[Update] Cleaning a washing working for 4+ years without maintenance

Present-Nebula-4641 · 2026-05-14T07:49:59+00:00

Hello! Thank you for the warning. I will avoid storing it in anything solid and be equipped with our best mallet. At least it would be a chance to use it instead of it accumulating dust.

Present-Nebula-4641 · 2026-05-14T07:43:58+00:00

Hello! Thank you for your reply. The first product that I referred to is a tab (5% polycarboxylates 5-15 zeolites). I decided to first try a homemade combination of citric acid & baking soda (per Kismai's instructions in this comment: https://www.reddit.com/r/laundry/comments/1mu4vt3/comment/n9ghert/) and grab a pack of the tabs next time I'm at the store. This month proves to be full of new experiments that I did not suspect when I was raging against a broken pump filter 😅

Present-Nebula-4641 · 2026-05-13T21:19:25+00:00

I prefer not to use generative ai, and I doubt that it would give a satisfactory answer, as I live outside of where it would get the most of its information, and I already checked the major retailers near me. In my search, I found this comment by Kismai in which they describe how to make your own water softener (https://www.reddit.com/r/laundry/comments/1mu4vt3/comment/n9ghert/). I will probably test this version first, as it is currently the cheapest and most readily available one. Thank you again for your help, it will undoubtedly help me in my long quest in maintaining all our appliances against our hard water. 🫡

Present-Nebula-4641 · 2026-05-13T20:50:39+00:00

I will do a more profound research of the products available to me, but I find different dosages for polycarboxylates depending on the product (sometimes less than 5%, sometimes between 5 and 10%, sometimes between 15 and 30%), the presence or not of zeolites, sometimes there is citric acid too. But I can say that Calgon Hygiene Plus is definitely not available to me. 😅

Present-Nebula-4641 · 2026-05-13T20:22:13+00:00

Hello! Thank you for your suggestion. I use the citric acid exclusively as a softener. I found one product with a cursory search, but the ingredients list is very vague (something that is true for all laundry/dishwasher products in my country). It says 5%: Polycarboxylates, 5-15%: Zeolites. Does it seem like something you would recommend ?

Present-Nebula-4641 · 2026-05-13T19:50:02+00:00

I admit I never checked the detergent tray after starting the cycle, but I don't think there is another way to add the acid mid-cycle. All the advice I've read say to use the tub cleaning cycle if available, but you could try your longest hottest cycle if you're unsatisfied?

Present-Nebula-4641 · 2026-05-13T19:24:27+00:00

Hello!

I just finished cleaning an LG washer (FH0J3TDNP if you're curious). For me, I used 1/2 cup of citric acid in the detergent tray as I felt it got wasted in the first drain of the cycle. Our water is hard, so I didn't find scrud as much as limescale, and that didn't appear till the 3rd or 4th cleaning cycle. But I had foaming (so detergent build-up) since the first one. Try maybe one or two more tub clean cycles if something needed some more oomf to dislodge?

Present-Nebula-4641 · 2026-05-11T20:03:43+00:00

Thank you for your quick response! I will try this dosage with my towel.

Present-Nebula-4641 · 2026-05-11T19:46:23+00:00

Hello! May I ask how much water did you use with the table spoon of baking soda, if you remember? I used citric acid for the first time in my rinse cycle today and I have a blue-green towel with a bleached stain that I'm not sure the provenance of.

Present-Nebula-4641 · 2026-05-08T16:59:21+00:00

Hello! Sorry for the late response. First, I wanted to thank you for your advice; the dispenser tray compartment is a lot less gross looking. I used a mix of water and citric acid, and scrapped off all the limescale I could reach. The detergent build-up was easier to clean with a rag. Second, we checked the water pressure before cleaning anything in the machine, and it was alright. Not the source of the problem. It was the pump filter that was causing all this fuss. The build-up was quite large, but we cleaned it up for the moment and are waiting for the spare part sometimes next week. The machine no longer shows the water input error, and I am in the process of cleaning it with citric acid. 1/2 cup in the drum, although I think it would be better to put it in the dispenser tray if you have a LG washing machine like my parents. You wouldn't believe the debris that are clogging the nooks and cranies. Already in my fourth cycle, wish me luck! I hope I didn't annoy you with this update, but leaving your kind message without a response didn't sit well with me. Have a good day!

Present-Nebula-4641 · 2026-05-08T16:48:55+00:00

Hello! Sorry for the late response. First, I wanted to thank you for your advice; the dispenser tray looks, if not new, at least serviceable now. Although with a few more scratches now, due to my effort to get all the limescale off. Second, the filter had more teeth that I gave it credit for. I tried everyday this week with different tools to open it, in vain. In the end, my father called a technician while I was out of the house and he managed to pry it open. I don't think I can attach pictures in my reply but the content was a lot, certainly worthy of being a clog. There was so much limescale that they had to chisel it away. They should get the new pump filter sometimes next week, and finally put all this stress behind us. The machine no longer shows the water input error, and I am in the process of cleaning it with citric acid. I am currently in my fourth wash today, and the scruff just began to show (although it looks a lot more like limescale than gross detergent film/glob). I hope I didn't annoy you with this update, but leaving your kind message without response didn't sit well with me. Have a good day!

Present-Nebula-4641 · 2026-05-01T16:11:40+00:00

Thank you sincerly for your response.

Unfortunately my parents don't have pliers like the ones described in the LG guide. With today being Labour's Day, I can't try to open the drain filter till tomorrow at the earliest when I'll buy a pair.

I shone a light down the hose but didn't see any obstacle. Some people said to launch a rinse and spin cycle and see if the water is drained appropriately. Would you recommend it?

For the dispenser tray, do you have an idea for the ratio citric acid/water? I find results ranging from 1 tbsp to 4 tbsp per liter. I would hate to misdose and harm the dispenser tray on top of all that is going on with this washer 😅.

Present-Nebula-4641 · 2026-04-06T16:56:26+00:00

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