar should take care of any mould in the drawer recess.

The problem in the drawer recess is a lot of the mould is in the top above the drawer with lots of little plastic grids for it to cling to and behind. There's no way you can do anything with vinegar, hence my efforts of blasting it out with steam and that didn't work either!

Flaming hopeless design.....grrrr

Still, it's one thing I will particularly be paying attention to next time around.