Excess detergent is the most common reason an LG washer leaves residue or builds foam. Front-load and high-efficiency washers use little water, so detergent that would rinse away in an old machine stays on the clothes and in the tub.
What to change
- Use detergent made for high-efficiency washers and measure it. More soap does not clean better.
- Cut the dose by about a third and see whether the residue stops. Wash very small loads with less again.
- Do not add fabric softener, detergent and a booster all at once in the same drawer.
- Run a tub-clean cycle if your model has one, or follow the manual, to clear built-up soap.
When suds point to something else
If the drum shows foam at the glass during every cycle even with a small dose, check whether the clothes were already full of soap from a pre-wash or from a different machine. A very full load can also hold soap in the fabric instead of rinsing it out. An extra rinse is a setting worth using for heavy towels.
Limits of what you can conclude
Residue can also come from a slow drain or from a drawer that is clogged and dumping soap in one burst. If dosing is correct and the residue continues, a slow drain, a blocked dispenser or a restricted water supply could be the cause. The sign alone does not say which, so we check the drawer, the drain and the inlet screens in that order.
Rinse the drawer under warm water, check the drain filter if your model has one and then run an empty hot cycle. If foam or residue returns after that, we should look at the machine itself.
Visit the washer repair page to see what we handle, then pick a three-hour slot in the service area. Pricing is written down before we start, and our work is covered for 30 days.