Cleaning the washer agitator... again

[MerlinsBeard]

So I have a Samsung top loader washer that started showing little brownish gunk on clothes. I decided to take a look under the agitator and found a lot of crud. The agitator appears to have a stainless steel top with a molded plastic on the bottom with holes that let water through.

I soaked the agitator in a mixture of dawn and outdoor mold/mildew remover. Used some nylon brushes that worked good to get the surface, but I can tell that there is a bunch of crud in the middle. between the plastic and metal. The only thing that sort of worked that I had on hand was a dental wirebrush that I could kind of rotate in a circle to scoop some of the internal goo out, but certainly not enough to clean the inside.

I used the nylon brush to scrape around underneath the agitator, but there wasn't that much mold/mildew that I could see. I didn't want to go to the trouble of trying to clean the interior part of the drum.

I already did this once before and it only took about 2 years for the problem to show again. I don't think it's worth buying a oem replacement since this all started about year 8, and year 10 I'm having to clean it again. I don't mind cleaning it every couple of years to knock the problem back, since it's not terribly hard to do. Not sure if there is a magic bullet to this scenario, but figured I'd see if anyone else had a better solution to try.

 

[FMB4]

My 1st recommendation is that you avoid Samsung anything. 2nd is to run a heavy percentage name brand bleach thru the machine without clothing a couple of times a year.

 

[landlord30]

Do you leave the lid open when not in use?

 

[captaindiode]

Do you use liquid detergent? A liquid fabric softener? Either of these will contribute to a build up of gunk.

 

[mmb617]

I didn't know they still sold top loader washing machines with agitators. When we bought a new washer a few years ago my wife was upset that she couldn't find one with an agitator and she didn't think clothes would get clean without one, but as it turns out the Maytag we got works great.

 

[gungatim]

LGR!

 

[TMcCay]

I don't remember where we found it (Walmart probably) but in the detergent section there was a washing machine cleanser. We have a top loader and I bought it. Wife didn't think we needed to. Followed the instructions and could not believe the gunk that came out. It happens regularly now.

 

[mike93lx]

I recently cleaned my washer with affresh. Worked quite well. Hottest, longest cycle and a tablet. Keep the door open when not in use, too

 

[MerlinsBeard]

I think my wife does keep the lid closed when not in use. Removing constant humid conditions should slow the spread so that's easy and worth a try. I'll have to try some of these others too.

 

[PassnThru]

I had to replace the bearing and seal on our top loader a few years ago and I was surprised by how much gunk there was everywhere once you tore it down that far.

 

[Milton Shaw]

The crud comes from not having enough chlorine in the water to kill the mold. This happens usually when using well water. You need to use bleach at least once a week to keep the machine clean inside. I ran into this often as a GE repair tech, so change your habits of washing to keep it from happening.

 

[65ranchero]

liquid fabric softener

That's what I found to be the cause of crud build up in my top loader in the other house, went to dryer sheets and problem gone!

 

[vavet]

I don't remember where we found it (Walmart probably) but in the detergent section there was a washing machine cleanser. We have a top loader and I bought it. Wife didn't think we needed to. Followed the instructions and could not believe the gunk that came out. It happens regularly now.

We use affresh about once a month. Our LG front load washer displays a TC (tub clean)message when it's time. It has a cycle just for that. Is that what you used? I'm curious about what you said that you could not believe the gunk that came out. Where did you observe it?

The crud comes from not having enough chlorine in the water to kill the mold. This happens usually when using well water. You need to use bleach at least once a week to keep the machine clean inside. I ran into this often as a GE repair tech, so change your habits of washing to keep it from happening.

I'm making an assumption here. Most people who are on wells are also on septic tanks. I know that is not 100% truth, but it is for me. I understood that using bleach with a septic tank was a no-no as it kills all the bacteria that keeps your septic tank functioning properly. I use Borax to scrub shower/tub floors and oxiclean to launder my white loads. Is bleach with a septic tank not the cardinal sin that I thought it was?

 

[mike93lx]

We use affresh about once a month. Our LG front load washer displays a TC (tub clean)message when it's time. It has a cycle just for that. Is that what you used? I'm curious about what you said that you could not believe the gunk that came out. Where did you observe it?



I'm making an assumption here. Most people who are on wells are also on septic tanks. I know that is not 100% truth, but it is for me. I understood that using bleach with a septic tank was a no-no as it kills all the bacteria that keeps your septic tank functioning properly. I use Borax to scrub shower/tub floors and oxiclean to launder my white loads. Is bleach with a septic tank not the cardinal sin that I thought it was?

A small amount of bleach is totally fine for a septic, especially in a wash cycle that has a lot of water in it as well

 

[TMcCay]

We use affresh about once a month. Our LG front load washer displays a TC (tub clean)message when it's time. It has a cycle just for that. Is that what you used? I'm curious about what you said that you could not believe the gunk that came out. Where did you observe it?

I looked in midcycle and the top of the water was covered with floaties. After the cycle I had to wipe down the tub and run another rinse cycle.

 

[TMcCay]

It was either the Affresh or the Oxiclean. Not really sure. We have a top loader Maytag if that helps any.

 

[gungatim]

LGR!

 

[Hubmonkey]

We used Affresh in our Maytag (recommended by maytag) and it still gets the gunk. We switched to the Tide washing machine cleaner and it works better than the affresh one. we have always kept the lid open to allow it to dry out after use and our machine wants to be cleaned after every 30 cycles. Has an indicator when to clean.

Hub

 

[steve308]

Check and see if the machine has an internal pre-filter. Some do, some don't. Found out mine did and it was the cause of the 'brown gunk' as the filter had become clogged with fine sediment that caused mildew slime. (I'm on a well).

 

[rburke65]

Read your manuals! How about running some vinegar in the washer once in a while!