What kind of washer do you have, and how old is it?

FWIW, several years ago, I started having a problem with lint dark/black clothes in our then-eight or -eleven y/o TL washer, so I scheduled a service call.

The technician pulled the inner tub, possibly the outer drum as well, and we found at least a half-inch, maybe 3/4", of residue from old powder detergent, maybe borax and who-knows-what caked on some part. (I don't know what the washing machine part was called, and it was too long ago for me to give a good description.) He and I chipped and scraped it all off in the yard, gave it a good washing off, and the problem was solved.

Thanks, Cavimum for your input. Actually, my machine is a Maytag and it is only 9 mos. old. I am not having any problems with the machine but I have a pair of black pants that I'm afraid is going to collect lint. I wasn't afraid of it coming from the machine itself, just thought there was a way to keep it from attracting lint while wearing it.

"I wasn't afraid of it coming from the machine itself, just thought there was a way to keep it from attracting lint while wearing it."

If you figure out the preventive for that, be sure to share it with us. Alas, that is one of the hazards of wearing black/dark clothing, especially living with a dog that sheds.
;-p

I have read that if you use vinegar in the rinse cycle it helps with linting on dark fabrics.

With modern washers, the dryer is supposed to take care of the lint removal from clothing. It used to be that there were lint filters in washers, but no more.

Thanks for sharing

I also miss the lint trap in the washers. After 5 years clothes come out of my washing machine with a lot more lint and cat hair than they used to. If only I had a way to clean out wherever that lint got trapped. I guess I might need a technician to clean out my drum too.

I have to have my sump pump (washer empties into sump pump) taken out and lint-cleaned about 3 times a year because washers no longer have lint traps. We pay a friend to do this but it is still costly and time-consuming waiting until he can get here for me to do the laundry. Boooooo.

Some people tie a sock over the discharge end of their hose to catch the lint coming our of the washer. The old GE Filterflow machines were excellent for lint removal in the wash.

@patann, I bought a house last year that has a septic tank so I've been a little worried about discharging the washer with is lint of hard to break down and impossible to break down lint into the tank because more then likely they will head straight out to the laterals in the water instead of settling. I found a filter that hooks to the discharge line of the washer that traps all that stuff. There are two one is made in the US and one is made in Canada. I went with the one made in Canada because it has a stainless steel filter versus the cloth one the US product has. So far it does trap quite a bit of stuff. They are pricey though so not sure how much it costs to have your sump cleaned. The Canadian on is sold from a website I linked below, again they are pricey but I figured cheaper then digging new laterals especially in a yard where I can't even imagine where to put a second set without doing a full clean out and reusing the same location again.

Here is a link that might be useful: Environmental Enhancements

Has anyone found a solution to the lint in the washing machine issue? It is clothes line season for me, and I really miss my old machine that filtered lint. I know is wasn't a perfect system, but there must be an aftermarket gizmo out there....no?? I mean, manufacturers came up with things to add softener when they realized we needed them. Has anyone found anything??

Nancy.

Nancy, I just today discovered Kappen's response to my comment above back in November. I just contacted the Environmental Enhancements site that Kappen was so kind to provide. I will let you know what I discover when they contact me. Wish I had discovered Kappen's response before now.
Pat

Thanks, Pat. I thought Kappen's response was more about discharge filters than in tub, but I'd be glad to hear what you find.

Nancy.

Will vinegar in the rinse cycle fade dark or colored clothing?