How To Clean Your Washing Machine
Created | Updated Sep 29, 2009
When you move into a new flat you will be incredibly happy to see that your previous tenant has left the washing machine in the bathroom. If you have the possibility to wash in your own four walls it means that you will not have to run down to the basement all the time to check if your laundry is done; plus you do not need to pay horrid sums of money to the owners of laundry saloons. However, you need to be aware of the fact that your previous tenant can leave you more than just a washing machine – she or he might leave you all of his or her dirty fouling as well!
You will realise it when you open the door of your washing machine for the first time: eager to fill it with your first load of dirty towels, you will be thrown back by the creepy smell that is coming out of the drum. You would never have thought of these shiny machines developing a smell like this – similar to moss, definitely a very green odour and really disturbing. Even if you looked very close, you could not find anything that would explain this terrible smell; the machine’s inside is all sparkling. So it’s time to find out where the smell comes from and, most importantly, how you can fight it.
Clean the accessible parts of your washing machine
The most important thing to do when your washing machine develops an ugly smell is to clean it all over. There can be a number of contaminations in various places you do not see at first or second sight. Firstly, take out the detergent container where you put the washing powder in. Clean it thoroughly with an ordinary domestic cleaner and don’t forget the interior! This is a lovely place for mould and incrusted washing powder residua. You can achieve the best results by using an old toothbrush.
The next step is all about cleaning your lint filter. There is so much room for all kinds of slime cultures to settle down in the lint filter because it is humid and warm there and it is the place where textile leftovers meet bra-wires meet to decay together. Again, clean it with the help of a toothbrush and maybe some vinegar cleaner.
Having this done you can turn to clean the inside of your washing machine. Even if it looks sparkling clean, there is a lot of space for smell-producing dirt as well. Just take a look at the rubber lip at the window of your washing machine and you will see a kind of brownish slime breeding on the inside. Remove it with the help of a sponge and some cleaner.
Fighting the smell
Now we got rid of the dirt it is time to fight the smell, which can be a tricky thing to do. There are a number of possibilities to clean your machine from inside out and you will have to find the one your machine needs.
The most important thing is to choose a stage of the washing programme that washes with very high temperatures, that is at least 60 degrees Celsius. This will kill all the bacteria and germs that are stuck in your machine. Generally it is recommendable to regularly wash your towels and other hot wash with 60 degrees, as it is better for the washing machine than lower temperatures.
Now it is up to you to choose your type of cleaner. Many people claim to have achieved very good results with the following method: Put 4 to 5 dishwasher tablets into the drum and then choose a washing programme, the higher the temperature, the better. You can either just do the regular programme or you stop the washing machine after the water has been pumped in. Then you fill in water through the detergent container (it works well with a watering can) until the machine is well filled. Leave it like this for about 5 hours and then start the regular programme again.
You can also try this method with ordinary vinegar that you can buy it in the supermarket - don’t be afraid, your washing machine won’t smell like salad afterwards. It might be a good idea to use acids for cleaning, as the climate in the washing machine is thoroughly alkaline due to the washing powder, which is a base. Thus, it is highly probable that the majority of bacteria inside are resistant to similar cleaners, whereas acid might be a possibility to get rid of smelly germs.
If all this wasn’t much help, there is one slightly more aggressive method of fighting mouldy smells: Chlorine. Add 100 to 150 millilitres of domestic chlorine cleaner to your washing; some people say that they do it while washing their white towels as it brings back their spotless white. However, you have to be aware of the fact that this may lead to the corrosion of sealing and tubes, so be careful!
Keeping the smell from coming back
Finally, some tips to prevent the smell from coming back. Try to use liquid detergents as little as possible and wash with powder instead. According to research done in this field, washing powder cleans your laundry better and more eco-friendly than liquid detergents. Moreover, do not always wash with low temperatures. This might be better for the environment, but your washing machine likes hot temperatures as they kill germs and funguses. Try to avoid fabric softeners, they might appear to fight the smell, but actually they make your problem worse. And finally, leave the door of your washing machine open when you finished washing, so that the air can circulate.
Ultimately, keeping your washing machine nice and free from smell is not a matter of hours of cleaning. Instead, if you pay attention to some important points like using the right sort of washing powder, leaving the door of the drum open so that it doesn’t get too humid and cleaning your lint filter regularly, you and your machine will live happy ever after.
Good luck and happy washing!
SOURCES:
“Wie reinigt man eine Waschmaschine?“ http://iq.lycos.de/qa/show/898540/Wie-reinigt-man-eine-Waschmaschine/ (accessed on 24 May 2009)
“Reinigung Waschmaschine“ http://forum.kijiji.de/about7173.html (accessed on 24 May 2009)
“Die Waschmaschine riecht faulig, muffig oder nach abgestandenem Wasser” http://www.waesche-waschen.de/tipps/tipps/waschmaschine_riecht.html (accessed on 18 May 2009)
“Die Waschmaschine riecht faulig, muffig oder nach abgestandenem Wasser” http://www.waesche-waschen.de/tipps/tipps/waschmaschine_riecht.html (accessed on 18 May 2009).
“Pulver wäscht besser als Gel“ http://www.forumgesundheit.at/portal/index.html%3Bjsessionid=6525CD2D84BF3CFBC17DFE560F1F6090?ctrl:cmd=render&ctrl:window=forumgesundheitportal.channel_content.cmsWindow&p_menuid=63353&p_tabid=5&p_pubid=634416 (accessed on 24 May 2009).
