Anyone Use Citric Acid & Oxi To Clean Washer?

georgect

last year

I saw this video and have never tried this method.

Do we even need to do this since we here are fanatics about our machines being well maintained?

Or should we do this every once in a while?

Featured Answer

dadoes

last year

My thoughts ...

1) A couple/three more gallons of water can be added to insure the fill level is above the scum-level so the cleaning solution reaches it.

2) His comment about older machines having faster cycles ... the timer was set a 6 mins wash time when he starts the machine (at 6:06 in the video) ... which is less than half the maximum available time of 14 mins.

3) It's highly unlikely that degree of residue (including what's on the exterior/bottom of the spin basket) will fully remove, even on multiple treatments, without disassembly for direct scrubbing ... as he did at the end. Do that immediately and be done with the job, then enact preventative measures to avoid recurrence.

4) Regards to "soap scum," modern laundry detergents are a very different substance than soaps of yore. Soaps react with hard water to create scum, thus the need for water softener products (Calgon, anyone?) in the past. Use of soap is rare nowadays vs. synthetic detergent. Detergents (when dosed properly) have ingredients to handle the mineral content of hard water without creating "scum." The residue is an accumulation of laundry soils that didn't sequester into the wash water for flushing away.

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Comments (12)

Cavimum
last year
I have, but do not use both at the same time.
georgect thanked Cavimum
morz8 - Washington Coast
last year
I have not. I use Affresh occasionally, or the cleaning cycle with a cup of bleach added.

The year before I gave up on my 8 yr old Maytags and replaced them, the service person was here to work on the washer. He remarked how completely clean it was for a machine that had seen that many years of use.

(It didn't seem that many to me. Me who was used to Maytags lasting more than 20 yrs ;))
georgect thanked morz8 - Washington Coast
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amsunshine, what are your goals exactly? You're looking for something that will rinse more easily and not leave a residue that causes rashes? It must have no enzymes? It seems that the main purpose of water softeners in detergents is to inactivate the mineral ions so that THEY don't inactivate the cleaning agents. It's all about cleaning power. I've done quite a bit of research now, yet I never read a WORD about rinsability of these detergents. I now have 8 or so different detergents I'm testing, and only one mentions rinsing out cleanly: it is a scent-free product for deer hunters to wash their special gear in. It says nothing about ingredients, so I have no idea if it contains anything special. I think sshrivastava already mentioned this, but citric acid does form SOLUBLE complexes with the mineral ions. So it should rinse easily, and maybe adding some to detergent will boost cleaning and rinsing for your hard water conditions. IIRC you recently got an HE machine. Did you have problems with rinsing or rashes with your old machine? My mother has naturally very soft water (not softened). She has a traditional TL that uses tons of water. And she uses a high water level for fairly small loads of clothes. She uses TINY amounts of detergent, because of course in the soft water, they suds like crazy. She will only use certain detergents because she says others cause her skin rashes. I'm thinking that if SHE can't get everything to rinse out of her fabrics so as not to irritate sensitive skin, who can? Not that I want to discourage you...but it seems like a hard problem.
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Trapped
last year
last modified: last year
I've been using this in my new machine. It is a powder.

My old Bosch said to use bleach with the hottest cycle to clean the machine.
georgect thanked Trapped
hisown
last year
I put a tablespoon of citric acid powder and vinegar into the fabric softener slot with every load. Maybe that's why I never have mold or anything in my front loader. I also leave the door open all the time, so I'm sure that helps too. I like to run an empty load with bleach once in a great while to keep the inner workings of my machine clean.
georgect thanked hisown
MiMi
last year
Hisown…. i myself would not do that, when citric acid is added in the dishwasher with dishes it will eat the writing right off of glass measuring cups i cannot imagine it being less then harsh on clothing….
georgect thanked MiMi
whirlpool_trainee
last year
Acid, oxy (and quats) are probably the most common (dish-) washer maintenance cleaner ingredients here.

I'd always skip perfume, dyes etc. and go for straight citric acid or maybe some dishwasher detergent, if I wanted the oxygen bleach.

That being said, I have never needed to run a self-clean cycle. My washer doesn't even have one. Hot water and the extra rinse button keeps my washer and dishwasher clean.
georgect thanked whirlpool_trainee
luna123456
last year
Citric Acid isnt usually used to remove ”soap scum” it is used to remove mineral deposits from hard water. Soap scum and other dirt more easily attaches to mineral deposits.

Most premium laundry detergents already have water softening agents included. They are designed to keep the minerals in suspension and then go down the drain. If not enough detergent is used then minerals will remain in the washer as well as your clothes.

OxiClean for ”cleaning” a washer is more about sanitizing than it is about ”cleaning”. Almost all poweders and many liquids also include an oxygen bleach in their formula.

If you have hard water and dont use a water softener, then a citric acid based mineral remover wouldnt be a bad idea once or twice a year. Lem—Shine is my favorite. It doesnt leave behind a nauseating perfume.
georgect thanked luna123456
rerod
last year
Soap scum? How about animal fat aka lard? That's what you get when using many liquid detergents and softeners instead of powder. I use citric acid once in a while even though I use tide powder and borax, but If money wasn't a object which tablet should I use? I have roughly 24 nasty dorm washers that need de-larded..
georgect thanked rerod
elbits
last year
Downys new Rinse & Refresh contains citric acid and it makes my towels smell good.
georgect thanked elbits
luna123456
last year
@rerod

That comes from constantly doing cold washes. If warm/hot washes are done frequently then this buildup wont happen. It can also occur from NOT using enough detergent.

Broke college students probably spend their money on beer and sex before buying a premium detergent. Dorm washers should be on a chemical dispensing system so the students cant screw them up.
rerod
last year
My information came from speedqueen, and the owner of appliancebarn dot com verified, don't use liquid detergent because of the animal fat. He also said dirt gets trapped in the fat buildup and can cause the seals to fail because the fat holds the abrasive dirt in the seal. Speedqueen recommended half a table spoon of tide per load, and said if you see suds, you added to much. Borax works great to remove odors and Ive soaked T shirts and pillow cases I was about to throw away because of the odor in it, and they smell like new again.

Most of the students in the dorms have wealthy parents and they use way to much detergent because every time Ive run the machines with bleach, they still have allot of suds for the two cycles I run to be sure all the bleach is gone.
georgect thanked rerod

Anyone Use Citric Acid & Oxi To Clean Washer?

dadoes

Comments (12)

Cavimum

morz8 - Washington Coast

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