How to Clean a Washing Machine OR

How to Clean a Washing Machine

You know how the saying goes: a clean apartment, clean clothes, clean car. We all think we need a clean home and soul to grow, but the truth is that your outer space is part of your inner self. If you clean up a little, your environments will reflect the effort, and you’ll feel drastically different.

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Over time, washing machines get dirty—soap scum builds up, leaving you with a washer that’s in serious need of a refresh. Learning how to clean a washing machine is essential for keeping smells, mold, and grime at bay. Here, we’ll walk you through how to deep clean both front-load washers and top-loading washers using vinegar and baking soda (the process is a little different for each one). Do these deep cleans once every six months, and your washing machine will stay fresh and clean.

You might be tempted to add extra laundry detergent to a particularly dirty load of clothes. Resist the urge! Adding extra detergent does more harm than good, since it can actually leave soapy residue on your clothes and cause unnecessary wear to the washing machine. Check out your washer’s instructional manual and heed its rules for how much laundry detergent to use. If you need an extra cleaning on your clothes, use the sanitize cycle instead of adding extra detergent—the sanitize cycle washes clothes in the hottest water in an extended cycle that is designed to kill heavy-duty bacteria. (Source: www.architecturaldigest.com)

Use

The thing is, soap residue and minerals in commonly used detergents are apt to build up in the washing machine, and over time, you might notice that your clothes just don’t seem to get as clean as they used to. My washer had just started to feel icky. And here I was just thinking that maybe I had been cramming too many garments in the same load and not letting the rinse cycle perform as efficiently.

Wrong. If you think about it, your washing machine is constantly bombarded with bits of food, fibers, and other organic materials that can get caught in the nooks and crannies. Also the wet, warm environment inside your machine is a perfect breeding ground for mildew and mold, especially in the hard-to-reach areas, which may never completely dry. Third, detergents and hard water can build up, which can dull your clothes and clog the mechanisms. In short, all this grime equals a less than pristine machine. (Source: www.organized-home.com)