Earlier this afternoon, I knew I was going to have to put a question on SF: "how do you clean the inside of your washing machine?" I expected all sorts of fun answers including, "you don't -- it's inherently clean because it's a washing machine."

But it's a little different today. Today is "wash the dog's stuff day." That always leads to a giant wad of dog hair in the basket, and a fun exercise in gathering stray hairs from the nooks and crannies.

My dog is old. She's near the end of her string, and there's no denying it. Might as well reserve her space now in that field at the Rainbow Bridge. Miss Boogerhead (aka Molly, aka Dorkhound) soldiers on, though. She can't hear. I always thought she just ignores me, but now it's for real. I can walk right up to her and she's got no idea I'm there until I touch her. She can't see. We hang out in the garage in the evenings and it's like doggie pinball, watching her bounce off the car, the truck, and whatever else is in her path. She has a hard time getting up in the mornings (heck, so do I!), and I often have to get myself halfway into her crate so as to lift her up from her sleeping position.

But she shows me no sign that she's in pain. Maybe that's for real, maybe her prescription drugs are doing their jobs. So I can't yet take her on that last ride to the vet. Something else she can't do well, however, is "take care of business" before bedtime. It's not unusual lately that I'm cleaning a deuce out of her bed while she's wolfing down breakfast. Most of the time, though, she manages not to mess the blankets. Last night was different. She had some kind of nuclear meltdown overnight. Great golly, it was nasty.

So after I finished doing my own laundry, I [somewhat reluctantly] gathered up some of hers. I figured I'd wash the stuffed toys first. One of her bears had suffered the brunt of the meltdown; the others were more fortunate but they could use a trip through the washer too. I set up a good hot wash, poured in some bleach, dumped the stuffed critters into the washer, and went on about watching football and preparing dinner.

After dinner I figured I'd get the critters out and start the clean-the-washer routine.

Great Caesar's ghost! What a mess!
I didn't think about the bear whose "belly seam" had split. It's like there's been a stuffed animal massacre in there! Hair, bears, "stuffins," hides, ... oh, my word!



It may not be a crappy mess now, but it's certainly a mess!

Wow, it's going to take a week to clean this mess up. I should have just gotten her some new toys!

Yes, new toys. No dog dookie in the machine that washes my clothes

I forget all the steps etc but it is not hard.

removed the 2 screws that hold the control panel to the body.

Remove the 2 clips under it

disconnect the lid switch

Rotate the body forward and off

Pull off the top of the agitator. and then the cap under that, if there is one.

Using a ratch and 9" extension or so, remove the nut bolt that is holding the agitator on. Pull out the agitator, take it outside and clean with garden hose etc..

Get a special tool it costs about $15. This will allow you to remove the giant nut thing that keeps the tub in place.

PUll the tub up and off the machine. Take it out back and give it the hose.


I changed the transmission on my washer a few years back, was a nice afternoon's worth of work. Just search on youtube how to change the transmission and stop once you get the tub out.

After you have pulled off the body/case you'll see how much crude is in the outer tub. It's pretty disgusting. Even without a dog, just 20 years of use.

Also of note, there may be a screen under the tub and the stuffings won't do it any favors.

Mine (Whirlpool) needed a 7/16 socket to get the tub out. That and a 36" extension.

quote:

Originally posted by .38supersig:
there may be a screen under the tub

This is the sort of thing that worries me.
Like SOTAR's, this machine is about 20 years old... there's got to be a ton of crud buried in the system.

Having just put my roughly 20 YO Maytag back together again yesterday morning after the latest round of repairs, and while waiting on parts for the next round of repairs I can say this with some certainty, if you think your washing machine is cleaning your clothes, don't ever take it apart.

You'll likely find mold on the inside, all kinds of junk under the agitator, and loads of soap scum between the inner and outer drums. My drums, the drum cover and the agitator parts got a Vinegar bath and good scrub and hose down before replacement of the snubber, tub seal kit and reassembly.

This machine was last apart and deep cleaned in 2016 when I did the snubber and tub seal kit last time. It also got the outer drum replaced at that point because I managed to crack the old one during repairs when a tool slipped.

Currently waiting for a belt and thrust bearing kit as the thrust bearing I suspected was on the way out died during the first wash cycle after reassembly........at least it is an easy fix once it gets here.

Been there, done that too. Had to pull the lower panel off the bottom of the Maytag Duet washer and clean out the pump filter that was clogged.

Now, I hand wash the dog's toys ...

Around here, dog blankets and other truly filthy items evidently get washed at the laundromat. So the next poor slob to use the machine can have the benefit of dealing with the swarf left in the machine from the dog owner’s washload.

Also, you may want to check the drain pump. Pieces of dog toys/bedding can jam the pump, causing it to overheat.

There's this thing that I saw on Shark Tank called "Teddy needs a bath." It is a cloth wash bag for stuffed animals, should work for dog toys too.