Excessive lint/dust on clothes after washing

Hi Alex. Which problem are you refering to?

Nor can I. It’s a living nightmare

SOLUTION TO THIS PROBLEM, well, at least for me.... and it has worked...

Dunno if I am commenting on the right bit as on my phone, but I hope this helps people who suffered from what I had suffered.. and also... I will try explain the best I can as I'm usually not very good at that lol

So, I had all these problems to begin with and was racking my brain what on earth am I doing wrong etc etc..

I've have now came to a conclusion that i am more than happy with. 80% happy with.. which is a far cry from where I was!

Combination of a lot of factors of what I did, trying out different situations

From going through 3 washing machines and countless detergents and softeners etc...

1st of all.. as you get older "apparently " things like that bother you as its something to do with your immune system.. I would scratch etc, see them white thing float around and believing it to be some sort of dust, of fiber. Which it is..

I got medication for allergies and the scratching etc stopped.. although instill see it, it isn't as bad as I found putting every single wash on a softer wash, like synthetics or hand wash help MASSIVELY!

I used non bio tabs and the smallest amount of softener.

I washed my socks separate from anything else, as is towels and bedding..

Tshirts etc all got put in the same wash.

Anything fluffy like jogging bottoms, socks, towels was the main cause (it's up to you if you put it on a cotton) as apparently that is more aggressive the way a machine spins.

So with me having developed some sort of allergy since I've gotten older (34) I've stuck with this and I see massive improvements.. to my scratching and also to the amount of fibres flying around.

Nothing can control it, it will always be there, maybe perhaps, like I have, never noticed it before until it started bothering me.

I hope this helps someone at least.

Any questions, please dont hesitate and emailing me ([email protected]) or on this (If I see it) lol

Also,... when drying, just leave it to dry naturally as tumble dryers and sheets may cause more damage (what I found) as laundry sheepskin is contaminated with it!!

Hope this helps!!

Nope not any that I’ve noticed. Clothes are still dusty. I can’t cope anymore.

Any difference?

Yeah I put 4 tablets in the drum like the person on the thread suggested. The stuff on the clothes horse should be dry today so I’m gonna give them a shake later and see if there’s any difference. Fingers crossed!

Do you just add it to the wash?

Yeah it’s hard to tell because like you say it is literally on everything. I’ve been washing with aspirin since yesterday, and my work skirt seemed like it had less lint on it when it came out of the machine but I don’t know if it’s just me getting my hopes up. I’m gonna see how this stuff dries today and just keep using it just in case, for 10p a wash it’s worth giving it a chance to do something.

How did you get on? I know it’s hard to know it’s on everything.

Yeah I’ll just chuck in a small load of old clothes. I’m going to get some aspirin tomorrow and try it.

I have lint rollers galore, the traditional tape sort of one and the reusable ones that you can rinse but unless I do it on absolutely every piece of clothing it just transfers everywhere anyway ie on the sofa, bedding.😩

So am I

Thanks for the update Louise. So unfortunately although very similar in looks like a totally different cause. If you do try the aspirin thing, which still sounds a little crazy 🙂, just make sure you try it on less-expensive laundry although if the laundry is caked in it then it may be down to kill or cure anyway. Has anyone tried a proper lint remover roller yet?

This person said they had washed a disposable nappy in the wash and I assume this is the outer fabric/tissue type layer that has broken down on the clothes.

But I’m gonna give it a go I’m willing to try anything at this point.🤣

Definitely let us know the outcome please or what’s causing it be very much appreciated

Hello Louise. Adding aspirin does sound very bizarre it sounds almost like an old April fool's joke. It's hard to imagine how that could help but as I can't also imagine how it could possibly cause any harm it is definitely worth a try. Please let us know how you get on.

Also let us know if you find out if they found proof of what was causing it.

I’ve just saw this on one of the Facebook cleaning pages I’m on, this woman’s clothes look a lot like mine do out of the wash and two people have both recommended using aspirin in the wash? I reckon it’s worth a shot?

Although it could be that they would pick fibres up from the other laundry in the washer.

If the carpet is the source then that should at least prevent further contamination? Have you tried the sticky roller I suggested? If that doesn't remove it from the laundry then I would say that the nature of your contamination is that once the stuff is all over the clothes they are possibly ruined.

On that note, I wonder if some household insurance would cover that and pay for replacements?

Yes still the same. I’ve even bought a roll to cover the carpet and it’s made no different because I don’t know how to get it off the clothes in the first place.😩

Still a problem? I think I’ve ran out of options

Louise - do you find washing new clothes generates more lint on the clothes than normal?

Hi Louise. Thanks for your update. After seeing your photos I was going to say that the lint inside the plastic condenser shouldn’t be able to get into the washing machine drum. The only way lint can get to the laundry from the dryer section is down the vent at the top of the door seal.

That’s where the hot air is pumped into the drum. Early on in this topic the lint from the dryer was talked about as a possible cause but it can’t explain the constant and pervasive covering that has been talked about recently.

The constant contamination of hundreds of fibres with a limitless supply couldn’t possibly be caused by lint from the dryer section. It has to be on the laundry before going into the washing machine.

After all that cleaning out the machine the washing is still coming out the same.😢😢

I feel exactly the same.

Hi Andy, I’m just waiting to replace the carpet completely to be honest. I emailed the company and they gave me a call back, they’re going to look into it and get in touch. In the meantime I will talk to my OH about temporarily covering the carpet.

It’s just honestly baffling I don’t understand why it’s such a prevalent issue but it’s honestly a living nightmare. I just wish it would go away. The surface lint doesn’t bother me, it’s the fact it’s being thrown into the air and settling on everything I own.

I even posted to a few cleaning pages on Facebook asking for advice and a lady from Canada has got in touch because she has the same issue.

