How hard is your water? If your area has particularly hard water (like ours) it could be limescale buildup, which is much more noticeable on SS vs. a white plastic tub. An easy way to test is try to clean a section of it with CLR or Lime-Away (wearing gloves) and, after rinsing, see if that area becomes shiny again. If it does, you'll probably want to clean the whole tub that way.

Just remember -- no mixing chemicals! Always one at a time, thoroughly rinsed in-between.

thank you for your response Mysteryclock. I bet that is what it is. We use to have a water softener hooked up to the water but that has since broke and to repair would run about 800.00. So I left it not knowing it would effect my washer.

Should I be cleaning the tub with CLR or lime-away monthly or is there a dertergent that can handle the hard water??
Thank you again.
Shirl

The inside of my Bosch was almost matte grey a couple of years ago and I ended up having to scrub it by hand with Lime Away and then run Lime-Away in a few empty cycles to get the worst of it out. After that ordeal I started filling the fabric softener with plain white vinegar to be dispensed with every load. This helps gets all the soap out of your clothes during the rinse cycle and has had the added benefit of keeping the tub shiny and scale-free.

I don't think vinegar would be very effective at removing a lot of existing buildup by itself but has at least kept it from returning.

You mentioned Persil... once you start using that you should be fine.

Persil has water softeners in it that will prevent the minerals from attaching to your machine in the future.

Thank you all for the information I cannot wait for my Persil to arrive. I have been becoming more and more aware what I need to do with my new washer. Thanks to this site. As someone pointed out it is a learning experience. Thank you thank you
Shirl

Until your persil arrives, you can just clean the residue with white distilled vinegar. Works great on any hard water buildup.

Hello Washer Friends Yes I have been a advocate for Vinegar and extra rinse for a while. To eliminate this problem use the extra rinse cycle this is a must. A few extra gallons of water is worth the rinse. I never have the scum or scale and the vinegar is also a fabric neutralizer. I have been using this for years in place of the fabric softener. Also leave the washer door ajar until the washer dries inside you will never have a odor.

Happy Laundering Mr See

Citric acid crystals are also good for descaling. In fact, it was the sole ingredient of a very expensive Miele washing machine descaler that I bought. Now I have a 5 lb. jar that cost $25 or so from Amazon, with free shipping at the time. 1/2 cup of the crystals in the drum, run the machine on the longest, hottest cycle, and the drum and door come out as shiny as new.

Lemi Shine, which you can find in a lot of grocery stores, is also a high % of citric acid and should help dissolve the limescale. It works wonders on the inside of a SS dishwasher!

Here is a link that might be useful: Lemi Shine

Washer Magic at Wal Mart should also clean it.

Hi again,
I had ordered the Persil on the 18th and it was delivered Thursday free shipping no tax. Tonight I ran a "Clean Washer" with bleach after that I proceeded to wash my towels. The ring looks a little lighter but I don't know. When do you use Vinegar the same way?? How much? I probably will check the stores for lemi shine or washer magic. I just noticed washer magic is at the sears store.

Thank everyone again for your help
Shirl

Hi everyone,
Just an update. I ran the Clean Washer function with bleach and it seemed to look better but it was still there. I then did the usual wash with Persil (my hubby loves the clean bright look that came out) Ring still there. So I got pissed and put a dab of Grapefruit blast (has citric acid in it) on a soft cloth and wiped the inside of the drum. It started to shine again. After finishing I ran the washer through another Clean Washer without anything (this was to make sure that the Grapefruit blast was washed away) I have my beautiful SS shine back. It looks like it did when I bought it.
I hope this method did not hurt the washer.
Opinions please
Shirl