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Calcium/rust stains in DW & clothes washer

20 years ago

In the home I recently moved into, the prevoius owners let the water softener run without salt for several months. The inside of the dishwasher has a nice coating of white. It's a stainless steel interior, so it shows up very nice. Also, there is a ring of rust or iron in the clothes washer. I'm sure it has a lot of calcium too, but it's white so it hides it better. Will vineger take care of this? Would something a bit more harsh, like CLR, be too much for the machines?

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Comments (2)

lindac
20 years ago
I don't know what's in CLR...but washers etc contain rubber/silicone parts and I would be cautious.
I would run the DW on empty with about 1/2 cup white vinegar.....and then ignore it. Your normal routine will eventually remove it....and it's not dirt....not hurting anything.
The clothes washer probably doesn't have such a coating because the clothes don't get dried in the washer.
Linda C
glassquilt
20 years ago
Here's several suggestions for stains on clothing. They should be safe for your machines.

Here is a link that might be useful: iron stains
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