Hello Louise. I've thought a lot about this issue and as far as I can see have mentioned every possible cause and solution that my brain can supply. The only thing I can suggest is to very carefully read over every single one of the posts and make sure you have tried everything that has been suggested. It may well be that there are some things that have been suggested that you didn't try because maybe it was awkward or you didn't think it would make any difference?

Things like covering up the carpet for example?

Hi Andy, I feel like I’ve just exhausted all of my options so I’m just willing to try anything. It’s severely affecting my quality of life and I just wish I had an answer. I need a miracle.😢

Hello Louise. Yes you need to find where the lint is coming from in order to solve your problem.

I was hoping it would aerate the clothes enough and gather the excess lint in the lint trap. The lint seems to be within the clothes though and not just on the surface. I’m not really bothered about the visible lint on the surface of the clothes because I can reduce that with a lint roller I’m fed up of the lint being produced by the clothes when they move because it’s coating everything in my house.

But I am refraining from using the dryer on my machine at all.

Hi Louise. I thought you were going to buy a dryer because you were going to stop using the dryer on the washer-dryer, and therefore would need a separate dryer. I didn't realise you were thinking of buying a dryer to see if the dryer would remove the lint.

I wouldn't expect a tumble dryer to remove the lint if either hanging the washing out on a line to blowdry doesn't get rid of it, no using a lint remover.

Oh really? See I was hoping to buy a dryer and see if that will help but I don’t want to waste money if it’s not going to work.😩😩

I don’t no, but I did use the dryer at the laundrette and they still came out dusty.

Yes exactly on the label. Really hard to explain so all the other clothes had visible pink fabrics. It was like it shredded the jumper. So I don’t over load the washing machine so I put about three towels in but they come out stiff and stuck to the inside the washing machine - what am I doing wrong there? The lint is really ruining my life

Thank you Emma, do you have a dryer?

Fingers crossed for you! I give up.

Yeah that’s what I’m hoping for, I’m going to order a separate tumble dryer and see if that will help loosen some of the lint into a filter that I can actually collect it from rather than it just moving around in the machine. Fingers crossed!

Hello Louise. If you've managed to clear the lint and do not use the dryer any more then hopefully the problem should stop. Please let us know if it does. If by any chance it does not stop then this would strongly imply that this lint is somehow getting up into the dryer's parts, though I struggle to imagine how that would be possible so it probably won't happen.

Hi Andy,

that’s what I’m assuming, I thought the lint would be washed/drained away. I think I’m going to purchase a seperate dryer and continue using the machine as just a washing machine and see how that goes. I’ll open the machine and inspect the same parts again next month.

I’m still waiting to hear back from the carpet shop also.

Hello Louise. I suspect there may be a fundamental flaw in the design of washer dryers. It seems many of them suffer with a big build up of lint that clogs the dryer fan, the heating chamber and the condenser chamber. I just can't work out whether or not this happens when the dryer is being used regularly, or when a dryer is not used regularly and the lint maybe dries out and moves around. At the end of the day all lint that is removed from laundry during the drying cycle is supposed to get washed into the outer drum underneath the main drum and then get pumped away.

I use it quite rarely to be honest. I see it several times to see if it got the lint off the clothes but it didn’t seem to. I’m going to just use the machine as a washer not use the dryer now and see how that goes.

Hello Louise, I need to re-ask a few questions because we have different people with the same problem but different circumstances on this thread. How often do you use the washer dryer? The lint that gets inside the condenser chamber, which is this big plastic part, is lint that is likely to have come from the drying cycle.

And this is from the white thing. So I don’t know if that’s what was causing the issue?

On another note I’ve been in touch with the carpet people and they are going to ring me back next week.

I got this much lint just from the fan alone.

Taken the plunge today and opened up the machine to deep clean it and this is the white thing I was talking about that had a lot of lint in it previously. We only opened it up and cleaned it a few months ago and it’s full of lint again already.

Hello Emma. The label on the item should tell you if you have special instructions. A lot of modern clothes say hand wash only or dry clean only but most people never notice. A lot of things say to wash inside out too. Exactly what is on the label?

Thank you. I put a fluffy jumper in with similar colour and read the label, and it’s covered the other clothes in pink long fabrics from the jumper. This was the first I put in the wash - should of I washed it on it’s own?

It's definitely worth a try, Emma. Those rollers are very sticky so they should remove any loose lint even if it's clinging on. Please let me know how you get on.

Thank you ☺️

Thanks Emma. To be honest that looks a bit useless. I was thinking of a proper one with sticky roller like this

https://www.ikea.com/gb/en/p/baestis-lint-roller-grey-90425626/

Hi Emma. What balls were they? I was thinking of the sticky roller type.

Yes I tried the balls but no luck.

Have you tried any lint remover tools?

Hiya, still the same unfortunately. I had a neighbour wash some of my children’s bedding and it was exactly the same. I feel like once it’s cling to your washing is there really any way to get rid of it?😔

How’s everything going, still the same?

I will do Emma, I’ve seen some on Amazon, I’m gonna see if I can find any in home bargains tomorrow first before I pay Amazon prices but I’m willing to try anything.

It’s the same in my house and it’s just an excessive amount of lint, I’m driving myself crazy trying to clean it up every day. I’m wasting my life dusting up lint and I can’t cope anymore.😩😩

You’ll have let me know how you get on with spray, is this what happens when I iron or even move, thank you

I will give that a go, I have a few brushes I could try. I’ve also used a rubber reusable lint roller on it previously and it picked up so much lint.

My in laws live two doors down and they do not have this issue, they had a different style carpet from a different shop more recently than mine and they do not have excess lint. My mother in law thinks I’m going crazy, no one believes me how bad it is.

Also have you checked that none of your immediate neighbours have the problem?

I’m thinking of something like a stiff hair brush. Something with plastic or strong teeth.

I’ve tried using the dustpan and brush on the carpet before and it just sends it flying everywhere. It’s an absolute nightmare.

