Appliance Spares
Quick answer: Lint all over dark clothes, or a damp gunky smell from a CHiQ top loader, almost always traces back to the floating lint filter — the small pod clipped inside the drum. Unclip it and clean it every few washes. If the clips have cracked or the mesh has torn, cleaning won’t save it: the genuine replacement filter runs $25–35 and fits the WTL65FDW, WTL79FDB and WTL80FDW. Match the model number on your model sticker before you order.
Last updated August 2026
Your dark load comes out furrier than it went in
You pull a black T-shirt off the line and it looks like the cat slept on it. Grey fluff in the seams, fuzz across the shoulders — and it was supposedly clean an hour ago. If the machine is a CHiQ top loader, that fluff has one usual suspect: the floating lint filter inside the drum.
Top loaders shed a startling amount of lint every cycle. Towels, trackies, winter fleece — it all lets go in the wash water. The filter’s entire job is to trap that lint before the pump-out, so it doesn’t settle back onto the load. When the filter is packed solid, torn, or has popped off its clips and is drifting around the drum, the lint has nowhere to go except back onto your clothes.
Here’s the fast diagnosis before you touch anything.
| Symptom | What it means | The fix |
|---|---|---|
 Grey fluff on dark clothes after every wash | The filter is packed full, or lint is slipping straight through a torn mesh | Clean the filter; if the mesh is damaged, fit the CHiQ top load lint filter for WTL65FDW, WTL79FDB and WTL80FDW |
| Brown or black flecks landing on the washing | Scrud — a biofilm of detergent residue and old lint — breaking off behind and around the filter | Deep-clean the filter and run a hot maintenance wash on an empty drum |
| Musty, wet-tent smell when you lift the lid | A wad of wet lint sitting in the pod between washes, quietly going feral | Clean and dry the filter, and leave the lid open between loads |
| Filter floats loose, rattles, or won’t click back in | Cracked clips or a warped frame — brittle plastic lets go eventually | Replace the filter; no amount of scrubbing fixes a broken clip |
While the model sticker is in front of you, it is worth knowing the other two parts these same WTL machines wear: a machine that fills but never drains usually needs the drain motor for the WTL65FDW and WTL80FDW, and one that overfills or stops mid-cycle with sud-lock symptoms often needs the water pressure sensor. Both fit the same model family as the lint filter, so one model check covers all three.
How the floating lint filter actually works
It’s a simple, clever part. The filter is a two-piece plastic pod with a fine mesh face, and it clips into its housing on the inner wall of the drum. During agitation, wash water is constantly pushed through the pod. The water passes through the mesh; the lint doesn’t. By the end of the cycle there’s a damp grey wad inside the pod instead of on your clothes.
No motor, no electronics, nothing to wire up. Which is also why it gets ignored for years at a time — right up until every dark load starts reporting the problem for you.
Two things kill it. First, the mesh clogs. Once it’s blinded with lint and detergent scrud, water stops flowing through the pod and simply carries the lint around the drum instead. Second, the plastic gets brittle. Years of hot washes and detergent make the mounting clips snap, and a filter that won’t stay clipped in catches nothing.
Worth saying plainly: CHiQ is its own brand, sold through the big retailers around Australia — it isn’t a rebadge of something you already know, and lint filters from other brands generally won’t clip into these machines. Match the part to your model number and you’re done.
Clean it properly — five minutes, no tools
Do this every four or five washes. Weekly if the household includes pets, towels or football season.
- Unplug the machine. Yes, even for a lint filter. It’s a two-second habit that’s worth keeping for every job on a washer.
- Unclip the pod. Reach into the empty drum, find the filter on the inner wall, and slide or pop it off its mount. It should come away without force.
- Split it open. The pod separates into two halves. Peel out the wad of lint — it comes out in one satisfying grey sheet when the filter’s been doing its job.
- Scrub the mesh. Warm soapy water and an old toothbrush, both sides, until you can see clearly through the mesh when you hold it up to the light.
- Soak if it’s slimy. A grey-brown slippery coating is scrud. Soak the halves in warm water with a scoop of detergent for ten minutes, then scrub again.
