How to Remove Stains From a Dryer Drum
We've all left things in our pockets, then dried the article of clothing, leaving stains on the inside of the dryer drum that can potentially damage future loads of laundry. From crayons and pens to gum and candy, removing stains from the interior of your dryer can feel like a huge hassle, but have no fear. There are techniques you can put to use to save your dryer and your clothes.
Crayons, Lipstick and Wax
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Scrape away melted clumps from the inside of the dryer with a plastic spatula.
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Spray WD-40 onto a cleaning rag and wipe down the inside of the dryer drum. Focus heavily on the stained areas. Scrub extra hard on tough, dry stains.
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Wet a second cleaning rag with warm, soapy water and wring it out. Wipe down the interior of the dryer, focusing on the places you used WD-40 to wipe out any remaining residue.
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Rinse all of the soap from the rag until it is drenched in clean water. Wring the water out and wipe down the interior again, cleaning up any remaining soap.
Chewing Gum and Candy
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Warm hardened, stuck-on gum and candy by running the dryer on high heat for five to 10 minutes.
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Scrape away the softened residue with a plastic spatula.
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Soak a cotton rag in rubbing alcohol and wipe down the areas that were stained by the gum or candy. This helps remove the remaining residue.
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Allow the alcohol to air dry and inspect the interior. If there are still stains on the drum, try reheating and scraping them again before wiping the surface down with rubbing alcohol.
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Run a load of damp rags through the dryer to make sure all the gum or candy was removed.
Ink and Dye
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Soak three to four old towels in a solution of three gallons of hot water mixed with one cup of household bleach.
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Put on a pair of rubber gloves and wring out excess bleach and water from the towels. If you have difficulty removing enough water, put the towels in the washing machine for a couple of minutes on the spin cycle, but do not fully wring them out.
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Load the bleach- and water-soaked towels into the dryer and run them through a 30-minute cycle.
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Inspect the dryer and the towels to see if the ink or dye was removed. If there is still some mild staining, repeat the process.
References
Warnings
- Never spray cleaning agents or chemicals directly onto your dryer drum. This could result in a build-up of chemicals that might start a fire.
Writer Bio
Jennifer Hudock is an author, editor and freelancer from Pennsylvania. She has upcoming work appearing in two Library of the Living Dead Press anthologies and has been published in numerous print and online journals, including eMuse, Real TV Addict and Strange Horizons. She has a Bachelor of Arts in English/creative writing from Bloomsburg University.
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