Hi Louise. Let me know how you get on. No there’s no protection on debit cards. Try to get fibres off the carpet with a small brush.

Hi Andy, now that you mention it it does look a lot like carpet fibres, they’re quite long in length and I wouldn’t imagine those coming from the clothes. I will take a photo of the carpet when my son isn’t sleeping on me.🤣 It’s hard to compare them with the ones from the vacuum though as they get pushed into a ball of fluff in the vacuum you can’t see the individual fibres.

But I have nothing to lose contacting the carpet shop, I have had the carpet a while but I had assumed the shedding would have calmed down over time. It’s on everything, my sofa, curtains, everywhere. I paid for the carpet with my debit card so I don’t think I have the same protection as a credit card. But I will see what they say.

Hi Louise. I've not heard of the antistatic spray but it's worth a try. If the washing machine could get rid of them it would be a massive help I'm sure.

Looking at your photo, if I didn't know anything about this and someone showed me that photo I would say that it looks like the fibres from a carpet. Have you compared the fibres that come out of your vacuum cleaner with the fibres that infect the laundry? Bear in mind that if they have gone through a wash and been subjected to detergent it's possible that they may change slightly but you should be able to tell if they are carpet fibres or not. Try using a proper magnifying glass to have a closer look if necessary.

I think you should definitely get it looked into because if it is a fault on the carpet you should not have to suffer financially as well. Just be calm but firm with them and tell them that you have been investigating this issue and researching it for months. Also do the research on the problem to find other examples and cases, especially like the one I linked to where the manufacturer admitted the carpet was faulty.

Bear in mind that in consumer law the manufacturer is not responsible at all. Only the retailer who sold it. This is why you often get problems with retailers because they are saddled with this responsibility and it is nothing to do with them at all. There's nothing to stop you contacting the manufacturer, who may very well be helpful. If they choose to any manufacturer can replace any faulty product, it's just that they aren't obliged to in law. If you do contact the retailer remember to tell them that under the consumer rights act of 2015 they are responsible and will have to liaise with the manufacturer, and we can make a claim for compensation or replacement if appropriate for up to 6 years after purchase.

Finally if you paid for the carpets by a credit card you may well be covered under section 75 whereby under consumer law they are jointly liable for any faulty products purchased with their cards. So if the retailer and/or manufacturer are unhelpful you can contact your credit card company and tell them you want to make a claim under section 75 for a full refund. The only problem with this, and I found this out first hand when I had a faulty engine, is that all they will do is contact the retailer who will (if they have been obstructive for some reason) just tell them that you don't have a claim. The credit card company will then come back to you and say there's nothing they can do. This is highly infuriating. It caused me a lot of anger and stress.

After several months had elapsed I did come to appreciate that they cannot just give out refunds to people because they claim they are entitled to one. Bear in mind that if they give a refund they will claw it back from the retailer. So it's a serious step and they need evidence. In this case you would need to get an expert to write a report. On that link that I sent you to Google there was a carpet expert who will travel anywhere in the UK to inspect carpets and write reports. It appears to be their main business and he has over 40 years experience. Obviously this is likely to cost a few hundred pounds but it may very well be worth the gamble if you are convinced it is the carpet and it is going to cost thousands to replace them.

Thank you for being so helpful Andy, I really appreciate it.

I think I will visit the carpet shop in which I purchased it tomorrow and state my issue. The only problem being is like you say, I can’t definitely prove that they are the carpet fibres. The carpet is only in the hallway, but I have it over the two sets of stairs and the landing. Everywhere else is laminated/tiled.

Upon my searching the internet I found anti static spray for laundry, do you think that would be worth trying?

Just to show you the scale of the problem I just ironed my kids fresh bedding in the kitchen and this is what is left on my hob just from moving the covers to iron them. So it’s just a viscous circle, any time fabric moves in this house this is what I get out of it.

However, I can see how the washing machine may be unable to cope with removing them - especially if they are somehow getting electrically charged through friction and static electricity and sticking to the fibres. This is why I spent much of the first part of this topic talking about ensuring you are using the washing machine is 100% correctly as possible in case the problem was exacerbated by the washing machine not being able to remove the fibres because it wasn't being used on the proper programme or with the correct amount of detergent.

Hello Louise. I had no idea it was the same carpet on all three floors. I was assuming it was just a lounge carpet for example. However, if it is the same carpet on all three floors it would at least explain why there is so much of it and why it is affecting all of your laundry.

I really would suggest that you contact the manufacturer or the shop and complain because there is at least a chance something may be done, especially if they are aware that there has been an issue from say other complaints. I appreciate the problem is that you cannot categorically say it is caused by the carpets but if you are pulling off the fibres from your laundry and they are the same as the ones on the carpet I would think that is fairly strong evidence.

If you haven't already I would also spend some time researching if other people are having problems with the carpet excessively shedding lint indefinitely and or disintegrating slowly.

At the end of the day it is all about the process of elimination but the logical method is to eliminate all of the simple things first. In your case (if I'm not mixing up with someone else 🙂 ) you seem to have an almost un-limitless supply of these fibres and I cannot see how it would be coming from the washing machine in such quantities and for so long.

By the way I just did a quick search on Google for - faulty carpet expert - in case I could find somebody who might be able to inspect your carpets. I didn't spend long but I found this first result that you may find of great interest. It is someone looking like they have the same problem as you and their carpet manufacturer accepted it was faulty. Check it out https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/5625117/faulty-carpet-consumer-rights

I am currently looking into costage of replacing the carpet, I’m currently having my drive done so when that job is finished and no chance of the new carpet being ruined then I will be replacing because I’m that desperate to eliminate anything that it could be. It’s going to be costly as I have three floors but I’m willing to try anything at the moment because I’m living a nightmare.

