hardened washing powder + mould ? 10 August 2005 at 1:02PM edited 30 November -1 at 1:00AM in Old Style MoneySaving 6 replies 5.4K views

blue-kat

just moved house last week and previous owner has left 2 boxes of hardened washing powder in the basement.
any tips on how to get them back into powder form, or would it better to dilute them to make clothes washing liquid?

thanks

The washing mach. tumbler and freezer are all in the basement, which is a bit damp in spite of being drylined. We've got the dehumidifier running 24/7, need to get something like a lidded nappy bucket for emptying it and the condensor tumbler.

I bought fridge and freezer off old owner too, but disappointed to find the rubber seals are all mouldy , and spots of mould on backs of freezer drawers.:mad:

oh the pleasures of moving house
-

Nile

Hello Blue_kat


The formula for automatic washing powder usually includes an 'anti-caking' additive. This is to help the powder flow from the box......but even a brand new box can have lumps:rolleyes: ....depending on how damp the atmosphere is.

I would be tempted to break up (hack at it) the solid mass and do a test wash with a small amount of the powder. Try it out on some well worn garments or old towels and see what results you get. If you're happy, continue to use up all the powder otherwise dispose of it.
It might smell less than fresh but fragrance/perfume is added to the new formula and over time this will fade.......so don't let the smell alone put you off. You could use fabric conditioner to help your garments smell good.;)

kingshir

blue-kat wrote:

I bought fridge and freezer off old owner too, but disappointed to find the rubber seals are all mouldy , and spots of mould on backs of freezer drawers.:mad:

oh the pleasures of moving house
-

I have a spare fridge/freezer (that I use for the food overflow) in an unheated garage. I get mold on the seals but I find a wash with bleachy water and a toothbrush and a good rinse afterwards brings them up like new. Will work on the insides too.

Ticklemouse

If you have a steam wallpaper stripper you can use it to clean the fridge and freezer. The steam gets into the rubber sills really easily and flushes the grot out - although if they are that bad, I might be tempted to scrub at them with an old toothbrush too. However, if you have one of theose 'steam buggy' devices, then use that (I'm assuming you don't and the wall paper stripper is an excellent investment in a 'new' house - strip paper, defrost and disinfect all for the price of 1 device - altho' obviously you can't control the steam flow)

Bogof_Babe

I'd have no hesitation in chipping and then manually kneading the washing powder. I've had boxes go like that in the kitchen (bought on bogof and hung around for a time). Try not to get too many lumps into your washer, but the effectiveness should still be fine.

squeaky

Rolling pins and plastic bags spring to mind here

Turning_into_scrooge

Ticklemouse wrote:

If you have a steam wallpaper stripper you can use it to clean the fridge and freezer. The steam gets into the rubber sills really easily and flushes the grot out - although if they are that bad, I might be tempted to scrub at them with an old toothbrush too. However, if you have one of theose 'steam buggy' devices, then use that (I'm assuming you don't and the wall paper stripper is an excellent investment in a 'new' house - strip paper, defrost and disinfect all for the price of 1 device - altho' obviously you can't control the steam flow)

What a totally brillliant idea :T have you ever used this to spot clean a carpet by any chance, like where a dogs had an accident just to deodorise?