Un probleme de laundry

[kedrys]

The situation: the s.o. takes it uponst themselves to wash some red stuff that apparently was not terribly colorfast.

The problem: the inside of the dryer drum is now pink, and I don't want all the clothes I put in the dryer to turn pink. I tested one old blanket I don't care about and it came out smelling springtime fresh and streaked with light pink.

The aggravation: the s.o. "washed" the inside of the drum with some windex and announced that the drum was clean. So everything's okay because the inside of the drum was "washed" with windex. Even though the verdammt thing is screaming pink.

The solution?

I'm open to suggestions. I'm thinking about throwing a (white) rag saturated with bleach into the dryer. And yes, I'm trying to cut down on the physical work because of Da Shingles.

Any ideas, preferably non-flammable?

[Critters2]

1. But some detergent in, with bleach,

and just let it run through a full wash cycle.

[VLC]

3. it's the dryer, not the washing machine

[Critters2]

5. Oh. So now people expect me to read posts before replying to them.

It's never enough, is it?!

[VLC]

8. lol

It''s not the first time I've been told I hold people to unrealistic standards ;-)

[kedrys]

9. ROFL!

If I had a dime for every time I've done that, I'd have a crapton of dimes. :rofl:

Oddly enough, the washer came through the ordeal fine. I'm worried that the pink is baked into the enamel of the dryer drum, though.

[Rabrrrrrr]

19. This place gets more demanding every day.

x(

Next thing they're gonna start demanding comprehension, too.

[VLC]

2. I would NOT put bleach in there, especially if the drum has little holes in it

where the bleach will seep through. Sounds like a recipe for disaster.

I'd try cleaning it out with a baking soda solution, although that could go down the little holes too.

Maybe call the manufacturer or a store tomorrow and ask. I don't think this is an area where you want to ruin the machine or catch it on fire.

[Blue_Roses]

4. this same thing happened with a green crayon...

everything was green, light-green, striped-green, lime-green, puke-green, spotted-green, you name it...green. The dryer was all shades of green too. It ruined quite a few clothes. I ran a few washed rags through the dryer before drying any clothes. It eventually came out, but the first few dryings helped.

It does go away...hang in there:)

On EDIT: I also filled a spray bottle with half pine-sol and half water and cleaned it. That helped too.

[Richard Steele]

6. Do NOT put any bleach in there!

Heated bleach fume are never a good idea.

[kedrys]

10. Good point

The laundry room *is* kind of smallish, and only borderline ventilated - not that the latter would make any difference in 90 degree heat...

[Richard Steele]

11. Even if the fumes get vented out...

They can do nasty things to plastics they encounter
inside the dryer on the way.

[Fleshdancer]

7. I would go in there with a wet sponge, a little bit of soap, and a ton of elbow grease

if that doesn't work, I would call the manufacturer. Good luck!

[kedrys]

12. Or make the s.o. do it

I don't think I should have to mop up after this particular mess. It's bad enough that last time some red dainties crossed my vanity sink, I had to clean *that* as well... :rofl:

[Fleshdancer]

13. exactly!

I almost said that in my first post ;)

[petronius]

16. That seems to be the obvious solution: the s.o. figures out how to fix it,

then the s.o. fixes it...

:shrug:

[marzipanni]

14. I think you have part of the right idea...

From an NBC4.com website:
A viewer recently washed and dried a new set of burgundy towels which turned the inside of her dryer pink. She wants to know how to get rid of the stain.

We called the General Electric Answer Center for your answer. And it says mix 1/4 cup of chlorine bleach with 1 cup of warm water and clean the dryer using this solution and an old rag. Once you've done that, you should place about 10 old, clean, wet rags in the dryer and dry them completely to remove the remaining discoloration and bleach from the dryer drum. This step is important because you don't want bleach left over when you dry your clothes. Also, you should never use ammonia to clean the dryer because this could damage the inside surface.

(I would wipe the bleach solution off before putting some rags in, just to remove more of it initially.)

[Kali]

15. I'm so good!

this is exactly what I was going to suggest.

[kedrys]

17. I'll try that, thanks!

Or rather, I'll have the s.o. pick up some bleach at the store and I'll supervise the work. :D

[DarkTirade]

18. I had several ideas right up until you said 'non-flammable'.

[kedrys]

21. ROFL!!

Knowing how my brain works, I felt I should put that in there just in case. :P

[riona]

20. Go on strike

[SmokingJacket]

22. Do a couple loads of whites and dry them in the dryer.

They'll get all pink, but then you can bleach them. Hopefully they'll absorb the pinkness.

I can't imagine the drum will still be making things pink after a couple of loads of sheets!