Cleaning the washing machine drum

The large sheet came to the end of the final rinse and spin. The machine started to sing to me to let me know the washing cycle was completed, and the door finally opened. But although the screen said the word ‘End’, it didn’t leave the screen and a red sign appeared at the top. The drum needed cleaning.

I am lucky in that my washing machine tells me when the drum needs to be cleaned. This is the first machine I have ever had that does this. Mind you this is the first machine that sings to me when I press the set up buttons and when the washing is completed, but the indication that the drum needs to be cleaned is a wonderful idea.

According to the washing machine manual, cleaning the drum removes that might build up inside the machine. According to the outside packet of the powder used for cleaning the drum it flushes out built-up detergent scum, calcium deposits and lint as well as bacteria. But the one thing both promotions for cleaning the drum state is; by keeping the washing machine clean inside improves its performance, wards of unnecessary repairs and lengthens its life. All the things one needs with a washing machine.

How does it work? Some of the powder in the packet is placed in the detergent drawer and, with my machine, the special drum cleaning cycle is chosen. If your machine doesn’t have a special drum cleaning cycle put the system on the highest heat for water (70° is recommended), and at least two rinse cycles. This is what my machine provides.

Now there is some conjecture as to how much cleansing powder one should use. On the packet of cleansers I buy it says a whole packet should be used with each clean. In the manual it states only one tenth of the cleanser amount recommended by the cleansing agent manufacturer should be used. Each time I have cleaned the drum I have used only one tenth and it seems to work perfectly. But then I have a front loader, and with an upright washing machine maybe the extra amount is necessary. If you have one of these machines check your manual.

Is it a good idea to clean the drum of your washing machine? I do believe so. Of course the amount of washing put through the machine affects the frequency of drum cleaning, but if you do many loads I would recommend putting the drum through a cleansing cycle at least every two months.

Dark line inside shirt pockets

Every now and again when hanging out hubby’s shirts I notice dark lines along the inside of the pocket seams. On further investigation it turns out to be fluff that has compacted along the seams and is showing through the front of the shirts.

Although not noticeable once the shirt is dry, it is very obvious when the garment is wet. So this week as I was hanging out the shirts I decided to do something about it. It did require a little bit of patience, but to remove the fluff itself was easy.

The pockets had to be turned inside out; well at least the seams had to be brought up out through the pocket openings. I was amazed to see that the fluff was squashed flat on either side of the seam; no wonder the line was so visible.

Thankfully I have longish nails so was able to scrape my thumb nail up from the bottom of the seam to loosen and remove the fluff. As there are three sides to a pocket I had to scrape the fluff along all three seams on both side of the join. This procedure only worked because the material was damp. The fluff came out in strings. If I had tried to clean away the fluff when the shirt was dry it would have been much more difficult.

I was naughty and dropped the fluff on the floor, but probably that was a good thing because I was able to see how much had been caught in each pocket, and it was a fair amount. Yes, I swept it up with a dust pan and brush.

In one shirt I did discover a bit more than fluff. It looked like paper and on further investigation I think it might have been a receipt or a bus ticket. The washing had pulverized the paper and very small pieces had been compressed into the seams. The small fragments I was able to remove the same way as the fluff.

Once I had finally removed all the debris and turned the pockets back into place the results were excellent. No longer was there a dark line following the outline of the pocket, but instead a fresh, cleanly washed shirt hanging on the line.

If someone does leave paper or a tissue in a shirt pocket you will find this method is probably the easiest way to remove it. If you don’t have longish nails, rub the material between your thumb and forefinger to loosen and remove the debris, but remember to do this while the garment is damp.

Cleaning up after a huge Fry-Up

Last night I made a stir-fry. It was really tasty. It made a bit of a mess of the stove top but I cleaned that up when I washed the dishes. It was this morning as the sun shone in and landed on the backsplash and the range hood above the stove top I realised what a mess I had made. The oil had splashed everywhere.

It was necessary to clean up then and there, because if I hadn’t it would become worse the next time I used the stove. Steam caused by further cooking would make the oil adhere stronger to everything.

I usually clean my backsplash and range hood with glass cleanser and a micro-fibre cloth, but this time something stronger was needed. Out came the trusty cream cleanser and with the scourer side of a damp sponge/scourer I set to. Actually it was harder than I expected.

Being a cleaner from way back I know most of the tricks for cleaning and the one I found most useful for this job was the resistance test. When something is clean the cloth or sponge being used to wipe across the article moves easily. When there is a build up of grease or dirt you can feel the resistance pulling against the cloth as you wipe.

Cleaning up the resulting damaging from the fry up had the resistance problem. The cream cleanser helped but it was necessary to clean over the offending areas a couple of times with the cream cleanser and scourer before that resistance was gone.

The more I looked the more I found. Not only was the backsplash covered with the oil but also the front of the cupboards above and below the stove top. All of them required a double going over with the cream cleanser and scourer. Once each area had been rinsed down to remove the cream cleanser I went over them again with the glass cleanser and micro-fibre cloth. When I had finished it looked wonderful.

I usually advise customers to put their range hood grills through a dishwashing cycle. Unfortunately ours is too big for the dish washer, but as my range hood is made with enamel and not stainless steel, which should never be cleaned with anything harsh*; by rubbing over the outside with the cream cleanser most of it was removed, if not all the oil that had splashed everywhere while cooking. But I hate to think how oily and dirty the filters are inside, but I didn’t go there this time. That will happen next week.

*The best way to clean oil from stainless steel is to wash it down with a cloth or sponge rinsed in very hot water and washing-up liquid. Once rinsed with hot clean water to remove the suds, dry the surface with a tea towel.