I just can’t get my head around why the machine isn’t getting rid of the excess lint, I’ve never had this issue before, I’ve never accidentally washed tissues or anything in the machine, never washed anything fluffy in there. And I use the machine as directed. It’s just so baffling I wish someone had the magic answer.

You can shake them for ages and it wouldn’t get rid the dust.

Yes to be honest it has over complicated things. On the face of it they are the same problem so it's perfectly legitimate for them all to be on the same thread but in hindsight it would have been better for each 1 to have its own thread.

Regarding the carpet fitters yes you are writing they are highly unlikely to be interested because people never are but under the consumer rights act 2015 you have up to 6 years in England (five years in Scotland) to get redress for any faulty product. The problem is that from everything I've learnt over the years of dealing with consumer issues both the carpet fitters, the shop you bought it from and possibly even the manufacturer will all be reluctant to help because it's nothing but hassle for them and it's going to cost them money. So in order to get any redress you would have to have some expert come out and write a report saying that the carpet is defective. Having said that, I believe it is worth contacting the manufacturer of the carpet. They may be more helpful than we expect. It's possible they may even be aware of a faulty batch.

Other than that I'm not sure you have a lot of option. Obviously I have no idea about your financial circumstances, but if this thing is seriously impacting your quality of life then you have to do something about it and that may include taking gambles. As I said several times before, troubleshooting any problem is all about collating all of the possibilities and discounting them one by one by experiment.

So you may have to do just have it ripped up and replaced. If that's not possible I wonder whether it may be possible to cover it up for a week or so in order to see if the problem slowly gets better. I recently had a new boiler fitted and the gas fitters that came brought with them some carpet covering protectors. They were sticky on one side and stuck to the carpet and on the other side they were like hard felt. I was very impressed with them although he did say they were "expensive" though I have no idea how much. Maybe they were only relatively expensive in that he has to fit them every time he fits a boiler.

At the end of the day it is impossible to solve any problem without eradicating every possible cause until you are left with or uncover the culprit.

The only way it can be related to the hardness of your water is if your washing machine cannot get rid of all the fibres properly because you are not using enough detergent. I've mentioned that probably four or five times so I would presume you have discounted that already.

Again this is related to the efficiency of the washing machine. So again I would have thought you would have discounted all washing machine related possibilities which I've listed in great detail by now.

Yeah honestly I could shake my clothes and just clouds and cloud of fibres appear. No matter how much I shake them it doesn’t seem to stop.

Its strange that everyone with this issue has different circumstances aswell, like Emma is saying she doesn’t think it’s her carpet shedding. I’m unsure if the carpet fitters will do anything about it now as it’s over 18 months old, and I’m so reluctant to purchase new carpet because if it doesn’t resolve it I’ve wasted the money effectively.

The only other thing I could relate it to is that I live in a semi hard water area, but my neighbours do not have this issue, I have a friend who lives over the road and her washing is fine, same with my in laws who live two doors down.

And the other thing I could put it to is that the washing machine doesn’t have its own separate drainage it is plumbed in to the sink drainage but again my in laws have theirs the same way and they don’t have any issues.

This is such a bizarre thing as the this is such a bizarre hello the the source of the fibres seems to be limitless. If the fibres are the same colour and texture as those coming from your carpet I think you really need to contact the carpet fitter and or the carpet manufacturer. As the article I linked to earlier suggests, there could be a manufacturing fault on the carpet.

Hi Andy,

It’s honestly awful the amount of fibres around my house but I don’t know whether it is the carpet or the laundry causing the problem. I don’t remember having this issue before the carpet was installed. But it’s been going on for so long I can’t be 100% sure.

I do shake the clothes before they go in the machine but no matter how much I shake them fibres are constantly being released from the clothes it’s like it’s never ending.

I am trying to seperate the washing by fabric type now and see if that makes a difference. I’m one step away from vacuuming the clothes before they go in the machine and when they are dry from the machine.🤣

People around me think I’m being dramatic when I say it’s ruining my life but it truly is. I feel like my house is never clean because it’s covered in fibres, I can dust and they’re back half an hour later. I can’t do any decorating that needs doing because I’m worried about the lint getting into the paint or settling onto wet paint. I’m so desperate for an answer and a resolution. I’ve searched the internet and read so many articles but none of them have suggested anything I haven’t already tried.

Same here, it’s like a living nightmare. The lint has transferred to everything, coats, curtains and there’s lint covering all inside my car etc. my problem doesn’t seem to be getting better. Exactly same what’s happening to me.

Hello Louise. I think there's something wrong if you are still getting this much lint from your carpet. A new carpet should not be shedding excess lint after three or four months. I've just done a quick search and found the following article which may be of use. Although it is an American page it should still be relevant for our carpets I would imagine https://allkleencarpets.com/avoid-carpet-shedding-fuzzing/

Apparently this fuzzing is separate to normal lint shedding. If the problem with the laundry is to do with the carpet though I'm still surprised that it is so pervasive as the overwhelming majority of laundry doesn't come into contact with a carpet. I presume you shake the laundry thoroughly before putting them in the washing machine these days?

This is the amount of lint I get every single day just from my stairs and landing. And I don’t know if it’s the clothes causing all of this lint but when I shake them loads of fibres come off them. And the dark washing comes out with loads of fibres stuck to the surface.

Oh okay, doesn’t sound like it’s the carpet then. Because. I get loads of grey fluff from my carpet daily. And my skirting boards are always covered in grey fibres but I didn’t know if it was the clothes causing it or the carpet.

I just wish we had a solution because it’s really stressing me out daily, I’m sick of dusting daily, it’s an absolute nightmare.😭

I Hoover every other day but my vacuum doesn’t fill up. I don’t know what type it is, just a grey one.

What type of carpet is it please? I think it’s my carpet shedding because when I vacuum the carpet the canister is filled with grey fluff from the carpet and I vacuum every day and I get the same result. If I get to eye level with the carpet there are lots of scraggly bits sticking up. Mine is a wool loop style.

