Cleaning a washing machine

[pigletgirl]

Anyone have any easy tips on cleaning one? Ours has a stench and its making me nuts.

Thanks!

 

[Disney Doll]

Run a load with bleach and hot water only. No clothes.

 

[SaraJayne]

Run a load with bleach and hot water only. No clothes.

Yup, bleach and hot water.

 

[SaraJayne]

Anyone have any easy tips on cleaning one? Ours has a stench and its making me nuts.

Thanks!

Also, if you have a front loader, make sure you are periodically wiping the gasket around the front door and leave the door open to air out.

If you don't, disregard. LOL

 

[LisaR]

Also, if you have a front loader, make sure you are periodically wiping the gasket around the front door and leave the door open to air out.

If you don't, disregard. LOL

Another front load tip: pull back the rubber that is around the drum (not on the door) and have a look around. I have had an occasional sock get caught in there and it ends up getting moldy.

 

[HippieChickadee]

good thread! Good timing!

 

[Baliezer]

If you have a front loader, our LG has a tube that comes out from the bottom of the machine. Once a year I open the tube and drain everything into a bucket. It is usually filled with lots of lint. That plus washing the machine out with bleach, and leaving the door open, gets rid of the smell.

 

[littleteapot]

Citric Acid. I order mine from azure standard.

Run an empty cycle with 1 cup of citric acid. If you don't have citric acid, 20 packages of unsweetened any flavor Koolaid (generic works fine) have enough citric acid to do the trick. This cleans out all the detergent residue and pink slime mold. Then run a second empty hot cycle with 4 cups of bleach to sanitize.

 

[Kathryn Merteuil]

Also, if you have a front loader, make sure you are periodically wiping the gasket around the front door and leave the door open to air out.

If you don't, disregard. LOL

Yep that's what they told us to do with our front-loader every time you're done with it.

*knock on wood* we have had it about a year and haven't had any problems. They also make some stuff called like "Affresh" and I think Tide makes something that is supposed to clean them. I have run the Affresh through a couple times just for the sake of doing it, but i think it was unnecessary.

 

[java]

I also run a rinse cycle with vinegar to get the smell out. Then I run the bleach one.

 

[jlewisinsyr]

We use the Tide Washing Machine Cleaner packs.

 

[Scotgirl]

For our washing machine I do a hot wash with an empty drum with a couple of dishwasher tablets - always makes it shiny clean and smells great. I also empty the tube at the front of the machine at the same time.

 

[cabanafrau]

Quite often I use the white vinegar instead of fabric softener and I think it helps the washer and the laundry.

 

[Eeyore'sthebest]

Our machine came with an "Affresh" washing machine cleaning tablet. They recommended that we use it before washing any clothes. I can't remember how frequently they recommend using one again but they said if there was an odor to use it again.

 

[BearcatsFan]

We use the Tide Washing Machine Cleaner packs.

This is what we use too and it works well. I think the packets are pretty expensive, though, so I may try the bleach/hot water next time.

ETA: I forgot to ask - how much bleach? 1 cup?

 

[SaraJayne]

Another front load tip: pull back the rubber that is around the drum (not on the door) and have a look around. I have had an occasional sock get caught in there and it ends up getting moldy.

I meant the rubber around the drum, but somehow, what was in my head didn't quite get conveyed the right way.

I wipe our rubber around the drum out about once a month and it can get pretty gross.

 

[It'sWDW4me]

I have a top loader and VERY hard water. Even though I always leave the lid open the washer gets a nasty musty mildewy smell. Every six months or so I run an empty washer and pour 2-3 gallons of vinegar into a "medium" wash load water cycle. Let that agitate for a few minutes and then let it soak overnight or for a good part of the day - starting it back up every now and then to agitate a bit. I let that drain and add about 2 cups of bleach to the "rinse" cycle. Same thing as before - let it agitate, stop and let it soak. I let that drain and then run a whole new empty cycle just to make sure it's all rinsed out (some truly nasty gross yuck gets loosened up! ). No more nasty washer smell!