Everyone knows that washing machines are supposed to wash clothes. However, it may happen to get in a situation seeing your clothes stained after washing.
This often happens if the washing machine is not clean! To prevent it from happening, you should clean the washer over time. If you don’t know what to wash washing machine with, this article should be of help.
In continuation, I will mention the products and solutions I use to clean the washer’s tub, rubber seal, and glass door.
What to Wash Washing Machine With
You can either buy a cleaning product or make one at home. If you opt for the DIY cleaning solution, you will need a few simple products every household has.
The homemade solution is often made of white vinegar or bleach, baking soda, salt, dish soap, and water. You can choose products depending on the thing you want to clean up.
White vinegar is an excellent washing machine wash solution because it has high disinfecting and sanitizing power.
Also, it is one of the most commonly used products for cleaning the house. You can routinely clean the washer’s drum with white vinegar from dirt and hard water accumulations.
Bleach is another product you can use to clean up the washing machine. Bleach might help in removing dirt and mildew from the rubber gap and washing machine door. A thing you should always keep in mind is not to mix bleach with acids.
You can choose store-bought detergents and cleaning solutions if you feel insecure about homemade solutions.
Homemade Washing Machine Cleaning Solutions
Routine cleaning
Needed products
- White vinegar
- Essential oil
- Microfiber towel (optional)
Instructions
White vinegar is a powerful natural cleaning solution for monthly washing machine cleaning. It might effectively clean the dirt and bacteria living in the washing machine.
You can either make a solution and clean the washing machine tub with a microfiber towel or pour the mixture into the drawer and run a hot cycle on the empty machine.
For hand cleaning, you should pour a cup of white vinegar into 1 liter of water and add 5 to 10 drops of the essential oil of your choice. Dampen the towel and wipe the washer’s door and tub.
If you opt for running a cycle on an empty machine, you should pour ½ cup of vinegar and 5 to 10 drops of essential oil into the detergent drawer. Run the longest cycle at a temperature from 140 °F to 190 °F.
Read more: Is Vinegar Safe For Washing Machine?
Deep cleaning
Needed products
- White vinegar
- Baking soda
- Essential oil of choice
- Dish soap
- Soft toothbrush
Instructions
White vinegar and baking soda ingredients are best for deep washing machine cleaning. This cleaning method might remove hard water stains, dirt, and mildew.
For better results, you should add dish soap to the solution. To ensure everything is cleaned up, begin with the dispenser.
Remove and soak the detergent dispenser in hot water. Scrub the built-up detergent and dirt and return it back to the machine.
Make a solution of the liquid ingredients (vinegar, dish soap, and essential oil) and pour it into the dispenser. Sprinkle baking soda inside the tub and run the longest cycle at the highest temperature.
Mildew cleaning
Needed products
- Bleach
- Soft toothbrush
- Rubber gloves
Or you can also get these:
- 2 cups of white vinegar
- 1 tbsp baking soda
- 1/4 cup warm water
- Soft toothbrush
- Damp cloth
Instructions
This is the best cleaning method for removing mildew accumulations on the rubber seal, door glass, and inside the machine.
If you are facing mildew issues, you may have to rub the areas either with bleach or with a vinegar solution. Never mix them up together!
Choose one option and rub the rubber seal and other mildew-affected areas of the washing machine. Wipe the areas you’ve been rubbing with a damp cloth and run a cycle at the highest temperature to remove the odor and excess dirt.
Also read: Will Bleach Damage My Washing Machine?
Conclusion
I hope these three solutions have helped you decide what to wash washing machine with. Maintaining a clean washing machine will prevent staining the laundry during the washing cycle.
Practice monthly routine cleaning to prevent a bigger mess from occurring.