I’m currently washing the machine weekly, and the water pump filter, wiping the inside of the drum with a damp cloth after every wash. Tried washing 5 items at a time, cottons only etc. Using surf. Not using anything at all, cold washes. Adding vinegar and soda. Tried tumble dryer the clothes after to see if it removes the dust/lint.

We’ve had new carpets last Christmas and in 2019 - what are the signs that it’s the carpet shedding?

Hi Emma, could I ask if anything in the house could be causing the it through shedding? Because I have a suspicion that my issue is related to my carpet but I don’t want to replace it if it isn’t related to the problem.

Hi. What extra things have you tried and eliminated?

The problem is still very much the same maybe even worse

Hi Andy, no I mean just damp out of the machine before drying. But this is the surface of the clothes as soon as they come out of the machine. And then when they dry the fibres fly everywhere.

The fibres on the surface of the clothes do seem quite wirey like wool. The carpet is a mixture of greys and it is a wool loop style carpet, I’m not sure what kind of fibres it is whether is it man made, I assume so?

I do find it sheds quite a lot, when I vacuum it easily fills the Hoover with grey fluff but I didn’t know what was causing what. Is it the clothes causing the carpet to be dusty or the other way around.

I had the carpet fitted in the summer of 2020 and to be honest I didn’t see a problem with my laundry before then, I had been using this washer without an issue since October 2018.

Hello Louise. When you say the washing is wet do you mean it's not spun properly? Also is the carpet white, the same as the white fibres?

Is the carpet new? Is it man made fibre subject to static electricity? I'm wondering if somehow the fibres are electrically charged and sticking to the laundry.

Currently this is how my washing is leaving my machine wet, absolutely covered in white fibres, and when they are dry the slightest movements creates a massive cloud of fibres. I’m forever dusting, I’m worried about my children breathing all of this in.

I’ve tried everything you suggested, I’m using the longer setting, 40 degree wash, I use surf powder, I’ve tried to dry the lint out of the machine with the dryer on. And this is still how they’re coming out. I think it’s got to the carpet right? But I’m thinking surely the machine should be getting rid of this excess lint? If it is from the carpet?

This is my washer model number.

Sorry I did include a white muslin which wasn’t new. It’s highly embarrassing and I hate leaving the house.

Hi Emma. That indicates the issue is unrelated to washing machines at all. The lint must be getting onto the clothes in your house or an environment you use somehow. Or the lint/microfibres are just part of the clothes and it's being shed by them.

If the problem is the same in different washing machines - one even in a different house it can't be the washing machine.

All my tips about using the washing machine are still relevant because they relate to washing your laundry as thoroughly as possible - which with an issue like yours is doubly important. However, it seems that even washing "properly" this substance is managing to evade being washed out properly, which is bizarre.

So I had a new baby clothes which I didn’t want to get dusty, there were mixed cottons synthetic etc so washed them in my mums washing machine and they came out dusty but my mum washed them so I don’t know what she uses. Now the lint has stayed in her washing machine. I find new clothing comes out even worse. My problem has remained the same with your tips.

This is a very frustrating problem clearly. And at least three people can't get rid of it. I just re-read the whole of this thread again. It's a struggle to think of any possible cause that would link all three cases. At least one of them is not a washer dryer, and a washer dryer can cause dry fluff and dust to drop into the drum especially if it is not used very frequently.

At least one of them has had the same problem in two different houses, and with at least two different washing machines, so all of the evidence implies that there is no fault on the washing machines.

That just leaves two possibilities. That the washing machines are being used in a particular way that allows this problem to occur, or that the fluff and lint is not coming from the washing machine or laundry at all.

I just going to go over my thoughts again and spell everything out as best as I can. I hope no one takes this as being patronising. I just want to try and summarise my advice so far.

I would expect that even if the lint and fluff was getting onto the laundry from an external source then a washing machine should be able to get rid of it as long as it is being used a hundred percent correctly. Some washing machines are actually not very good at washing. Which? often give very poor scores to washing machines because they are rubbish at washing. So it's possible that if someone has a particularly difficult problem and they have a washing machine that is not very good at washing it may not be able to cope with it.

So one thing I would suggest is that anybody with this problem have a good look at Which? washing machine reviews to see if it has been tested by them and what results it got. If you are not a which member and you are suffering with this issue please post your washing machines brand and model number and I can have a look to see if there is a review available which may or may not be useful.

So as I said before a few times, anyone with this problem should ensure that they are not overloading the drum, and by that I don't mean either putting anything in. On the contrary laundry doesn't get washed is clean if there isn't enough laundry in the drum to be constantly rubbing against each other. So drum needs to be filled reasonably full in order to be economical and efficient. When I say overloading I am referring to negligently overloading. That is cramming the drum so full that the whole of the laundry just revolves in one big lump. There needs to be space inside the drum so that when the drum turns, and the laundry is taken to the top of the drum it can fall from the top. I've posted a link to a much more detailed explanation on loading the drum at least twice previously in this thread.

After overloading, it's essential to be putting the laundry on the proper wash cycle that is indicated on the wash labels and not to engage any options that cut down the wash time. So for example if they are cottons and the label says to wash it 40° cotton cycle then that's the cycle it should be washed on. Even if this cycle takes two or three hours it should be stuck to.

The wash cycles these days do take a long time because of restrictions in the amount of water and energy that modern washing machines are expected to use. In order to compensate for being more environmentally friendly they have to wash for much longer periods of time to get the same results. They do have quick wash programs and options but essentially they are next to useless unless you are putting something in there that is virtually clean anyway.

So any options that cut down the amount of time taken will compromise the wash result. It may be perfectly okay for many people but if you have got a specific issue with laundry not coming out of the washing machine totally clean and covered in lint and dust you need the washing machine to work as hard as possible

Then finally we have the detergent. Make sure that you use a good quality powder detergent. My wife uses surf and has done for years. But again, try checking on Which? reviews. They also review lots of detergents and test them thoroughly (why subscribe to Which?)

