Aldi washing powder cost me a $75 repair bill : (

Hi all,

Just thought i'd warn anyone using the Aldi washing powder (i was using the green box fragrance) to seriously consider throwing it out as it cost me a washing machine repair man bill of $75 :wall:

My 6yo top loader washing machine for 2mths would stop out of the blue during each wash during it's mid cycle and not spin on my regular cycle (but would spin on delicate). It would make an annoying ticking over sound coming from the knob. And i could hear the motor trying to work hard to spin ... so i finally bit the bullet as i couldn't afford a huge repair bill earlier and rang a whitegoods repairman.

Anyway he was trying to work out if it was the motor or timer playing up but couldn't work out how it was either and the silly washing machine started to work when he was here but in order for him to work out the problem he needed to hear the problem noise first.

As he was about to leave the laundry he said there was a huge amount of soap suds around the motor which was a big concern for him. I thought that was interesting as my family has slightly senstive skin and i hardly put much in a wash.

I have used powders of other brands and liquid during the time of owning the washing machine and never a problem.

I had cleared everything out of the laundry before he came so he had easier access the only item i had in there sitting in full view was my 3kilo box of Aldi washing powder. Then he notices it and asks how long have i been using it, then i realised it has been 2mths since the washing machine has not been working.

He told me to stop using it straight away and told me his in-laws had the same problem with their washing machine and they were using the same Aldi washing powder, when they stopped using it their washing machine worked again ... So i stopped using it straight away and presto my washing machine is working like it use to :dance: (mind you it was ok the first week, good the 2nd week and totally back to normal by the 3rd week).

My friend who originally recommended the Aldi washing powder i told her to get rid of it ... and she didn't listen and the other day she told me she now has the exact same problem i had with my machine, so now she has stopped using it.

The repairman said if i didn't stop using the Aldi washing powder it would cause a lot of damage to the machine.

Also he said to never use Aldi dishwashing products as he has found it causes problems too.

Anyway a $75 bill later i thought best i let people know about the products concerns and i can only say thankfully it wasn't an even bigger bill had i continued using the Aldi washing powder :doh:

:think: DH just bought the washing liquid. I wonder if that would be the same? Thanks for the warning though. Glad it only cost you $75 and not a new motor or machine.

I don't use it... only use Eco Store. But what was it doing to cause your machine to play up??

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:think: DH just bought the washing liquid. I wonder if that would be the same? Thanks for the warning though. Glad it only cost you $75 and not a new motor or machine.

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CeCe i asked him if he meant dishwashing liquid as my friend uses it and he said not to use any of them, he didn't explain why but OMG he was totally against Aldi washing products !

In his words he said " I have no idea what's in them but OMG i have seen some damaged " !

What a shame as i absolutely loved the smell of the washing powder :(

(sorry CeCe)

Whoa! Valuable info though - thanks!

How strange! Makes you wonder tho, if it can potentially kill your machine what could it do to your skin!?

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I don't use it... only use Eco Store. But what was it doing to cause your machine to play up??

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good question helle ... he said cause of all the soap suds around the motor it was stopping the motor from working therefore the 'ticking noise' was the washing timer knob trying to work and turn but couldn't as the motor couldn't work (hope that makes sense) !

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How strange! Makes you wonder tho, if it can potentially kill your machine what could it do to your skin!?

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So true helle .... Interesting enough my skin was fine with it washing my clothes but i couldn't stand it in my bedsheets as my skin was totally irritated, i just thought it was my skin acting up as it can but never as bad as this so once i stopped using it my bedsheets didn't irritate me anymore !

Wow. We have used the dishwasher tablets. Will have to make sure not to now. They didn't work that well anyway

We have the dishwasher tabs too, but I don't think they do as good a job as they should..


Good thing you posted about the washing powder - I'm due for some more!

Wow! I've been using the Aldi washing powder (front loader) for about 3 years and have never had a problem.

just so you know tablets are terrible for dishwashers... the dishwasher cant break them down 100% and they end up blocking your filtering and causing major damage..

