Oh laundry. The perennial mountain in my life. We’re a family of six – you can just imagine, right? It’s frankly ridiculous – you empty every single laundry bin in the house, scoop up all the discarded towels, get them all washed and dried… and lo, the laundry bins have magically refilled while you weren’t looking. I have No Idea where they get it all from.
And while you’re working away cleaning all that laundry, you don’t spare a thought for the machine, do you? NO. You just care about your clothes. Selfish.
Because your machine needs a little love too.
Here’s the thing – because I was taking photographs of my washing machine (oh, the life of a blogger…) I noticed how grubby it had got.
Not across the front, but inside the drawer, and the drum itself was a bit fragrant-in-a-bad-way. And I realised that it has been a Very Long Time Indeed since I cleaned it. How on earth was it going to do a job of cleaning my clothes if it wasn’t clean itself?
I mentioned this to a friend and she looked at me blankly. “how on earth do you clean inside your machine?”. I mentioned it to a few more friends. Repeat the blank looks.
So, for all you Washing-Machine-Virgins, here’s exactly how to clean your washing machine.
Fret not, it’s easy as pie – and dirt cheap too.
How to Clean your Washing Machine in 2 steps.
For those looking for the simple answer:
1 – Bung some white vinegar in the bleach compartment and wash empty on the hottest setting.
2 – Run an extra rinse.
Shaboom, you’re done.
For those of a more nervous disposition who would prefer a step-by-step guide, here’s the much longer 8-step instruction manual for the same thing…
- Select the 90º or boil wash setting
- Select “extra rinse” if your machine has the option to do so.
- Add 175ml white vinegar (or you can use non-chlorine bleach) to the bleach dispenser – or just up to the max level if it’s smaller.
- Run the machine.
- If you don’t have that extra rinse option, then run again just on a rinse cycle (you don’t want the vinegar hanging around for your next wash!)
- Now the inside is sparkly clean, remove the drawer and give that a good scrub under the hot tap.
- Use the white vinegar and wipe down the rubber seal around the drum – mine is always getting clogged with dog hair, tissue bits and and random grey debris I don’t like to name. Rinse with a clean damp cloth, then wipe dry.
- To finish off the job give the outside a whizz over with a damp cloth too.
- And a final top tip – always leave the machine door slightly ajar. Damp machines build up stinky mould and mildew; leave the door open between washes to let the air flow and the machine to dry.
Clean your machine through monthly, and you’ll be amazed at how much better your washing machine works for you!
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