Descale the washing machine - how often and with what?

• preparation
• citric acid
• vinegar
• Anti-lime products
• Tips for quick readers

A household without a washing machine is unthinkable, whether it is a single household or a family with many children. Dirty laundry is in many areas and thanks to the machine dirt is no longer a problem. But the purchase is expensive and so that the device survives as many years as possible, regular descaling is important.

For the purchase of a good washing machine can sometimes cost several hundred euros, all the more annoying if the device is suddenly broken after a few years of operation. Lime deposits are often the culprit, accumulating on the sensitive hoses or heating rods. How quickly calcifications develop depends on the degree of water hardness, which can be between one and four. With small test sticks from the pharmacy, you can quickly determine the degree of hardness. Often, however, the local water supplier also provides information or you can find information on the internet about the degree of water hardness prevailing in your living region. But regardless of the degree of hardness, it is necessary that you descale your machine regularly. They thus ensure a long lifetime and also prevent the formation of odors.

How often does the washing machine have to be descaled ">

In the long term, too high a concentration of lime in the washing machine not only causes the laundry to smell unpleasant after washing, but also permanent damage to the electrical system. Inlet and drain hose become porous, in the worst case, a leak and as a result, an enormous water damage. High lime concentrations on the heating rods of the machine also increase your power consumption rapidly. If a thick layer of lime is present on the heating element, significantly more energy must be generated to achieve the desired wash temperature. As a result, the power consumption increases and your machine is loaded with each wash. Regular decalcification will help you to overcome these problems and can significantly extend the life of your washing machine.

Frequency of the necessary decalcification in the overview:

• Water hardness 1 - descaling once a year
• Water hardness 2 - descaling once or twice a year
• Water hardness 3 - descaling two to three times a year
• Water hardness 4 - descaling once every quarter

You need this for the descaling

• with citric acid
  • Cleaning bucket 10 liters
  • a packet of citric acid
• with vinegar essence:
  • a bottle of vinegar essence
• with decalcifier:
  • Commercially available decalcifier

preparation

Before you can start with the decalcification, the machine must be completely emptied. Make sure there are no forgotten socks in the drum or other items of clothing have not been removed. Remove the detergent drawer and clean it thoroughly. Also, the lint filter has such a treatment necessary, remove it and remove all lint and scraps completely. Insert both again before you start descaling. First, let the cookware program run through at 95 degrees. This ensures that existing dirt and grease deposits are dissolved on the lime layer and this can be better removed.

citric acid

preparation
Citric acid from the drugstore or supermarket is a popular way to cleanse a calcified washing machine. However, since the acid is quite aggressive, you should not use it undiluted. Take a cleaning bucket and fill in about two liters of clear water. Now pour eight tablespoons of citric acid into the water and wait for it to completely dissolve. Temporarily stir the liquid and then pour into the drum of the washing machine. Please do not put the acid in the detergent compartment, it could settle here and prevent complete descaling. No further addition of cleaning products is required, the detergent compartment remains unused. Please never mix different descaler with each other, if you have decided on a product, you should only use this.

decalcify

Set the cooking cycle, if possible with prewash on your machine. Close the door carefully and then let it wash. It is advisable to stay close during the descaling process to improve the result. When the machine has reached its maximum temperature, you have the option to stop it for about one to two hours. Simply leave the water in the drum and do not open the door. Due to the high water level, the citric acid is particularly effective and ensures maximum decalcification. If your washing machine can not offer a stop, just let the wash cycle through as usual. For heavy calcifications, you can perform a second operation to achieve the best possible cleaning result.

After descaling

When the citric acid wash cycle is completed, the lime on your machine has been removed and you have taken important steps to ensure the longest possible survival of your machine. So that your laundry does not take any damage from the citric acid, you should let the dishwashing program run again after the descaling. This removes any residual citric acid and you can put your laundry back into the machine the next time. If you still feel the smell of citric acid after the rinse, simply repeat the process. Depending on the duration of exposure, the cleaning agent may set somewhat stubbornly and it will take two to three rinses to remove any remaining residue.

vinegar

preparation

Before you put the vinegar essence in the machine, you should examine the drum for lost socks and Co. Then start an idle cycle at 95 degrees to remove coarse dirt from the heating rods. Limescale is often contaminated and can be better achieved if grease and dirt are already dissolved or removed. Let the empty wash cycle run and finish normally, then the descaling can begin.

decalcify

Essigessenz can be used to decalcify the machine as well, the agent is available in any well-stocked supermarket. However, be aware that vinegar essence is more aggressive than citric acid and should never be exceeded. Put two liters of water in a cleaning bucket and add 150 ml of vinegar essence. Add the mixture directly to the machine drum, not to the detergent compartment. Close the machine carefully and then run the cooking cycle with prewash. Again, you should stop the machine when the maximum water temperature and high water level has been reached. Thus, the Essigessenz can act optimally and solve the existing calcium deposits.

Tip: With a disposable syringe, vinegar essence can be dosed precisely, cost in the pharmacy is less than one euro.

After descaling

When the wash cycle is complete, you will need to run the wash program again to completely remove any leftovers. If you feel any smell of vinegar after the rinse, run another rinse until the smell is completely gone.

Anti-lime products

There are a variety of products available for the descaling of electronic devices. The exact instructions for use can be found in the leaflet. In general, tabs and Co. are added to the detergent drawer and a normal wash is performed at high temperatures. There are also products that are simply put into the machine with the normal wash and do not harm the clothes. Make sure that you really choose a descaling product and not a water softener. Although the softener can prevent further limescale from forming, it is unable to remove lime that has already formed.

Tips for quick readers

Tips for decalcification with citric acid:

• Check drum for forgotten laundry
• Clean detergent drawer and lint filter manually
• fill two liters of water in a cleaning bucket
• add eight tablespoons of citric acid
• Wait for resolution and stir
• Add the lemon mixture to the drum
• Set cooking linen with prewash
• Stop wash at maximum temperature
• Leave water for about 1 - 2 hours
• start the rinse again after descaling

Tips for decalcification with vinegar essence:

• Remove forgotten clothing
• Clean lint filter and detergent drawer
• 150 ml. Vinegar essence to 2 liters of water
• Tilt mixture directly into the machine drum
• Select cooking linen with prewash
• Stop the program at maximum temperature
• Leave water for about two hours
• Let the wash finish normally
• Rinse after descaling
• with further smell further rinse

Tips for descaling with descaling agent:

• Check machine for forgotten laundry
• Read the instructions of the descaler carefully
• Dose agent exactly as directed
• Do a wash
• start the final rinse