Today I’m going to tell you how to clean your washing machine because if yours is anything like mine then it could probably do with some love!
Have you ever noticed how dirty your washing machine can get inside? They clean so much dirt and grime off our clothes so it’s only natural that they do get a bit grubby inside but it’s really important to keep on top of cleaning it because that’ll not only help it to clean your clothes better, it will also help the machine itself last longer.
I’m much better at cleaning mine now than I used to be and last weekend was washing machine cleaning day so I thought I’d take a few pics as I went along to share what I do with you.
1. Clean the drum inside
Every couple of months (when I actually remember) I’ll run an empty wash cycle on the hottest wash that my machine does (90 c) with half a pack of soda crystals just poured right into the drum itself. You really need to run this wash on at least a 60 c was to make sure that you’re hitting all the germs, removing any odours and doing your bit to prevent any limescale building up in there.
2. Clean the door seal
The rubber seal around the door that stops the dirty water from spilling out of your machine is a great place for dirt to build up and if you don’t keep on top of it then it can turn mouldy and smelly. I try and wipe it over after every wash day to keep it clean but when I forget and let it build up for a couple of washes then I’ll give it a good scrub with my Zoflora spray to clean it. I may have left it once for way too long and had to use some of that ‘Pink Stuff‘ cleaner on it as that’s mildly abrasive and was the only thing that would get it clean.
3. Give the detergent drawer a good scrub
Honestly, I have no idea how my detergent drawer gets so dirty considering I only put washing liquid and fabric softener in there! I usually just take the drawer out of the machine and soak it in a mix of very hot water and Zoflora until the water is cool. Then I just scrub all the remaining muck off it and pop it back in.
Also, I should say that because I was planning to take photos and write a post, procrastinating me has kept putting off the task so it does look a little worse than usual when I do it every month or two.
4. Clean the filter
OK, I actually didn’t even know that there was a filter on a washing machine until recently so this has never been part of my washing machine cleaning routine until very recently and I don’t plan on doing it every time I do all of the above but I will do it every now and again. I’m not going to tell you how to clean your filter because I had a proper drama trying to figure out how to clean mine so I’m just going to say that if you don’t know then Google the instructions specific to your machine.
5. Keep the smells away
This one is common sense when you think about it but how many of us actually leave our washing machine door open slightly after a wash just to let some fresh air circulate.
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