washing machine - rust spots on clothes

[RJS]

anyone a washing machine expert. my washing machine keeps leaving rust spots on my clothes. has this happened to anyone else or does anyone know how to fix this problem without buying a new machine. Last night i cleaned out the softner/powder drawer and checked the inside of the drum for rust spots, none were found. However brown/black spots are evident on the soft rubber lining on the door seal. could this be the cause to my problems? i tried to clean it off, but no joy! any help would be grateful.

 

[Lucy]

It might be a build up on washing machine powder in the draining pipe. Stick it on a hot cycle with nothing in (or just put some old tea towels in) and a load of soda crystals and vinegar in the draw.

 

[RJS]

cheers for this, soda crystals - what are these? white or brown vinegar?

 

[Lucy]

I think you're supposed to use white, but I doubt it matters too much. http://www.tesco.com/superstore/xpi/0/xpi51592810.htm

 

[Gramaisc]

Is it an oldish machine? You say that you've checked the drum, but that will presumably be the inner, rotating drum. That will usually be OK as they have always been stainless steel, but older machines may have an enamelled mild steel outer drum which will often eventually fail in this manner. Modern machines have plastic or stainless outer drums. The heater element casing can also be a source of small amounts of rust marks.