“Ruhig öfter mal heiss waschen“ http://www.allergieinfo.de/news/2006_oefter_heiss_waschen.htm (accessed on 24 May 2009).
You will realise it when you open the door of your washing machine for the first time: eager to fill it with your first load of dirty towels, you will be thrown back by the creepy smell that is coming out of the drum. You would never have thought of these shiny machines developing a smell like this – similar to moss, definitely a very green odour and really disturbing. Even if you looked very close, you could not find anything that would explain this terrible smell; the machine’s inside is all sparkling. So it’s time to find out where the smell comes from and, most importantly, how you can fight it.
Clean the accessible parts of your washing machine
The most important thing to do when your washing machine develops an ugly smell is to clean it all over. There can be a number of contaminations in various places you do not see at first or second sight. Firstly, take out the detergent container where you put the washing powder in. Clean it thoroughly with an ordinary domestic cleaner and don’t forget the interior! This is a lovely place for mould and incrusted washing powder residua. You can achieve the best results by using an old toothbrush.
The next step is all about cleaning your lint filter. There is so much room for all kinds of slime cultures to settle down in the lint filter because it is humid and warm there and it is the place where textile leftovers meet bra-wires meet to decay together. Again, clean it with the help of a toothbrush and maybe some vinegar cleaner.
Having this done you can turn to clean the inside of your washing machine. Even if it looks sparkling clean, there is a lot of space for smell-producing dirt as well. Just take a look at the rubber lip at the window of your washing machine and you will see a kind of brownish slime breeding on the inside. Remove it with the help of a sponge and some cleaner.
Fighting the smell
Now we got rid of the dirt it is time to fight the smell, which can be a tricky thing to do. There are a number of possibilities to clean your machine from inside out and you will have to find the one your machine needs.
The most important thing is to choose a stage of the washing programme that washes with very high temperatures, that is at least 60 degrees Celsius. This will kill all the bacteria and germs that are stuck in your machine. Generally it is recommendable to regularly wash your towels and other hot wash with 60 degrees, as it is better for the washing machine than lower temperatures.
Now it is up to you to choose your type of cleaner. Many people claim to have achieved very good results with the following method: Put 4 to 5 dishwasher tablets into the drum and then choose a washing programme, the higher the temperature, the better. You can either just do the regular programme or you stop the washing machine after the water has been pumped in. Then you fill in water through the detergent container (it works well with a watering can) until the machine is well filled. Leave it like this for about 5 hours and then start the regular programme again.
You can also try this method with ordinary vinegar that you can buy it in the supermarket - don’t be afraid, your washing machine won’t smell like salad afterwards. It might be a good idea to use acids for cleaning, as the climate in the washing machine is thoroughly alkaline due to the washing powder, which is a base. Thus, it is highly probable that the majority of bacteria inside are resistant to similar cleaners, whereas acid might be a possibility to get rid of smelly germs.
If all this wasn’t much help, there is one slightly more aggressive method of fighting mouldy smells: Chlorine. Add 100 to 150 millilitres of domestic chlorine cleaner to your washing; some people say that they do it while washing their white towels as it brings back their spotless white. However, you have to be aware of the fact that this may lead to the corrosion of sealing and tubes, so be careful!
Keeping the smell from coming back
Finally, some tips to prevent the smell from coming back. Try to use liquid detergents as little as possible and wash with powder instead. According to research done in this field, washing powder cleans your laundry better and more eco-friendly than liquid detergents. Moreover, do not always wash with low temperatures. This might be better for the environment, but your washing machine likes hot temperatures as they kill germs and funguses. Try to avoid fabric softeners, they might appear to fight the smell, but actually they make your problem worse. And finally, leave the door of your washing machine open when you finished washing, so that the air can circulate.
Ultimately, keeping your washing machine nice and free from smell is not a matter of hours of cleaning. Instead, if you pay attention to some important points like using the right sort of washing powder, leaving the door of the drum open so that it doesn’t get too humid and cleaning your lint filter regularly, you and your machine will live happy ever after.
Good luck and happy washing!
SOURCES:
“Wie reinigt man eine Waschmaschine?“ http://iq.lycos.de/qa/show/898540/Wie-reinigt-man-eine-Waschmaschine/ (accessed on 24 May 2009)
“Reinigung Waschmaschine“ http://forum.kijiji.de/about7173.html (accessed on 24 May 2009)
“Die Waschmaschine riecht faulig, muffig oder nach abgestandenem Wasser” http://www.waesche-waschen.de/tipps/tipps/waschmaschine_riecht.html (accessed on 18 May 2009)
“Die Waschmaschine riecht faulig, muffig oder nach abgestandenem Wasser” http://www.waesche-waschen.de/tipps/tipps/waschmaschine_riecht.html (accessed on 18 May 2009).
“Pulver wäscht besser als Gel“ http://www.forumgesundheit.at/portal/index.html%3Bjsessionid=6525CD2D84BF3CFBC17DFE560F1F6090?ctrl:cmd=render&ctrl:window=forumgesundheitportal.channel_content.cmsWindow&p_menuid=63353&p_tabid=5&p_pubid=634416 (accessed on 24 May 2009).
“Ruhig öfter mal heiss waschen“ http://www.allergieinfo.de/news/2006_oefter_heiss_waschen.htm (accessed on 24 May 2009).
