What is this dirt and why does it keep reapearing

[dave_h]

Re: What is this dirt and why does it keep reapearing

Might be on wrong tack, but our water company ( Severn Trent) blame a lot of black mould that appears in the soup trays on bacteria which only cause problems when in contact with air . We had a lot of problems with intake of soap powder & fabric conditioner( on last Zanussi), which needed the tray removing and cleaning and now on replacement Bosch with the inlet spray being blocked with this mould. We find a proprietary brand of washing machine cleaner used regularly halts this problem .

[Chlorinated]

Re: What is this dirt and why does it keep reapearing

From what I am seeing the ‘stainless outer tub’ machines are top end models like miele and ise and will cost several hundred the least, is that correct?

Some people say the older washing machines didn’t used to have such problems. These washing machine when not as cheap as today didn’t cost several hundred. Can’t I source something like that?

[kwatt]

Re: What is this dirt and why does it keep reapearing

Pretty much, yes.

Older machines used almost exclusively either enamelled outer tanks or stainless steel. That changed in the late eighties/early nineties as people demanded that the price of washing machines and other appliances remained static despite inflation and increasing costs of raw materials.

You are extremely unlikely to get a stainless outer tank for any less than at the very least about £7-800 and that’s on a good day with a fair wind and someone offering a cracking deal.

Given the age that any of the old ones would now be, most at least 15 years old, I’d say that’s likely a non-starter.

All cheap machine will now have plastic outer tanks.

K.

[iadom]

Re: What is this dirt and why does it keep reapearing

Chlorinated wrote:

Some people say the older washing machines didn’t used to have such problems. These washing machine when not as cheap as today didn’t cost several hundred. Can’t I source something like that?

Allowing for inflation they did cost the equivalent of £700 to £900 in todays money. 😉

[Chlorinated]

Is my washing machine still safe to use in this way?

Ok guys I intend to change the machine however that may break the bank at the moment so I want to see if I can manage it a bit and use it for a bit longer. Is it safe to wash in the following ways:

1. I am currently using perfumed bio detergent and this causes my clothes to come out smelling of perfume even though the grey dirt builds up after which I wipe it off. If I use no detergent or a weak/non perfume detergent then my towels come out smelly.
I know the clothes have been in water which is touching dirt, however since the clothes come out smelling of perfume, is it safe to assume the clothes have been cleaned and are safe to use? Or is the detergents perfume just masking the dirt smell which is on the clothes/will affect me?
Basically even though we know the machine is infected and dirt is being removed from the machine with every wash, provided the clothes come out smelling of perfume and not smelling bad, are they safe to use? Note although they smell of perfume, I do notice that towels for example are quite hard feeling.

2. When I use soap nuts with baking soda now I notice there is no build up of grey dirt under the seal. This is likely because unlike the bio detergent, the soap nuts isn’t cleaning the machine very well and not removing any of the grey/dark dirt. It probably isn’t even doing a good job on the clothes however using baking soda seems to control odours.
Once again provided the clothes/towels are not coming out smelly when using soap nuts with baking soda, are the clothes safe to use?
I know this will make the machine worse in the long run, but that’s fine, I will have to change machine anyway I am just looking to use it for a bit longer. Is the baking soda masking the dirt smell similar to the perfume or not and is it safe to use the towels/clothes.

Thanks

[iadom]

Re: Is my washing machine still safe to use in this way?

It might have been better if you had just stuck to your original thread but just to try and get you to realise just how useless soap nuts are watch THIS

[Martin]

Re: Is my washing machine still safe to use in this way?

Why did you open another topic when we already have discussed your on-going problem in your other thread? We can answer your additional questions there anyway, and it keeps it all neat and tidy…..
viewtopic.php?t=81486

[kwatt]

Re: What is this dirt and why does it keep reapearing

Yes, the perfume is most likely masking the smell.

Most people that use these “natural” products don’t notice that there is an odour from the items laundered as they are accustomed to it, in much the same way we don’t smell oxygen or our own homes but, usually there is a distinct odour.

