Hello, my daughters giant heart valentine kush pillow from last year (which i have washed before) tore open in my washing machine and millions (literaly) of those tiny bean bag type balls are covering the inside, outside, around etc of the machine and clothes. We've already shop-vac'd, rinsed in the sink, ran the clean cycle, rinse and spinned, shop-vac'd again and i can't get rid of them. I'm worried to put the clothes in the dryer that they might damage the dryer or get static cling even worse and never come out. Does anyone have any suggestions for me? I'm desperate!
Thanks everyone for your hilarious stories and good advice. thanks to you all i was able to keep a sense of humor in it all. Fortunately, it seems i have escaped the repair man phone call. I took much of your advice and was persistent. I ran several rinse cycles and stopped them mid-way and skimmed off the balls that floated to the top then shop-vac'd the entire washing machine (front loader) after each cycle. I used a copious amount of fabric softener to release the static cling and although the balls still stuck to clothes, i was able to take the laundry outside and piece by piece shake each to 95% ball free. Then I put them in the dryer with two dryer sheets and set a timer to empty the lint trap every 10 minutes or so. I'm still getting balls in pockets and nooks and crannys but i think we're pretty much in the clear. I have learned a lesson in this....I won't stop washing everything (3 little ones, a 120 lb lab, and a dirty husband requires a ton of laundry), but i will certainly make better use of the various sized laundry bags i own! Thanks so much ladies, God Bless, and good luck with your hilarious stories! Don't forget to tell us how it ends!
I'm afraid you'll probably need to take the washing machine apart. The tub part that you can see that is full of holes sits inside a bigger plastic tub. Taking apart a washing machine is sort of a challenge, but also kind of cool. This site is pretty helpful: http://home.howstuffworks.com/how-to-repair-a-washing-mac.... I used it last year to figure out how to fix my washing machine when it started leaking. Good luck!
No advice here...(I'm glad u posted, I would have been clueless)...just commiseration. One of our many down comforters (that I've been washing and drying for years to no ill effect) burst in the dryer this afternoon. Omigod. Down everywhere. Literally everywhere. I have a laundry room that looks like a blizzard hit...and a machine with feathers in every nook and cranny. Head Thwack!
Sigh.
A bad day for modern inconveniences.
Z
If they are the styrofoam type balls that float and if you have a toploader, fill with water and remove the balls as they float to the top. Repeat until you have them all (or most)
Disconnect the hose from your plumbing and let the water run somewhere else (backyard if possible) so the stuff doesn't clog your sewer. Tie a pantyhose around the end of the hose to catch the balls that still come out, so they won't end up on your lawn.
If you have a front loader or we are talking about the little hard PE balls that don't float... call for service...
DONT put the clothes in the dryer - you can cause a fire or damage your dryer. Hang dry and use a lint brush and a vacuum (table vacs work nicely for clothes - they are not as strong).
I would take the front of the washer off, disconect the hose that leads to the motor and make sure that the motor and the hoses are not full of beans. For the clothes that have been washed already. I would try line drying them and then maybe a lint brush (one of the sticky ones). That is just my humble opinion.
Can you call the company and see if they have any recommendations?
Other than that, I can't offer any good advice, except maybe to second the other replies that suggest getting the balls out of the inside of the machine.
Parenting is fun, no doubt about it. My twins dumped cooking oil and mustard on the cream colored carpet in our dining room (all I did was go pull some laundry for folding and in that time they scaled the baby gate, got the offending items and were happily playing under the table). We could never get it all out. We tried boiling water to break up some of the grease and then patting with towels. When dried, we tried cat litter to absorb the grease, then vacuumed a day later and tried baking soda, waited another day, and then tried salt. Carpet cleaners, nothing worked. We had this horrible black circle (large one) under the table for a few years. Once the boys were older we tiled. Whoever, thought that carpet in the dining room was a great idea should be slapped, LOL.
I know that has nothing to do with your situation, but just thought I'd share in the hopes that some things may not seem quite as bad after reading about what others have experienced. The hardest part for me wasn't cleaning up the oil, it was keeping my boys out of all the attempts to clean the mess...boys!
I can't help but laugh at the site of those darn balls and then the other gal with the burst down comforter, oh my gosh, it is so not funny for you gals right now, but maybe some day you can laugh about it.
Til then, know that we sympathize.
Isn't life exciting when you have little ones! This is one to remember. It is less expensive to repair or replace a washer than a washer and a washer and dryer.
When I moved into a apt. the last tenant put dish washing soap into the dish washer. When I did the first load I had bubble everywhere.
Don't forget to keep your sense of humor.
I think you might have to call a repair man for this one. Good luck!
JUst an idea. I've had no experience with doing this. I think the balls stick to everything because of static electricity. Perhaps, after the washer and clothes are dry, wiping them away with dryer sheets would help.
Even if they wouldn't melt, putting the clothes in the dryer won't help. The "beans" would then stick to the dryer.
I put together a bean bag chair and thought I wouldn't have difficulty with the "beans" by putting everything in the bath tub. Those little balls stuck to the tub and migrated to the hall rug. They were dry. They eventually vacuumed up off the rug. I got most of them the first time but it seemed like they multiplied over time. I used a damp cloth to wipe them up in the tub and off the bathroom floor. Took forever!