- Clip it back until it clicks. Snap the halves together, seat the pod in its housing, and make sure it’s locked home. A half-seated filter will be floating free by mid-cycle.
If the drum itself smells musty even with a clean filter, run the hottest cycle the machine offers on an empty drum, and see our guide on removing mould from a washing machine door seal — the same scrud chemistry applies to top loaders, minus the rubber bellows.
When cleaning won’t cut it: cracked clips and torn mesh
A lint filter is a wear part. Inspect it while it’s in your hand, and retire it when you see any of these:
- Cracked or snapped clips. The most common failure by far. The filter pops off mid-wash, ends up tumbling around the drum, and the lint problem comes back overnight. If it won’t click in firmly, it’s finished.
- Torn or stretched mesh. Even a small hole lets lint sail straight through. If daylight shows through a tear, the filter is decorative.
- A warped frame. Hot washes can bow the plastic so the halves no longer seal. Lint then bypasses the mesh at the seam.
The good news is the price of the fix. The genuine CHiQ lint filter is typically $20–40, and fitting it is the same clip-in move you just did while cleaning. For comparison, a repairer’s call-out typically runs $100–165 before any parts — nobody should be paying that for a part that clips in by hand. You’ll find it alongside the rest of our washing machine parts range.
Which models it fits — and where the model sticker is
This filter suits the CHiQ top loader family: WTL65FDW, WTL79FDB and WTL80FDW. Those are the model codes to look for, and they live on the model sticker — check the back of the cabinet first, then around the lid opening; CHiQ usually puts one in each spot.
Don’t guess from the badge on the control panel. Confirm the full model code on the sticker, then match it against the listing. If your CHiQ isn’t one of these three, send us the model number and we’ll check the right filter before you order. And if you’re stocking up on anything else for the machine, our CHiQ top load parts guide for the WTL65FDW, WTL79FDB and WTL80FDW maps the other parts these machines share.
Got a CHiQ front loader in the laundry as well? Different machine, different weak spot — the door seal — and we’ve covered which CHiQ door seal fits which model separately.
Frequently asked questions
Q: How often should I clean the lint filter on a CHiQ top loader?
A: Every four or five washes for a typical household, weekly if you wash a lot of towels, fleece or pet bedding. It takes five minutes, and a clean filter is the difference between lint in the pod and lint on your clothes.
Q: Can I run the machine without the lint filter while I wait for a new one?
A: You can, but expect fluffy washing while you do. The bigger risk is long-term: lint that isn’t trapped ends up in the drain path and the pump. Keep loads small and dark-free until the new filter clicks in.
Q: Why is there black or brown gunk on the filter and flecks on my washing?
A: That’s scrud — a biofilm of detergent residue, fabric softener and lint that builds up in machines that only ever run cold washes. Soak and scrub the filter, run a hot empty maintenance wash, and go easy on the softener.
Q: Which CHiQ models does this lint filter fit?
A: It’s listed for the WTL65FDW, WTL79FDB and WTL80FDW top loaders. Check the full model code on your model sticker — back of the cabinet or around the lid opening — and if you’re not sure, send us the model number and we’ll confirm before you order.
Q: My filter keeps popping off during the wash. Am I fitting it wrong?
A: Probably not — worn clips are the classic cause. Fit the pod and give it a gentle tug; if it doesn’t hold with a firm click, the clips have stretched or cracked and the filter needs replacing. It’s an $20–40 part, not a fault worth a call-out.
Get the right filter, first go
Grab the model number off the model sticker — back of the cabinet or around the lid opening — and search it here, or send it through to us and we’ll match the exact filter to your machine before you pay for anything. Order by 12pm and it’s dispatched that same business day from Sydney’s Northern Beaches, so this weekend’s dark load can come out the colour it went in.
Disclaimer: this article is general information only and is provided without warranty of any kind. Appliance designs vary between models and production runs — always follow the manufacturer’s instructions, switch off and unplug the appliance before starting any work, and confirm parts against the model number on your appliance’s model sticker. Any repair is undertaken at your own risk and Oz Appliance Spares accepts no liability for injury, loss or damage arising from work performed after reading this guide, to the maximum extent permitted by law. If in doubt, use a qualified technician.