At the end of the day this problem is either something to do with the washing machines (either some weird fault or the way that they are being used) or not. So it's essential to eliminate the way they are being used as part of the process of getting to the bottom of it. If you try everything I've suggested and still have the problem then at least you have completely eliminated several of the possible causes but hopefully you might find it makes a difference.

A final suggestion would be that if you have family or close friends that do not have this problem maybe it might be possible to have them wash something a few times consecutively to see if the issue remains or disappears?

Emma I know it sounds silly but could I ask if you have carpets in your house and if so what type? My other theory was that the carpet was shedding excessively and somehow affecting the clothes. As my issue only really started becoming noticeable after having new carpet fitted.

I don’t have the dryer just normal washing machine

Hi Emma. I just realised if we didn’t have any wet laundry inside it may not have created the damp atmosphere inside the dryer parts. I’d try washing a load of cottons and then try drying them.

Still very much the same, give it more time?

It’s usually created only when drying. Any fluff that comes off during a wash cycle should get pumped away.

Oh okay, I get it, but is it becoming stuck in the machine somewhere do you think? Because the amount I got from inside was quite bad and I rarely ever have lint in the filter thing at the front.

It’s probably already dried out. That’s why it would be dropping into the drum. The idea is that using the dryer will created a lot of steam that will dampen any lint stuck inside the dryer parts and stop it falling into the drum.

Ahh okay, we fished out quite a bit of lint out of that plastic thing so I’m guessing there would be more lint further in the machine. We got the most we could out of it but it becomes quite narrow and hard to access.

So is it a good idea to dry the lint out? And then that would be eliminating it? If so I will run the dryer tomorrow without anything in it and see if that changes anything. I’m trying to convince my OH to take a look inside again.

The big plastic thing is likely to be the condenser chamber. That’s usually the least affected by lint. So there’s a chance there’s a lot more lint in the fan chamber and inside the heating chamber.

Let us know if it makes any difference. If it’s wet it stays where it is. If it totally dries out it could drop into the drum through the top of the door seal.

Thank you, I will give that a go aswell then. My partner opened the top panel a few months ago and we found lint in a part of the machine, a big white plastic thing? I’m not sure what it is but we fished lint out of there but the problem still persisted.

This could be the main cause. Although if you have hardly used it I wouldn’t expect too much lint to be there. But there could be. Lint can build up inside the dryer fan chamber, inside the heating element chamber and in the condenser.

I would try putting the dryer on a couple of drying cycles. You don’t need to put any laundry in if you don’t want to. My idea is that by using the dryer a couple of times it should cause most of any stuck lint to become wet and stick in place.

Then use the wash and see if it’s improved. The other advice about not using enough detergent and not using full wash cycles still stands though as that’s related to washing laundry properly and keeping washing machine clean inside.

Sorry yes I think there’s a few of us with the same issue but different machines.

I rarely use the dryer to be honest, I try not to use it and I air dry my clothes. But I had read somewhere that the tumble dryer is supposed to get rid of excess lint so I tried that and it didn’t, they were still just as bad out of the tumble dryer.

I ran a tub clean last night so I’m hoping that has refreshed my machine and I am going to try everything else without using the dryer to avoid lint being stuck outside the drum. I have just put another smaller load on the cotton setting and it’s come out to an hour and half so I will see how this goes.

Hi Louise. It's getting a bit confusing as there are I think 3 different people on this thread with the same problem but different circumstances. I've mentioned washer-dryers a few times. Washer dryers can get trapped lint in the dryer section that can fall into the drum. It seems like it is a design flaw in a way.

Do you use the dryer section much? I'm thinking if you only use it infrequently then the trapped lint and fluff that is normally damp and sticks inside could dry out and potentially cause this issue.

It is a washer dryer, and I had never had this issue before I purchased the combined unit.

I will give it a go then of using just the cotton setting and hopefully that helps.

Yes Louise. You need to use the correct wash cycle with no time-cutting options selected and the full amount of detergent advised on the detergent packaging and make sure you don't ram the drum too full. Only then can you know you are using it 100% correctly so that if the fault persists you can look to other causes.

Fault finding is all about eliminating possible causes one by one until a cause is found. Is it a washer-dryer btw?

Would you suggest I continue using that setting then to see if that makes a difference? I’m at just frustrating that it takes that long but if it can solve the issue then I will do that.

Essentially they have designed the washing machine to wash and rinse cottons, and the programme needs 3 hours or so to do it. By selecting options to cut the time in half it compromises the wash effectiveness by using less water, not agitating as much, or cutting out some rinses etc.

If troubleshooting a problem where the laundry doesn't seem to be washing or rinsing properly it's advisable to use the washing machine exactly as designed and use the correct amount of detergent etc. If the fault persists you have at least eliminated some of the possible causes.

Hi Andy, it’s an LG washer and I think it weighs the washing inside and then sets the time for the wash. Ever since I have had this machine the cotton setting has always taken at least 3 hours, so I have always used it on the mix setting which cuts this time in half.

40 degree wash should only take between one and half to two hours. Have you had an engineer to check the machine is functioning properly?

I can sympathise honestly, it is ruining my life. It’s making me so anxious and agitated. I’m worried about the lint dust around my children and I have exhausted all options on how to resolve it. Do you have the same when you shake the clothes clouds off lint come off them? Like it’s hiding inside the fabric?

I did a wash yesterday the longest cotton setting on 40 degrees, it took several hours and the black items we still covered in white lint afterwards. I’m going to see how they dry and see if they produce the lint cloud. But I can’t think of anything else I could try.

I have the same problem and yes I fully agree that’s it a living nightmare.

Thank you for all of your advice Andy.

