Howdy, my name is Steve. I live in Perth, Australia with my wife and our two lovely kids. On this blog, I will be passing on everything I have learnt about servicing household appliances. I should point out that I am not a professional when it comes to this subject, but I have learnt a lot over the past couple of years. I spend my days working for an investment bank, so when I get home, I like nothing more than to spend some time in the kitchen cooking with my wife. I rely heavily on my kitchen appliances so I decided I would learn how to look after them. My brother-in-law is an appliance repairman and he gave me some great tips.
You could throw lightly worn clothes in your washing machine without any detergent and still have them come out clean, but the vast majority of owners use detergent to get rid of deep strains, kill bacteria and get clothes as fresh as possible. Unfortunately, many people use too much of it!
Here are just a few ways using too much detergent can lead to washing machine repairs.
Unpleasant Odours
Here's something you probably don't want to know about the detergent you throw in with your clothes during each wash: most contain a small amount of animal fat. That's not such a big deal – animal fat is wonderful for cleaning and has been used as soap for millennia. The problem is that a small amount of fat will be left over in your machine when the cycle is done. That fat can begin to congeal under the drum or tub, and using too much detergent can lead to an unpleasant odour as the amount of animal fat residue increases.
Even worse, that residue is an ideal place for mould and bacteria to thrive. This often occurs in the gasket or around the drum, where you can't clean yourself.
Damage to the Water Level Pressure Switch
When you use more detergent, you get more foam. Again, this probably doesn't sound like such a bad thing, but excess foam will reach up into places it isn't supposed to go. For example, the water level pressure switch. Your washing machine will have one to keep the water pressure in check. Unfortunately, excess foam can travel up the connecting hose and come in contact with that switch, damaging it. When that happens, you'll probably be forced to call a professional for appliance repairs.
Clogs and Blockages
Your washing machine's cycles are designed with a certain amount of detergent in mind; if you use the right amount, almost all of it should be drained away when your clothes are done. Of course, using too much detergent throws a spanner in the works. It won't all drain away, and anything left over will dry into a residue.
Repeated washes using too much detergent leads to a build-up of residue in certain key areas. Such clogs and blockages can short out vital parts. Even if they don't, blockages force water into places it shouldn't go, such as the control panel or even out over your floor. In any case, letting detergent residue build up is a recipe for disaster.
Share23 April 2018