I reckon many are probably too polite to point it out.

Residue bacteria and dirt I have known at least anecdotally to cause skin issues but, whether that’s the actual reason I could not say with any certainty.

Bear in mind however that using soap nuts etc that there is absolutely no sterilisation going on in there whatsoever, not even slightly. Probably most bacteriological staining is not addressed, skin flakes, sweat residue, faeces and so on will not be cleaned by these things and, it is not what your washing machine was designed for.

Whether it is “safe” I couldn’t say as I’m not a dermatologist but let me put it this way, it sure wouldn’t be me washing my clothes in it.

K.

[Chlorinated]

Re: What is this dirt and why does it keep reapearing

I have just been to see my doctor regarding my chemical sensitivities and the topic of my washing machine came up. I told her how I inhaled a lot of fumes after putting 4 litres of bleach into the washer, leaving it overnight and washing it the next day. She said that at that dosage and overnight, any bacteria in the machine would have been killed by direct contact or even contact with bleach fumes.

Is this correct? As I say the grey/dark matter has returned a week after extreme bleaching however as I have used perfumed detergent and baking soda I can’t tell of any smell. If what my doctor said is true, then what is this dark matter that reappears, maybe detergent? Anyway I’m guessing you guys think the 4 litres of overnight bleach does not kill all bacteria by way of soaking fumes and washing?

Thanks

[kwatt]

Re: What is this dirt and why does it keep reapearing

No.

It won’t kill it all. As I was reliably informed by a food safety and public health person, bleach will kill up to 99{e5d1b7155a01ef1f3b9c9968eaba33524ee81600d00d4be2b4d93ac2e58cec2d} but not it all and it will return. That’s why you get the “kills 99{e5d1b7155a01ef1f3b9c9968eaba33524ee81600d00d4be2b4d93ac2e58cec2d} of all known germs” and not 100{e5d1b7155a01ef1f3b9c9968eaba33524ee81600d00d4be2b4d93ac2e58cec2d}.

A quick Google later…

http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB1 … 7189692937

Which kinda goes to back that up and say that the information given may be incorrect.

But you’re asking bleach to break down grease, skin, dirt and so on which it won’t do. That’s what the grey or black sludge is basically. It is almost certainly not the detergent although it would obviously contain traces of it.

We see this when people with severe cases use Affresh, it skims off the top layer and the smell or residues get worse until it is cleaned out multiple times. There’s absolutely nothing you can do to sort it other than run constant maintenance washes until it clears up as much as it’s going to.

But in really, really bad cases I’ve seen that sludge being up to almost cm thick and trust me, it isn’t pleasant at all.

Now consider, you have a nice warm damp environment full of lots of lovely things for bacteria to grow in and eat. It will just come back once it has a foothold. Quickly.

K.

[Martin]

Re: What is this dirt and why does it keep reapearing

The “dark matter” is a combination of detergent, limescale, clothing fibre, human and pet hair and general detritus yuck and more yuck besides.

[Chlorinated]

Re: What is this dirt and why does it keep reapearing

I see, yeah that makes a lot of sense.

Well I tried bio detergent multiple times, bleach multiple times, vinegar multiple times and ‘dr Beckmann service it'(packet said use only 1 wash) all on boil washes but it didn’t fix the problem. I also got a repair guy to come down and he used a chemical cleaner of some sort that he said is not available elsewhere. Of course a week later the problem returned.

I’ve heard of affresh but since the last two chemcials didn’t work I didn’t try it, do you think I should try afresh or is it unlikely to work given the other things I’ve tried?

Thanks.

[kwatt]

Re: What is this dirt and why does it keep reapearing

Affresh is more effective than anything else I’ve come across but even that has limits.

I’m afraid that there is no magic bullet.

K.

[admin]

Re: What is this dirt and why does it keep reapearing

I’m afraid that there is no magic bullet.

Why not ? 😳

Bryan

[Martin]

Re: What is this dirt and why does it keep reapearing

kwatt wrote:I’m afraid that there is no magic bullet.

Now he tells us. :rolls:

[Author]

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