Washing advice 29 November 2019 at 2:14PM edited 30 November -1 at 1:00AM in In my home (includes DIY) MoneySaving 10 replies 410 views

talksr

Hi there,
I am a male, and I do my own laundry! Yes you read right :money:

I have not long moved into my new house, which came with a shiny new Zanussi washing machine.

I have found, since moving here (just down the road from before so can't be difference in water quality) most of my black garments are not lasting very long and seem to pick up these noticeable white patches....



For the example given, it is not that old, when washed goes on a "Mixed Fabrics" mode which is 30 degrees, 1000rpm spin with some wash powder and softer.

I have tried adding an extra rinse on the end with other items, but doesn't appear to have helped. Things just don't seem to be lasting.

I never wash over 30 degrees, have never put bleach in the machine, air dry my stuff, rarely putting it in the sun as I have a spacious airing cupboard. Can't workout where I am going wrong.

Any ideas?! :cool:

Ebe_Scrooge

talksr wrote: »

I never wash over 30 degrees

That's probably half the problem - not that I'm blaming you, most of us wash at lower temperatures these days.

The simplest thing to try first of all is give the machine a clean. Remove the detergent tray and give it a good clean in the sink. Use an old toothbrush to give the hole where it fits (that's the technical term!) a good clean. Clean around the door seal thoroughly. Then put the machine on a hot wash (the hottest it'll go), empty, with a few soda crysals in it. Odds on that'll do the trick. The symptoms you've got are usually caused mostly by a build-up of muck and half-dissolved washing powder, which tends to happen after a lot of cool-ish washes.

<edit> Whilst you're at it, you may as well give the filter a clean as well, won't do any harm. It's very simple to do, just have an old towel handy to catch the water that'll come out when you unscrew it. Ideally, you ought to clean the filter and the machine as described above every few months anyway - it'll help stop the build-up of any gunk. It'll clean better, and hopefully last longer as well. Unless you're in a very hard water area, there's usually no need for harsh chemicals - good old-fashioned soda crystals are cheap, harmless and usually do a good job.

talksr

Ebe_Scrooge wrote: »

That's probably half the problem - not that I'm blaming you, most of us wash at lower temperatures these days.

The simplest thing to try first of all is give the machine a clean. Remove the detergent tray and give it a good clean in the sink. Use an old toothbrush to give the hole where it fits (that's the technical term!) a good clean. Clean around the door seal thoroughly. Then put the machine on a hot wash (the hottest it'll go), empty, with a few soda crysals in it. Odds on that'll do the trick. The symptoms you've got are usually caused mostly by a build-up of muck and half-dissolved washing powder, which tends to happen after a lot of cool-ish washes.

<edit> Whilst you're at it, you may as well give the filter a clean as well, won't do any harm. It's very simple to do, just have an old towel handy to catch the water that'll come out when you unscrew it. Ideally, you ought to clean the filter and the machine as described above every few months anyway - it'll help stop the build-up of any gunk. It'll clean better, and hopefully last longer as well. Unless you're in a very hard water area, there's usually no need for harsh chemicals - good old-fashioned soda crystals are cheap, harmless and usually do a good job.

Thanks for your post.
You have reminded me of a few things.....

I have actually done what you have suggested quite regularly. I found that with my kitchen being so small, it was sensible to leave the door on machine wide open as well as the drawer as they got very mouldy if not.

I have recently done the filter...found a 50p piece down there! Don't know how it got that far.
I have tried a couple of times to run at full temp but it seems to finish half way through and still has water in it. Zanussi have been out once and replaced the circuit board, but it still does the same thing!

getmore4less

Have you put anything new in the wash with old stuff.

Is the inside of the shirt the same.

Do your turn everything inside out.

need_an_answer

What detergent/capsules or powder are you using?

It looks to me as if whatever you are using isn't circulating well and clumping in areas.

I found that for example using capsules at a low 30 temp sometimes leaves a residue on the clothes because the temp is not high enough to dissolve the outer protractive capsule casing.

Washing black and dark garments inside out might also help as getmore4 less suggests

countrykate

I've found that switching to a little bi carb and essential oil not only sorts this problem but is so much cheaper and long lasting. Hope this helps!

If using powder though I usually rerinse it to get any excess powder patches out.

McKneff

For black and dark coloured stuff, always wash inside out and use the cheapest liquid wash you can find. No bleach in it, see.
Some powders dont dissolve so stick to your clothes in the creases

couriervanman

As already mentioned you need to do a 90 degree wash empty with a slug of white vinegar....if its not completing the wash the machine needs fixing or replacing


And try washing on a proper wash 40 degree with liquid tabs not on the silly 30 degree eco/wash in cold water/save water/electric

coffeehound

I never do boil washes, but find that a 60 degree wash every week seems to keep things clean.

rach_k

Are the white patches residue on the fabric or has the fabric faded?

If it's residue, the wash isn't happening properly so play around with detergents, wash cycles, temps, load sizes etc.

If the fabric itself is faded, are you using a detergent (powder) for whites? Have a look at description or ingredients if you're not sure, look for brighteners, whiteners, oxy based bleach etc. It wouldn't normally be so dramatic but if you're not adding chlorine bleach, something else must be bleaching the fabric and that's all I can think of. Often darks fade over time but not usually in patches like that.

couriervanman

coffeehound wrote: »

I never do boil washes, but find that a 60 degree wash every week seems to keep things clean.

A good 90 degree wash empty once a month does your machine the world of good and cleans out all the crud