A Redditor took to the platform to share a disgusting discovery they made while cleaning their laundry machine. Their experience highlighted the effects popular products can have on an essential appliance.
The scoop
Posting in the r/CleaningTips subreddit, the user shared a photo of an incredibly gunky agitator from inside their washing machine.
They said they had cleaned their 5-year-old Samsung top-loading machine three years earlier but hadn't removed the agitator to clean it. When they did this time, they were shocked to see a buildup of gunk underneath.
"It was absolutely disgusting," they said in the caption. "We stopped using fabric softener 3 years ago when I discovered it causes this build-up, but the MIL started using these scent booster balls/tablets instead, which I'm pretty sure still uses a similar wax product."
How it's helping
The post highlighted some of the potential issues that come with using things like fabric softeners and scent booster pellets in your machine. They may make your clothes smell better in the short term. But they often contain plastics or paraffin wax to hold them together, which are supposed to dissolve in the water of the wash.
However, if you use too many beads, put them in the wrong place in your machine, or use a cold wash cycle, problems can arise.
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If the beads don't fully dissolve, they can leave residue in your machine that can build up and lead to severe mechanical issues if left untreated. That can be especially true if you don't clean your washing machine on a regular basis. They can also leave microplastics in the water system, which can lead to serious environmental issues.
What everyone's saying
Commenters were quick to note the issues with the machine.
"Never Use Tide pods or any of that crap in your washer...someone did this in our building and the plastic melts and sticks to everything on its way down," said one. "Instead of putting the things in the wash they put it in the liquid tray. WAF MESS."
"Fabric softener?" said another, "This looks like a textbook example."
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"Have a Samsung and had to replace the same part about 10 years into it," said a third. "I do not us any pods and very little fabric softener. These pot metal pieces don't last that long in the water. It was a pretty easy fix."
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