Appliance Spares
Quick answer: Lint all over the dark load usually means the lint filter inside your LG top loader is torn, cracked or missing — not a machine fault. A replacement runs $5–$15 and clips in without tools. LG used several frames over the years, so match the code moulded into the old filter: 5231FA2239K or 5231EN2001A for the 101mm x 62mm cartridges, ADQ72912303 for the “Magic” filter in the WTG6520, WTG7520 and WTG8521. If in doubt, check the model sticker and we’ll match it for you.
Last updated August 2026
Why lint suddenly ends up on everything
You pull a black T-shirt off the line and it’s furred with grey fluff. Yesterday’s load was fine. Your detergent hasn’t changed, the water hasn’t changed, and you haven’t started washing towels with the good work pants. That’s the clue: when lint appears on every load overnight, the part that’s supposed to catch it has stopped doing its job.
LG top loaders trap lint in a small mesh cartridge clipped to the inside of the drum. Wash water circulates through it, the mesh grabs the fluff, and you peel the wad off every week or two. When the mesh splits, the frame cracks, or the filter stops seating properly, all that fluff goes straight back onto your clothes — darks and anything polar-fleece-adjacent show it first. A filter that has let go completely can also rattle around the drum, and torn mesh sends more lint towards the drain pump than it should ever see.
The fix is one of the cheapest parts on the whole machine. The catch is that LG used a few different filter frames over the years and they don’t interchange. Here’s the map.
Which LG lint filter fits: the four frames
| Filter | Part numbers on the frame | How to recognise it |
|---|---|---|
 LG lint filter 5231FA2239K | 5231FA2239K, 5231EY2002A | Rigid rectangular mesh cartridge, 101mm x 62mm frame |
 LG lint filter 5231EN2001A | 5231EN2001A, 5231EY2002 | Same 101mm x 62mm footprint, different clip frame — go by the moulded code |
 LG Magic lint filter ADQ72912303 | ADQ72912303 | Floating “Magic” style filter; fits the WTG6520, WTG7520 and WTG8521 |
 LG/Hitachi lint filter 3921FZ3147N | 3921FZ3147N | Older machines: LG WF402, plus the Hitachi-badged SF60PX and SF-6000PX that share it |
Two of those filters share the exact same 101mm x 62mm footprint, which is precisely how people end up ordering the wrong one from a photo. The mesh looks identical in a thumbnail; the clip arrangement on the frame is what differs. The code wins every time.
Match the moulded code, not your memory
Flip the old filter over. LG moulds the part number into the plastic frame — usually along one edge, sometimes tucked under the clip. Finding 5231FA2239K or 5231EN2001A pressed into the plastic settles the question in ten seconds flat.
No code visible, or the old filter went in the bin months ago? Work down this list:
- Measure the opening or the old frame. 101mm x 62mm points to one of the two rectangular cartridges in the table above.
- Look at the style. A floating “Magic” filter rather than a rigid clip-in cartridge means ADQ72912303, the filter LG fitted to the WTG6520, WTG7520 and WTG8521 families.
- Check the model sticker. On most top loaders it’s on the back of the cabinet or around the lid opening. Run the model number through our part finder.
- Still stuck? Send the model number through our contact page and we’ll check the right filter before you order.
One more branch worth knowing: if your machine is an older LG WF402 — or one of the Hitachi-badged SF60PX or SF-6000PX twins built on the same platform — the filter you want is the 3921FZ3147N. Different era, different frame again, and no amount of enthusiasm will make a modern cartridge fit it.
The five-minute cleaning ritual
A lint filter only fails early if it’s fighting a permanent backlog. The routine that keeps it alive:
- Every two or three loads: open the lid, unclip the cartridge, peel the felt-like wad off the mesh and bin it. Thirty seconds, done.
- Once a month: soak the filter in warm soapy water for ten minutes, then work an old soft toothbrush gently over the mesh to lift the grey detergent scrud that rinsing won’t shift. It’s the same trick we recommend for stubborn Fisher & Paykel lint traps.
