How I finally got rid of the soap scum in my washing machine and stopped those nasty chestnuts...

I thought I was doing everything right when it came to using my washing machine.

The lid stays open after each wash until the tub and dispenser drawer are completely dry. I never use fabric softener , clean lint traps regularly, and use just enough detergent .

And every once in a while I'll run a store-bought laundry detergent through the machine to keep it fresh.

Despite all this, a month or two after cleaning the washing machine, strange brown stains appeared on my clothes.

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So I would clean the machine again, go back to using my sheets, towels and clothes and the problem would go away or lessen for a while and then come back with a vengeance.

This pattern continued for several months until a few weeks ago a stack of tea towels and tea towels came out of the machine covered in these disgusting brown stains and they just wouldn't budge.

It's soap that I had to carefully hand rinse to remove. (Rachael Gavin)

This dirt that shows up on my clothes is called soap sludge and can build up in the washer drum for a variety of reasons, including using fabric softener and too much detergent.

Since I didn't do these things, I was completely baffled as to why this was happening to me, especially since it never happened with my first washing machine, which I had no problems until it broke after five years.

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But it turned out that one thing it didn't do, even running a cleaner through the machine, that was probably why I got it and couldn't get rid of it completely.

And never wash with cold water.

Yes, it turns out that cold water causes soap scum to build up in the machine because it doesn't break down detergent as well as hot water.

Not exactly what you'd expect from something that will dry out your dishes. (Rachael Gavin)

Not only did I run each cycle in cold water, I also cleaned the machine in cold water. No wonder the soap wick didn't move.

Since I'm lucky enough to have hot water hooked up to my washing machine (many people don't have that, especially at community laundromats), it was worth a try to see if I could finally get rid of the suds.

So I tried a cleaning cycle with a cup of baking soda and hot water and by the looks of my lint filter it removed some soap but not all as I found after another load of laundry.

I then tried a cleaning cycle using a cup of vinegar and hot water and had a similar result, although there was less soap residue floating in the water during the wash cycle and on the lint filter.

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These dark parts floating in water are soap sludge and are attached to matter. (Rachael Gavin)

Third time I've just done a hot water cleaning cycle, which didn't completely remove the soap scum, but less than before.

At this point I couldn't face looking at my washing machine or even trying to wash anything in it.

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So I looked up my washing machine brand online and found out what LG recommends for dealing with soap scum .

LG recommends trying one of two things.

The first suggestion is to dissolve two or three dishwashing tabs in a bucket of hot water , pour them into the machine, and run it on the longest, hottest cycle.

The other option is to use two 75g cans of citric acid, which will cost you $6 at the supermarket, machine and longest hottest cycle.

Then it's on to the longest, hottest cycle without detergent.

I'm personally not a fan of dishwasher tabs, so I went with the citric acid variety.

I also liked citric acid because I know how well it works to descale a kettle and have seen it transform even the most stubborn stains on toilet bowls .

Citric acid is quickly becoming my new favorite cleaning product. (Rachael Gavin)

And when that didn't work, I wanted to call an appliance repairman to have it professionally cleaned, and I could finally do my laundry with confidence without all the hassle and wasted water of washing again. .

So I added citric acid and ran my washing machine on hot water, the longest wash time and most rinses.

Of course, I couldn't help but take a look at the wash cycle and noticed that there was a lot less soap scum floating around compared to previous cleaning cycles. .

I don't think this is solely due to the use of citric acid though, it took several hot water cleaning cycles for the machine to completely remove all residue.

After that I ran a final hot water cleaning cycle with no product and then opened the lid to dry the machine.

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At this point, there was only a small amount of lint left in the lint filter and a pleasant citrus smell came out of the machine. That was a good sign, but to really put it to the test, the first load I did the next day were white sheets .

And there's nothing Soap Scrud loves more than white sheets.

So the next morning I pulled on my white sheets and detergent set and ran a regular cold water cycle.

When I opened up the machine after the cycle, I was delighted to find perfectly clean white sheets without a single grain of soap.

Also, the sheets, towels and clothes I washed the next day looked a little shinier and softer than usual.

Not my sheets but they looked so good. (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Two weeks later I still haven't had any soap stains on my clothes, so I think the machine is clean so far.

But that doesn't mean I'm totally clear.

From now on I have to wash myself occasionally with hot or lukewarm water - cleaning rags are a good choice for this for hygienic reasons and can handle higher temperatures better than clothes and towels - and at least one cleaning cycle per month. with citric acid and hot water, followed by just hot water.

It may seem like a lot of water to use in an empty machine, but the amount of water wasted doing laundry again is worth it.

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Oh, one more thing. This probably could have been avoided if you had read the washing machine manual.

In fact, he cautions against using cold water all the time and advises running at least one hot water cycle every five washes to avoid the same problem I've been trying to fix for months.

So clean your machine regularly, use hot water from time to time if you can, and refer to your manual for the best advice on using your specific machine. It will save you a lot of time and frustration in the long run.

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