How to Clean Your Washing Machine

How to Clean Your Washing Machine

Your washing machine works hard to clean your clothes cycle after cycle. But even the device that does the cleaning needs to be cleaned from time to time—and that’s what we’ll help you do in this article. Here’s how to clean your washing machine!

Why Bother?

Before we get into the details of how you can clean your machine, let’s get this out of the way: yes, you do need to clean your washing machine. This isn’t a chore that needs to be completed often, but there are a variety of unwanted guests (mold, mildew, dirt, and more) that can make their home in your machine, so it’s wise to clean it every few months or so.

Start with the Gasket

If you have a front-loading washer, the first thing you’ll see when you open the door is the large rubber gasket that creates a seal around the front of the drum to keep the water safely inside. This is a common place for nasty buildup to occur, so it should get special attention during the cleaning process. A natural product like vinegar is a great choice to clean the gasket. Just spray a vinegar solution on the gasket, give it a thorough scrub with a soft brush, and wipe it off. Even if this is the only step you complete, you will have already made your washing machine a much cleaner place.

Run an Empty Cycle

With the gasket spick and span, it’s now time to give the whole machine a thorough cleaning. Since this is a machine that is meant to clean anyway, we might as well let it do most of the work itself. To get started, add a couple cups of white vinegar in the same place where you would typically add the detergent. Then, turn your machine to a hot setting and run a cycle without any clothes in the drum.

If you would like to go a step further, you can follow that up with another hot cycle that includes a small amount of baking soda added to the drum (no more than a half-cup or so). Once the cycles are done, use a soft cloth to wipe down the inside of the drum, and you’re all set.

Air it Out

As you can see, the chore of cleaning a washing machine isn’t too bad. Still, it’s one more task to remember, so to increase the time between cleanings, leave the door open while the machine is not in use. This allows the machine to air out, helping to slow the mold and mildew buildup that you’ll eventually have to clean.

Caring for Top-Loading Washers

While most washers sold today are front-loading, there are still plenty of top-loading models in use. If you use a top-loading machine, the cleaning process is quite similar to what we just described. You probably won’t need to worry about cleaning a gasket inside the door, since most of these washers have no need for such a seal. However, you’ll want to repeat the same process of using white vinegar in place of detergent and running the machine on a hot cycle to clean it out.

Other Nooks and Crannies

While you’re giving the inside of your washing machine some TLC, you might as well take a few extra moments to make sure everything else looks good. Specifically, try to get a look behind the machine to make sure the hoses are still securely connected and no water has been dripping during the wash cycles. (And while you’re back there, feel free to dust!)

Use the Right Detergent

With your washing machine freshly cleaned and ready to go, be sure to pick the right detergent to clean your next load. If you’ll be washing activewear made with synthetic materials, select WIN Activewear Detergent. Our formula is specially made to treat synthetic fabrics, wiping out unwanted oils and odor.  Order a bottle today to see the difference for yourself!

Try WIN Today

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