- Never use boiling water (it warps the frame), a stiff brush or anything sharp — mesh tears long before it looks damaged.
- Clip it back until it clicks. A filter that isn’t fully seated catches nothing and works its clips loose besides.
If the wad smells musty even after a clean, run the hottest cycle the machine offers with an empty drum. Lint holds moisture, and moisture grows things you don’t want near your towels.
When a clip snaps, replace it — don’t glue it
Here’s the classic ending: the filter has lived in hot detergent water for six or eight years, the plastic has gone chalky, and one day during a routine clean a clip snaps off between your fingers. Other versions of the same story: a hairline crack across the frame, mesh split at a corner, or the filter simply found lying loose at the bottom of the drum after a spin.
Resist the urge to glue it. Adhesives don’t hold on wet, flexing plastic, and a filter that lets go mid-cycle can wedge under the agitator or send fragments towards the drain pump — turning a $5–$15 part into a genuinely annoying afternoon. This is also the one washing machine repair nobody should ever pay labour on: a repairer’s call-out typically runs $100–165 before parts, for a job that is literally “unclip, click”.
Fitting the new one takes two minutes
- Switch the machine off at the wall. No tools and no wiring involved, but it’s a habit worth keeping for every job.
- Unclip and remove the old filter, noting which way it faces.
- Seat the bottom lugs of the new filter first, then press the top until it clicks home.
- Give it a tug to confirm it’s locked, then run a rinse cycle with one old dark towel. If the towel comes out clean, you’re done.
Got a Samsung in the laundry too?
Plenty of Australian households run a second machine in the garage or the granny flat. If yours is a Samsung top loader, the same floating-filter idea applies: there’s a magic lint filter for the WA75F5S6DRA/SA and WA80R3, and a twin-pack of Samsung magic lint filters if you’d rather keep a spare in the laundry cupboard than think about this twice.
Different badge again? We’ve mapped the filters for Haier machines and Stirling top loaders as well, or you can browse the full washing machine parts range.
Frequently asked questions
Q: How do I know which LG lint filter fits my top loader?
A: Read the code moulded into the plastic frame of the old filter — 5231FA2239K, 5231EN2001A, ADQ72912303 or 3921FZ3147N. If the code has worn off, measure the frame (the two rectangular cartridges are 101mm x 62mm) and check the model number on the model sticker. Still unsure? Send us the model number and we’ll check before you order.
Q: Can I keep washing without a lint filter while I wait for the new one?
A: The machine will run, but every load comes out fluffier and the lint the filter would have caught heads for the drain pump instead. For a part in the $5–$15 band, it’s not a trade worth making for more than a load or two.
Q: How often should I clean an LG lint filter?
A: Peel the lint wad off every two or three loads, and give the mesh a warm soapy soak with a soft toothbrush once a month. Cleaned that way, the filter lasts years; the usual killers are boiling water, stiff brushes and clips that have simply gone brittle with age.
Q: Why has lint suddenly appeared on my clothes when it never used to?
A: Almost always the filter: torn mesh, a cracked frame that no longer seats, or a filter that has come off its mount entirely and is hiding under the agitator. Check it before you blame the detergent — a healthy filter comes out with a wad of fluff on it, and an empty filter after a towel load is a filter that isn’t catching anything.
Q: Will the ADQ72912303 Magic filter fit a model outside the WTG6520, WTG7520 and WTG8521?
A: Those are the families it’s listed for, and a same-looking filter is not a same-fitting filter. Don’t force anything — send your model number through the contact page and we’ll check it against the right part before you order.
Two minutes with the model sticker beats a week of second-guessing
Find the model sticker — back of the cabinet or around the lid opening — then search the part number straight from your old filter’s frame, or send the model number (a photo of the sticker is perfect) through our contact page and we’ll match the right filter before you order. Order by 12pm and it leaves Sydney’s Northern Beaches the same business day — your next dark load doesn’t have to come out looking like it’s been cuddling the dog.
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.
