Cleaning Filter Socks w/ mini washing machine

[Swimjam]

Hi y’all!
Has anyone ever purchased a small Cheep washer machine from Amazon to wash out filter socks.I personally would not put them in my expensive washer. All these washers do is spin and ajitate the socks with whatever additive you put in. Bleach etc. I don’t even know what to add in. Is soap a bad idea or just bleach and then do a double rinse how much etc.? Again these washers only hold about 2-3 gallons of water and would be able to do like 3 socks per load. The price is around $78-$100. Love everyone’s thought on this idea.
Thanks again for the kind advice and great community that is R2R.
Cheers

 

[P-Dub]

Just outta curiosity, why wouldn't you put them in your expensive washer? I do it all the time. no ill effects on my laundry. As a matter of fact, after working in the yard, I have some seriously nasty mud and crud that I would not want in my tank, but, still no issues.
Seems like an unnecessary cost that could be directed towards other reefing expenses.

 

[rmurken]

I would not use any detergent or soap. If you must use something, a bit of plain bleach and a very thorough drying. But that’s overkill—these are filter socks, not surgical drapes

And I echo @P-Dub re needing the special washer.

Tbh I wash my filter socks out by hand in plain RO reject water. They get pretty clean with some swishing and working over. Maybe need two or three changes of water. Then I hang them up to drain, shake out the rest of the water and dry.

 

[KWT]

My wife throws ours into her front load washer, a cap full of bleach the a double rinse. I turn them inside out and rinse them before washing, after washing turn them the correct way and let them dry. I read somewhere not to rub the socks together to clean them. Not good for the fabric

 

[rmurken]

I read somewhere not to rub the socks together to clean them. Not good for the fabric

Agree with that. I do more squishing and swishing. Technical term.

 

[OrionN]

My homemade sock is 1 footX3foot. I invert them and lay them flat on the driveway and spray them with the garden hose. This get rid of 95% or more of the grime. Then I them into the washer. Wash without soap or bleach. It does not come to it snow White or smell spring fresh but very much usable and doing a great job.
Right now I removed all the filter sock so it have not have to wash them fr a while.

 

[SMSREEF]

I use my regular washer as well. I first spray with bleach and let soak in sink, then rinse out good and dry.

Then they go out into a pile for the washer.

Every couple weeks I do the final wash in washer with bleach and extra rinse. One more rinse in RODI and then Let dry in a sunny window.

 

[andrewkw]

Your expensive washer isn’t very good if it can’t handle filter socks.

 

[Ron Reefman]

I have a big supply of filter socks, so I just take the dirty ones and put them in a flip top bin in the garage. They dry out and don't smell bad unless you open the lid! ;Hilarious;Hilarious I save them until the box is full, about 30 socks.

I do a wash load with some bleach and a H2O2 detergent like Oxyclean. Then a rinse cycle. Then a 2nd wash and rinse with nothing added. After they spin in the dry cycle I pull them out and in a few hours they are air dry and very clean.

I've been doing this for 10 years and our washing machine never had an issue and all other laundry still comes out perfectly clean.

That's what a washing machine is suppose to do! ;Wideyed

 

[EMeyer]

I remember cleaning filter socks. What a pain.

I'll just say the same thing I do every time filter socks come up. Go sockless for a few weeks and really critically evaluate whether it affected your aquarium at all. I found that the best solution to washing filter socks was: get rid of the filter socks altogether. Problem solved