lint all over our clothes

While self-cleaning sounds great, it also means that the lint and hair can be trapped if you don't use enough water to wash them completely out of the machine. It is helpful to run a cleaning cycle every month to flush the lint away and it helps control odors and disinfect your machine.

It is also possible that the filter at your water pump is clogged. When that happens, the wash and rinse water with all that suspended soil and lint drains too slowly and leaves deposits on your clothes.

To clean the filter at your washer's pump, you will need to open the outer housing of your washer. For front load washers, the lower panel will pop off easily and you can access the clean-out filter. For top loading washers, follow the directions in your washer manual to access the water pump. You may find lots of lint, coins, buttons or even a sock that is causing a slow drain and leaving lint on your clothes

If you have your washer connected to a septic tank system, the lint is being washed out of the washer and into your tank. Synthetic fibers don't break down easily and will continue to collect until they cause a problem. There are external lint filters that can be connected to prevent this problem. Remember to clean these regularly to prevent lint from redepositing on clothes.

Adding a fabric softener to the final rinse will help fibers relax and release lint to be washed away. You can use a commercial fabric softener, homemade fabric softener or distilled white vinegar (half a cup in the final rinse).