I have had the dishwasher guy out twice because the temp sensor went.. the first time he told me not to use tablets... lol so i switched to powder.. and well cheap powder is also a big no no... he recomends finish powder only...

Bugger s4U that sucks, I have always used liquids after having issues over years with powders not dissolving properly.

We have always used finish tablets in dishwasher, we replaced the 12 year old dishwasher last year and it came with tablets!!!!!!!

lol yeah Feeb the dishwasher man said its bull how they come with tablets.. worst invention ever!

The surfactant in it will be cheap and not low-suds, like it should be, hence the extra suds that are disturbing the motor function.

Cheap detergents contain cheap chemicals, cheap chemicals cause damage to machinery.

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The surfactant in it will be cheap and not low-suds, like it should be, hence the extra suds that are disturbing the motor function.

Cheap detergents contain cheap chemicals, cheap chemicals cause damage to machinery.

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spot on there Lime :thumbsup: ... i still worry if there is any unforeseen long term damage to my machine that might act up later on (??), fingers crossed :crossfingers:

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just so you know tablets are terrible for dishwashers... the dishwasher cant break them down 100% and they end up blocking your filtering and causing major damage..

I have had the dishwasher guy out twice because the temp sensor went.. the first time he told me not to use tablets... lol so i switched to powder.. and well cheap powder is also a big no no... he recomends finish powder only...

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Does the powder work well?
Our finish tablets are still very recognizable about a third of washes we have to repeat because stuffs not clean or tablet didn't dissolve

wow, we've been using it for ages and our washing machine's doing fine... it's a front loader.
might have to do a swap on the next box..

Gees thats bad. I dont regularly shop at Aldi but went there the other day with a friend and bought their fabric softener.. i wonder if that would cause problems too?

Oh no, that sucks Smiles :hug:.

We have had the same problem with the Aldi dishwasher powder. It doesn't seem to break down the grease (or something?) and we've had a repairman out scratching his head for ages until we worked out the drainage pipe was clogged right up. We started buying the tablets thinking they might do a better job, but after reading this thread I'm no longer too sure...

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wow, we've been using it for ages and our washing machine's doing fine... it's a front loader.
might have to do a swap on the next box..

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Boobaloothat's really interesting cause i think Marlene mentioned she has a front loader and been using the powder for ages too, wonder ' IF ' it makes a difference being a top loader machine ???

Trish my repairman was scratching his head too, in fact i could see he was getting totally frustrated (as he clearly had a lot of jobs to attend) as he was in the laundry for a good 30mins turning the machine on filling it up then pulling it apart ... and on leaving the laundry he still baffled that's when he saw the Aldi box sitting there, its a good thing i had it out on view or he still would have had no clue !!

I can't believe how happy i feel my machine is working like normal again as i seriously was going nuts for those 2mths it wasn't working properly.
One day it took me over 2hrs to do one load of washing, as i would have to go back & forward heaps of times trying to get it going.

omg that must be why my machine isnt spinning properly but its not making any funny noises will chuck the box out and get a different one never had any issues with my duo :)

OMG! talk about timing! DP and I were discussing last night that we think the machine might be kicking it in and were going to go have a look on the weekend for a new one. Didnt even think that it could have been the powder. We only just recently switched. hmm - now to tell DP or not?? I want a new shiny washing machine lol.

Oh boy - I use Aldi sensitive powder about every 3rd box of powder. Will have to change now. Our washing machine has been making funny noises, I had just put it down to age.

I haven't used Aldi powder. I used Duo for a bit when it was a good powder, then I was using a cheaper brand for a little while, and now I'm onto a 5kg box of Omo which is cheaper in bulk. I have to say my machine is working better on Omo.

I've used about 1/2 a scoop for years now, and I use vinegar in the rinse cycle, I think that helps. My machine will have its 14th birthday this year.