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Can a person use a fuck ton of citric acid to prevent mildew and bacteria growth hang drying clothing please? Or will the citirc acid just eat through the clothing? Will it lighten the clothing? (lemmy.world)
submitted 7 hours ago* (last edited 4 hours ago) by to c/asklemmy@lemmy.world
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TLDR - You can reply to any of the questions below that you have a citation or knowledge about please and thanks. But basically I hang dry my clothjng and have had a problem with them getting that mildewy smell . Please help

  1. Im talking about a whole 2 cups of citirc acid per a load of clothing. What notablw effects on the clothing wll this amount have? Also I plan on leaving the citric acid solution on the clothing after rinsing away as much detergent as possible. Bad idea? Should I do a 24 or 8 hour citric acid soak? Nope ?yes?

  2. Also it should be noted that most of the clothing is heavy cotton as in 325 GSM or more cotton. Only like 1 or 2 of those peices of clothing are made of wool or polyester or spandex.

  3. Also citirc acid may lighten the clothing no? Or will the citric acid only lighten the clothing if it clothing is out in the Sun for too long, right?

  4. Will the citric acid impart its own smell to the clothing? Will it destroy it?

  5. Can I combine this solution with placing the citirc acid solution on the clothing and l then once its hang dried a bit I can then use a drying machine to dry it even more thoroughly to ensure that rhe mildew is like double dead? Also I cant dry my clothing when its wet as Im super skinny and that would make my clothing stretch far too much.

  6. Could the problem be that Im using too much detergent?

  7. Ive tried to look for other solutions to this and apparently drying the clothing after the mildew is already there will not have a drastic enough effect to get rid of it. Is this true please.?

  8. Should I just dump boiling water onto the clothing after it has washed or will this make it stretch?

Ive found I have this problem when I hand wash the clothing or machie wash it but surprisingly hand washing and then hand wringing it makes the smell of mildew less prominent.

Thanks to all who answer.

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[–] 15 points 6 hours ago* (last edited 6 hours ago) (6 children)

Its a public washing machine cause I live in an a partment with a public laundromat.

This is the problem. It probably never gets cleaned properly.

Bleach is a good idea. You can also add a bit of white vinegar to your laundry load - keep it to 1/4 cup (60ml) and it won't affect the smell of the clothes.

If you're willing to spend a little money on it yourself, you could run an actual washing machine cleaning product like this through it:

Or complain to your landlord, try to get them to clean the machines.

Also if you can find the model number look up if it has an accessible filter that you can clean:

https://www.southernliving.com/how-to-clean-washing-machine-filter-12007426

It's probably full of old gunk. Not all machines have them, but if this one does then it's a problem you can fix by yourself in like 5 minutes.

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  • [–] [S] 4 points 6 hours ago (5 children)

    I complained to the landlord they said that only the maytag mechanics can clean the machiens and machine's filters

    The maytag mechanics move at their own schedule and they dont come inside often.

    Also about cleaning the innards of the machine with a washing machine cleaner, I was told that bleach or oxy clean does the same thing , is this true or false?

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  • [–] 3 points 4 hours ago* (1 child)

    I complained to the landlord they said that only the maytag mechanics can clean the machiens and machine's filters

    The maytag mechanics move at their own schedule and they dont come inside often.

    OK, sounds like your landlord has a service contract for the machines. That is both good and bad, as you already know. Definitely talk to the service guy if you can.

    Don't go looking for any panels to open or filters to remove like I said before. You might void the terms of the service contract, which you'd be potentially liable for.

    Also about cleaning the innards of the machine with a washing machine cleaner, I was told that bleach or oxy clean does the same thing , is this true or false?

    Well, bleach and OxiClean do different things. Bleach (sodium hypochlorite) will kill most microbes, but it's not a detergent so it won't remove any buildup. OxiClean is a line of various cleaning products, but the main ingredient is an oxidizer (per the name) which will kill some microbes and break down some types of chemicals, but won't actually remove dirt. To really clean the inside of the washer, you want to do one or both of those things, plus run an actual detergent through it (which is what the washing machine cleaners do).

    Standard warning: don't mix cleaning products that contain ammonia and bleach. Read the ingredient labels to confirm if you're using multiple products together.

    Don't overlook the usefulness of white vinegar as a cleaner. It's cheap and very effective, especially if you have hard water.

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  • [–] [S] 1 point 4 hours ago*

    So I run a hot vinegar cycle inside there with. no clothing , then a hot cycle in there with no clothing again, then I put in my clothing with the detergent and clean as I normally would , right?

    Also how much vinegar do you think I should be using per load? We have those standard maytag commercial washing machines.

    Also thanks

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  • [–] 4 points 5 hours ago (2 children)

    Can you talk to your neighbors and encourage them to complain to the landlord also?

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  • [–] 4 points 4 hours ago

    This. Also not sure what the law is like where you live, OP, but there are often cases where it is permissible to withhold part or all of your rent payments if the landlord refuses to perform necessary repairs and upkeep.

    Get it in writing that you've requested your landlord address the washing machines. If they refuse, clean it yourself and then deduct the cost of supplies plus reasonable cost of labor from your next rent payment.

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  • [–] [S] 3 points 4 hours ago

    They do. As many of us have collectively talked to each other about jt. She has said the same thing to all of them: talk to the maytag mechanics. Ill talk to some of the mechanics when they come in next and ask them anout how we can resolve the issue of the filters not being cleaned often AND the issue of the mildew.

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