Washing machine cleaning, limescale and all that stuff

property.advert

Loads of threads I know over the years but utterly confused with 100 different ideas from 1000 different posters so I'll ask my own question.

I've a new machine, a large LG washer drier if that makes a difference and I'd like to keep it running well. I use liquid tabs and fabric conditioner.

I live in a hard water area and my kettle gets covered in limescale in a matter of a month or so. I have tended to use those limescale packet removers to fix that but I am not sure what if anything I should do with the washing machine.

Should I chuck something like Calgon in every wash ? or is a periodic treatment better ?

I'm not sure my clothes get limescale on as Calgon states but I am not sure whether I could improve things.

Prevention sounds good but what and how ?

budgetboo

I swear by a 1/2 cup of white vinegar instead of fabric conditioner in every wash.

5l for 3 or 4 quid from aisian/oriental grocers of hardware shops makes it lots cheaper than calgon etc. + it removes excess detergent for those of us with sensitive skins/avoid the mould ring round the seal developing. Also good for keeping towels/nappies tc absorbent and mildly disinfectant for fuss pots

I do an empty hot wash once a month and check the hose filter then for gunk/fluff.

j.e.j.

Hi,

I've found conflicting advice about this on the web, so would be interested to find out what others thoughts are on this, too.

ATM i add washing soda crystals to each wash, or Calgon/own brand water softener when it's on offer.

I think i read somewhere that adding water softener and then using enough detergent for soft water is the same as simply using enough detergent for hard water, if that makes sense?

irishwexford

I do a hot wash with vinegar now and then as we live in a hard water area as well but Tesco has on offer a double pack of limescale prevention tablets for £1. Each pack contains 3 treatments so I will try this as its so cheap.

LJM

i also use vinegar pop it a few times a week everytime i do towels and bedding on boil washes

property.advert

I'm not sure about this vinegar thing - in any case there are about 1000 types of vinegar ! Why instead of conditioner ? or with conditioner ? Doesn't it make clothes stink of vinegar ?

property.advert

Calgon seems about 30p a wash so if you did one wash a day, you'd be chucking over £100 away on Calgon. Hell, if you bought a cheap machine you'd be paying more for Calgon than you would to buy it and would simply be better off using it until it broke and then buying a new one !

I use it around 2 to 3 times a week but it is 9kg. I'd obviously use a smaller one more times.

Limescale prevention ? surely that only works putting something in with every wash. If you don't then you are potentially just doing a kettle, letting it build up and then cleaning it off.

Then what about these posts saying you don't need anything and it is all a con ? That powder has everything in it.

Then what about liquid tabs ? surely they don't have anything in them to stop limescale ? what do you use then ?

BitterAndTwisted

It's possible that I don't understand the science but I'm entirely unconvinced about the "dangers" of lime-scale build-up in washing machines. The difference between boiling a kettle and using a washing-machine in a hard water area is that 1) You're not boiling the water in a machine even on the hottest temperature and 2) You've added detergent which by its very nature softens the water or it wouldn't work to clean the clothes.

Ergo, I save my pennies for other more important things.


property.advert: the use of vinegar in the final rinse is a replacement for fabric conditioner. As soap is highly alkali and vinegar an acid it neutralises any soap residue. The laundry does smell vaguely like a chip-shop when it comes out of the machine but all of the scent of vinegar disappears once it's evaporated and leaves it feeling soft

property.advert

BitterAndTwisted wrote: »

It's possible that I don't understand the science but I'm entirely unconvinced about the "dangers" of lime-scale build-up in washing machines. The difference between boiling a kettle and using a washing-machine in a hard water area is that 1) You're not boiling the water in a machine even on the hottest temperature and 2) You've added detergent which by its very nature softens the water or it wouldn't work to clean the clothes.

Ergo, I save my pennies for other more important things.


property.advert: the use of vinegar in the final rinse is a replacement for fabric conditioner. As soap is highly alkali and vinegar an acid it neutralises any soap residue. The laundry does smell vaguely like a chip-shop when it comes out of the machine but all of the scent of vinegar disappears once it's evaporated and leaves it feeling soft

I'm also on your side with this. If you needed this stuff in your wash then manufacturers would insist you have it and they would have already invented some means of softening the water before it went into the machine. If they didn't, and the machines broke, they'd be sued to the end of the earth. Then again, soap powder manufacturers would stick it in with their soap wouldn't they ?

As for vinegar as a conditioner, I think I'll give that a miss.

What do you use to clean out the machine though ? and do liquid tabs cause another problem as some suggest ?

kaya

i spent nearly 10 years repairing washing machines, i can tell you in all honesty that you dont need any of that calgon rubbish, use tablets in the drum instead of using the drawer for soap powder, clean your filter every six months, job's a goodun , its all sales hype and rubbish, like the dishwasher tablets that contain salt, they were made by somebody who has NO IDEA how a dishwasher works or why they need salt, the salt is needed to replenish the water softner crystals, there is NO WAY salt can get to those crystals if you put it in the dishwasher, it dissolves then gets pumped down the drain like everything else so is just a waste of money, also special cleaning stuff that you put inside your dishwasher-utter rubbish once again, EVERY time you use your dishwasher you add detergent and it uses hot water to complete the cycle, so spending excess money on detergent to "clean" it is just a waste of money, i have seen heating elements go in washing machines regardless of scale or water hardness

IronMaidenFan

I run the longest and hottest wash with a cupful of vinegar and then repeat with soda crystals about once a month.

I also leave the door and dispenser slightly open when not in use to keep it free of mould and nasty niffs.