I've always known it is a good idea to make sure you keep your dryer clean. The fire hazard the lint causes is so scary. Few years back a friend (who was pregnant at the time) lost her laundry room to a fire caused by lint.
I've had my machines since we got married 10 years ago. I love them. They were a wedding gift from my parents. I started my cloth diapering back then with my oldest son using Gerber prefolds and pull-up plastic pants. We had typical pail stink, but my washer did a fantastic job cleaning the diapers. I never noticed any build-up or residue in my machine.
About 2 years ago dad and I took a trip to Florida to get my machines out of our town house. We were using a stacked washer/dryer unit and it was not cutting it. I needed my machines. Fast forward to now. The window is collecting white residue and I battle stinky laundry.
I was very happy to stumble upon a blog by The Cloth Diaper Report about daily/weekly maintenance of your washer. The author also followed up with a monthly maintenance routine. As I read, I realized I do some of the daily/weekly suggestions. I try to keep my door open when not in use. My drum is pretty big, but the door opening is pretty small. Now it is a bit difficult when there are little hands wandering the house and they love to close things. I found if I keep the door open the musty smell is very minimal. Yes, just minimal. My biggest problem is taking the clothes out right away. Many times I forget that I need clothes (well hubby needs work clothes) the next day, so I put the load in at 10 pm only to fall asleep before it is done. Thus it sits all night in the washer, all closed up. What a perfect breeding ground for mold, mildew, and mustiness.
I've considered using the Tide washer cleaner, but I have not read any cloth diapering reviews on it. I do know I have hard water. The white residue on my washer door and battle of stink in my diapers has proven that. The Cloth Diaper Report recommends using a product called Affresh. However unlike her machine, I don't have a Clean Washer selection. Remember, my machines were bought new 10 years ago (I don't even have a sanitize on my machine; just a simple, hot/cold/warm).
I hope my machine isn't doomed because I haven't "cleaned" ever. Honestly, I never knew you were supposed to clean them! With that said, I need to go do my first rinse on my diapers.
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