I am clutching at straws at the moment trying to find a solution. It’s a living nightmare, the lint dust in my house is awful.

So far a list of things I’ve tried that haven’t worked; switching to liquid detergent, I have now gone back to powder, cutting out softener as I thought that was causing the excess lint, gentle cycles, running the clothes through the dryer, white vinegar.

We’ve even opened the machine and scooped out lint from the inside, the filter is emptied almost daily, I run tub clean cycles all the time. It’s really baffling me as to what could be causing it.

I will try your suggestions of washing at 40 and a longer cycle and see if that helps at all.

I wouldn't be surprised if it took several washes to see good results.

Would it take a few washes to rid of the dust/lint? The lint has transferred to everything in house, kids toys and teddies, curtains, coats, sofas, everything

I wouldn't associate washing wrong items together with your issue. But basically the wash labels will say what wash cycles are safe. Avoid quick wash cycles and 30 degree cycles unless items of laundry say only wash at 30 degrees. Unfortunately a lot of modern laundry does.

40 degree cottons and 60 degree cottons are great - as long as the items have those temperatures on their wash labels. Also do the maintenance wash mentioned with no laundry inside at least once a month, and make sure you put good quality powder detergent in and the correct amount as described on the detergent package for the level of water hardness at your house. And of course make sure you put the detergent in the correct side of the drawer. That's all you can do really.

Don’t know you if you got any articles on what clothes to wash together? I know like the 100% cotton on a cotton wash but what if the clothing is 98% cotton, 2%

Do you have a article on what clothes to wash together? 100% cotton on a cotton wash, but what if the item is 95% cotton, 5% Lycra elastane? What are socks too? Thank you

Hi Emma. Just concentrate on all the articles about wash results, wash cycles and keeping washing machine clean. It can't be a fault on the washing machine if it also happened with a brand new one.

Thank you - very much appreciated. I’ll go through them and read them. I’ll get back to you

Hi Emma. In your case it can't be your washing machine because it happened on two different ones (one brand new) and one at the laundrette. So it has to be something not related to washing machines or something about the way you use the washing machine. Both seem unlikely to be honest but it's impossible for it to be anything other than the washing machine, the way it's used, or something else and if it can't be the washing machine it has to be one of the other two causes.

The only thing I can suggest is to not use liquid detergent, don't use quick wash cycles (which are rubbish and don't wash properly) and do maintenance hot washes as described in one of my previous links. Also don't overload the washing machine but I just mean don't fill it to the top, you don't need to hardly put anything in.

Nothing has worked, I don’t know what to do!

Hi Andy. Some of the dosing balls made quite a racket as they clanked about the drum.

I would think the skins completely dissolve. The problem is they still contain liquid detergent and for some reason I’ve seen several sources where they say it’s not possible to put bleaching agents in liquid detergent. That’s what causes a build up of bacteria and gunge especially when combined with exclusively using low temperature washes.

Yep thats right - dosing ball they used to call it I think. - ah right so you cannot get them now , thats a shame .

So, these capsules you get with the dissolvable wrappers can they cause damage as well over the time ? the actual dissolvable wrapping on the capsule? - can they over time get caught up in the pimp and hoses and cause problems do they build up over time ? or do they just dissolve fully and just pump out down the drain do you know?

Yes Andy that's the only advantage of it but it comes at a price. You used to be able to place the detergent in a container on top of the laundry but they seem to have fallen out of fashion. Don't know if detergent manufacturers still make them or not.

If the water pressure is so low as to not flush detergent down properly there's not much alternative other than always helping it down with a jug of water.

I used liquid for a while on our washer Andy because the powder just got clogged in the soap drawer into one big lump instead of nicely dissolving I am thinking either because its cold water only machine so the cold water is not dissolving it , or because not enough water pressure from the jets above the soap drawer is not powerful enough to push down the powder ( the water coming into the machine is fed from the header tank in the loft rather than mains fed water) - so have you any tips on how to carry on using powder but getting it to dissolve better with the incoming cold water?

As far as I'm aware, liquid detergent doesn’t contain bleaching agents, so especially if you combine it with mostly low temperature washes it ruins washing machines by allowing a horrible build up of grease and gunge inside the washing machine.

Again this is covered in the links in my last long reply that I mentioned so please read it all and all the articles linked in it.

Heres another which is best type of washing machine detergent

My wife uses Surf powdered detergent which is good but any of the famous brands of proper powdered detergent should be good. Find out how hard your water is - or if you already know it’s hard just use the amount that the package advises to use. It’s usually a lot more than people use if they just use their judgment.

What’s the best powder detergent? Someone said to only use liquid. Do you only use detergent? I feel like it’s ruining my life

It has to be something other than a fault on the washing machine Emma. If it’s the same in three different washing machines. This is covered in one of the links in my previous reply that I mentioned. You need to make sure you use the right amount of detergent (not liquid) for the hardness of your water.

Most people think the amount specified is too much but it isn’t. If you don’t use enough then you get things re deposited on laundry. Also don’t use quick washes or low temperature washes unless the fabric demands it.

If it doesn’t fix the problem you’ll at least have eliminated one of the possibilities.

Do you think it’s hard water? Am I doing something wrong when washing? It’s like the dust is stuck to the clothes, the dust coming off the clothes is so much worse after a drum clean

Same brand. I use a tumble dryer but they still come out dusty at our local laundrette. It only removes the white lint on the black clothes.

Also, how are they dried?

That’s surprising. If it still happened on the first wash with a new washing machine I can’t see how it could be the washing machine other than something related to how it is used or plumbed in.

Were they the same brand or different brand?

Just one day with my old washing, the clothes came out dusty and I don’t know what I’ve put in and the problem stayed and the first wash with my new one. I wash per labels, I clean the washing machine weekly, and the lint filter. Tried every possible liquid, powder, white vinegar, soda crystals.

