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How to dissolve the caked on laundry powder in F/L machine


LifesGood

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I've tried googling this and am not getting anything useful. I have a front loader washing machine and put BioZet laundry powder into the drawer for each load. It has been building up in the drawer and has set like cement. I've removed the drawer and tried washing, scrubbing, soaking in hot water, soaking in white vinegar, pouring boiling water from the kettle, chipping at it with a butter knife. Nothing is making much impact on it.


Does anyone have a magic solution for me?

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I was about to recommend putting it in the dishwasher and then had visions of soap bubbles escaping out of the hoe dishwasher and onto the street. But, might soaking it in either denture solution or dissolved dishwasher tablets do the trick?

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TheMagician

I pop mine in the dishwasher every now and then. Do you wash in cold water? Apparently cold water doesn't push powder through very well? Maybe change to a liquid?

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Its not limescale, it is just laundry powder that hasn't washed out of the drawer completely and over time it builds up and solidifies like cement. I can't impagine dishwashing liquid would help as that's just more soap?


I've been soaking it and chipping away with a knife and gradually it is coming off. But my goodness its hard work.


Maybe I will switch to liquid detergent. I read somewhere that laundry powder contains chalk as a filler and it turns solid when wet and then dried.

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Fruitmincepies

We had a similar problem with omo sensitive, but I found the hot washes I do for the sheets each week keeps the amount down. Also I find if I put the powder at the front of the drawer rather than the back, the build up is considerably less. I tried switching to liquid but I wasn’t Happy with it.

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If an acid hasn't worked, what about a base? Have you tried bleach?

 

Am I right in thinking that dishwasher powder is a base?


OP, liquid washing detergents were advised against by the technician who serviced our machine. I use the OMO sensitive and it doesn't cake at all in our machine.

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Its not limescale, it is just laundry powder that hasn't washed out of the drawer completely and over time it builds up and solidifies like cement. I can't impagine dishwashing liquid would help as that's just more soap?


I've been soaking it and chipping away with a knife and gradually it is coming off. But my goodness its hard work.


Maybe I will switch to liquid detergent. I read somewhere that laundry powder contains chalk as a filler and it turns solid when wet and then dried.

 

You can also pre-mix the powder with some warm water so it becomes a liquid


Slightly joking / slightly serious - put it in a bowl filled with coke. I remember those science experiments as a kid where the coke cleans the coin and the tooth dissolves

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I had it on my old machine because I never knew cleaning your machine was a thing.


You can add the scoop and detergent straight to the drum or mix powder with hot water to dissolve before putting in drawer. It is common in winter when water from tap is coldest.


You could try a commercial washing machine cleaner from the supermarket too.

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I don’t know how to remove it, but I read somewhere you should do a 60 degree wash or even higher regularly to help with this issue. So I do a load of sheets at least once a week on 60.

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Good point about the right draw (to stop it continuing to build up). My parents bought my machine and I didnt realise at first that I needed to use a different compartment in the draw at first.


I think maybe another soak in warm (not boiling) water with vinegar AND bi carb. May help soften it?

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I don’t know how to remove it, but I read somewhere you should do a 60 degree wash or even higher regularly to help with this issue. So I do a load of sheets at least once a week on 60.

 

My machine reminds me to do after so many washes.


I do my kitchen towels at a higher level so that suffices.

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Update: I removed 90% of it by soaking in hot water, adding vinegar periodically, soaking in boiling water, and chipping it away with a knife as it softened. Took most of the day. There is still a bit of cemented residue. I'm halving the amount of soap powder I put in there now and checking it has all washed away each load.


I do have a bottle of Coke Zero that has been languishing at the bottom of my pantry for a couple of year (leftover from a party) so maybe I'll give that a go too. Might google it first...

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My MIL towel dries her soap dispenser drawer after each wash and pulls it out to air.


For whatever reason, her AEG seems to get moisture build up which reacts to any leftover bits of detergent and causes it to go hard. Keeping the drawer dry before more detergent goes in has helped to prevent the problem.

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