No Soap Suds When Washing

This thread was marked as solved. Here's a summary of the problem and the fix, generated from the discussion below.

Lack of visible suds likely due to fabric conditioner entering too early

The problem

The washing machine showed no visible soap suds during the wash. Detergent tablets were disappearing from the drawer, and the laundry looked and smelt clean. The drawer and its vents had already been cleaned.

Likely cause

The accepted reply suggests the most likely explanation is that fabric conditioner was draining or being washed in too soon, which can suppress or kill detergent suds. It was also noted that modern detergents may produce very few suds anyway.

What fixed it

Check whether the fabric conditioner is being flushed out prematurely. As a simple test, run a wash without fabric conditioner and see whether the clothes still come out clean and whether suds are then visible. The exact repair was not confirmed in the discussion.

Checks to try

• Detergent tablets were found to have gone from the drawer during washing
• Laundry was reported to look and smell clean
• The dispenser drawer and vents inside it were cleaned
• Suggested test: run a wash without fabric conditioner