Why Are Clothes Still Soapy After a Wash?

Have you opened up your washer to find the clothes inside sticky or even still soapy? They are still covered with the residue of the washing detergent, but why? Did the rinse cycle not run? Is your washer broken? Maybe. Maybe not. If you are wondering where you should start your investigation, you will want to consider these causes before jumping right into the need for washer repair.

Overusing Detergent

Using more than the recommended amount of detergent doesn’t make your clothes cleaner. It creates more suds that need to be rinsed off and can even cause build up inside the washer over time. This will compound the problem. You never want to use more detergent than is recommended. If you do, you will need to run a wash with only white vinegar to remove the residue to prevent oversudsing again.

Overloading the Washer

Stuffing every corner of your washer is a good way to damage the washer and ensure that your clothes don’t get properly cleaned. One issue that can happen is that the soapy water gets trapped deep in that ball of clothing with the rinse water unable to get to it.

The Rinse Cycle Didn’t Run

If your washer filled with water for the wash cycle, then water clearly comes in through the inlet valves. However, it may have stopped when it got to the rinse cycle. This leaves your clothing soapy and still dirty. When this happens, you will want to call a repair technician to investigate it. It could be that the water inlet valve broken sometimes between the wash and the rinse cycle or it could be a problem with the timer. Both issues can be repaired, but they will require some disassembly of your washer. If you are not confident in your ability, it is time to call in the professionals.