When you got the new washing machine did the problem still occur straight away or did it stop the problem for a short while but start again after a few weeks/months?

I have tried everything literally, my clothes are like in the video posted early on, I even brought a new washing machine but still the same problem. Samsung won’t do anything. I put a new item of clothing on it’s own to wash and it comes out dusty! Surely that’s the washing machine. I’m so desperate, I have two young children and I’m worried about our health long term as well it’s embarrassing.

Make sure you try all the suggestions in my last reply.

I having the exactly same problem and I have tried everything! Please say that someone has a solution

Hiya,

I’m wondering if anyone discovered a solution for this issue? I am currently having the same problem with my clothes. They are absolutely covered in lint, they emit so much lint all over my house I am forever dusting. My cloths that I wash in my machine can’t be used for cleaning because they just leave lint over every surface. I am at breaking point with it now.😩

Ah, I was expecting it to be a washer dryer and you didn't use the dryer bit as I know that washer dryers can accumulate a lot of lint in the dryer parts above the drum.

It's difficult to see where that dust can come from because as you know the washing machine is usually wet through inside. The offending articles could be coming down onto the laundry during the spin cycle, either that or somehow they are suspended in the water.

The first thing I would do is make sure you do regular maintenance washes and do a few right away if you don't already do them. Full details here Maintenance washes - get rid of smells and gunge

Another thing I would do is make sure that you don't wash only at very low temperatures, especially 30° as this can result in a big build up of horrible grease grime and limescale If washing at 30 degrees here are 5 things you need to know

Then there is overloading. Ensure that washing machine is not overloaded as this can cause dirt and debris to get trapped inside folds of laundry. By this I don't mean hardly put any in, is perfectly okay to "fill" drum, it's just that some people fit it a bit too much loading a washing machine

Finally I would make sure that I use really good quality washing machine detergent (not liquid detergent) and that you use the full amount of detergent as described on the packaging for the level of soiling and the hardness of your water. This is very important because if you do not use enough detergent then lots of the dirt from the laundry can stay on the laundry and not get rinsed away.

Essentially I'm looking at this from the point of view of the laundry is not getting cleaned properly, so please read all of the articles carefully in order to eliminate every possibility including this one laundry not clean after washing

It's not a washer dryer, no. I had a beko (6kg) then got another one at 9kg. I did have a condenser dryer, but only for a few days as sent it back as I thought that was the problem... unfortunately, it wasn't lol I'm in the stage now where I feel like, I need to reset and think back where this wasnt happening lol (if that makes sense) and go back to that

Hi Alex. Is this a washer dryer? And if so how often do you use the dryer part?

I have exactly the same problem now.. only the last few months.

When I shake my clothes, you can see lots af white stuff float in the air.. which can be seen more clearly if the sun is shining through the window in such a way.

I've bought a new hoover, washing maching etc even bought an air purifier, 3 in fact, set up all over my house! Its driving me insane!!

Ive just bought a hard water testing kit, see what that comes back and says as I read it may be due to hard water (whatever that is)

Just clutching at straws now.

I'm beginning to think every single piece of my clothes are effected and will never be able to get rid of it.

When I take my jumper off for example at my friends or whatever and see all the stuff swirling around in the air, it's so embarrassing and looks like I'm so dirty when it's the complete opposite..

Find I've been cleaning my house 2 times a day, its became an obsession as I've tried almost everything!

Hopefully, if once my hard water tests come and it's the water at least I can deal with it. If it's not.. I'm back to square one, joining forms all over the place lol

I'll update this in next couple of days and let who ever is reading know a possible solution to their problem.

Edited_20211117_005920.mp4

Did you find out what’s causing it? I have the same problem

If they are washer dryers you can get lint from the dryer parts on top of the outer drum especially if the dryer isn't used much.

Hi Lily!

You are almost describing my case. It started a year a go for us. Changed the washing machine with no success. Also tried everything one can imagine. Nothing helped.

I found you post and really hoping that you tell me if your problem was solved and what you did to solve it.

We have a 10 months old baby and am worried about him with all the “dust” in the apartment.

Thanks in advance

George

Hi Andy! I think it maybe the 30 minutes cycle then, however i only use it when it's a 2-3 item. Will let you know the outcome in couple of weeks

It's extremely unlikely that you could get 2 different washing machines with exactly the same very rare and unusual fault. I would not use the 30 minute wash. 30 minutes is nowhere near long enough to wash rinse and spin laundry properly. Are you using the correct amount of detergent? I would try making sure that you put laundry on the specific wash cycle that is advised on each items wash label. And use good quality detergent making sure that you use the exact amount that is recommended on the detergent packet. Bearing in mind what level of water hardness you have and the level of soiling. The detergent is important for cushioning the laundry during the wash with soap suds. If you are not using enough detergent maybe the laundry is being subjected to more rubbing action during the wash.

Hello Andy,

Thank you for your reply. My washing machine is a 9 kg one, and i never ever overload. Because of the excessive lint problem, i started sorting the clothes in a way that i am sure no one does. Here are an example of my laundry sorting.

1- Black cotton tshirts, i put around 5-6 of them on the 30 minutes wash

2- American eagle polo tshirts (separated colors in different loads)

3- Boxers alone

4- Socks alone

and so on, you get how crazy it's been going.

With regards to the lint color, it's purplish/grayish/blue, which is the color one would get if they mix most colours

I did run several runs without any load, the pump filter is cleaned weekly and it's not blocked. many clothes are thinning out, for example, many of my husbands white tshirts are transparent now! I even tried running loads on slower spin speed (600) but nothing. Even gambled and went ahead to purchase a condensed dryer that was super expensive of which took the lint on the surface away but when you shake the garment, you still see dust like fluff flying away. Here are some pictures. I have tried uploading a video but apparently i couldn't

*Edit: Many said that we were just unlucky and gotten a manufacturing defect twice. Could this be the case?