Expert warns
You should not wash this textile in the washing machine
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If something is dirty, we throw it in the washing machine – a short time later it is clean again with minimal effort and smells fresh. But we shouldn’t treat every textile like this.
Clothes, shoes, bags – we try everything that works Washing machine to clean. After all, all we have to do is put the laundry in there, add detergent and, if necessary, fabric softener and press “Start”. Simple, practical, fast. But unfortunately there is one textile that we definitely shouldn’t treat like this, warns appliance repair technician Scott Flint to Taste of Home.
Bath mats cannot be put in the washing machine
It is the bath mat that we should not wash in the washing machine. “The problem is that bathroom mats absorb so much water that they end up weighing much more than the washing machine can handle,” explains the expert. Damage to the washing machine can occur, especially in the spin cycle at high speed. The worst affected was “the rear bearing that carries the spin basket.”
However, the rubberized back creates an additional problem. Pieces of this often come off during washing, which can then block the motor and the drain line. But rugs without rubber don’t seem to be a solution either: “Bathroom mats without a rubber backing can also affect the drain motor. Long fibers on some mats break off during the wash cycle and clog the drain,” warns Scott Flint.
What helps instead?
If you have already put your bath mat in the washing machine, the expert advises you to spin the silver spin basket yourself by hand. If this works easily, evenly and without a clanking noise, the washing machine should still be intact. If not, a technician should be called in.
In the future, to remove hair, dandruff, etc., the bath mat should be washed either by hand or in a laundromat – the machines there are usually more powerful and robust. The same applies to similarly heavy items, recommends Scott Flint: duvets, sleeping bags, dog beds and even carpets.
Source used: tasteofhome.com