Pour a quart of white vinegar into the wash drum with a cup of baking soda. Use a stiff nylon brush and vinegar to scrub the interior of the wash drum. At the hottest temperature setting, run a wash cycle with this cleaning solution in an empty washer; select the heavy-duty wash cycle if available.
Fill the drum with a ½ cup of baking soda and a quart of vinegar and run a wash cycle containing just a couple of clean hand towels (many manufacturers don't recommend running the washer completely empty). Use the hottest water setting, largest load size, and the longest wash cycle.
If you're a fan of bleach in the laundry sphere, you're in luck because it might just be the hardest-working product for sanitizing. If you want to avoid bleach and its harsh chemicals, though, white vinegar is a good alternative with powerful deodorizing and bacteria-killing properties.
Vinegar is sometimes used as a fabric softener or for getting rid of stains and odors in laundry. But as with dishwashers, it can damage the rubber seals and hoses in some washing machines to the point of causing leaks.
Although vinegar and baking soda shouldn't be harmful to your washing machine if used in moderate amounts, extreme use can impact some of the coatings on the drive shaft components, which are the parts responsible for switching cycles from agitate to spin.
There's one very important caveat, she notes: “Both vinegar and baking soda can be used to clean your washing machine and clothing, but they should not be mixed together because they neutralize each other.”
Nasty smells in your washing machine are caused by a combination of mould, mildew and bacteria. When you put clothes in your machine, body oil, dirt, hair, and scum get trapped in the gasket, seal, and detergent dispenser.
Pour two cups of white vinegar into the drum, then run a normal cycle at high heat—without any clothes, of course. The baking soda and vinegar should break up any residue stuck to your drum and kill any mold that might be present. They'll also help remove any foul odors.
As an alternative, GE suggests cleaning the washer with ingredients you might already have. Into the soap dispenser, pour a mixture of ¼ cup water and ¼ cup baking soda, and into the empty washing machine, pour two cups of white vinegar. Then run a hot wash cycle.
Fill a spray bottle with hydrogen peroxide, spray some of the liquid on a microfiber cloth, and wipe the entire surface of the machine, including the sides, the knobs — scrubbing them with a hydrogen peroxide-soaked toothbrush if they're too dirty, and the top.
Add two cups of white vinegar and let the cycle run. (If you have a front load washer, pour the vinegar into the detergent dispenser.) For an extra-clean washing machine, repeat the cycle with a half-cup of baking soda. You'll also need to hand-wash the top portion of the agitator and basin above the water line.
Reichert suggests using these easy green-cleaning tips every six months to avoid any issues. Here's how to clean washing machines with vinegar and baking soda.
Step 1− Remove all clothes from your washer and make sure it's dry. Step 2− Wipe up any grime on the rubber gasket using a damp cloth and a little white vinegar. Step 3− Add two cups of white vinegar to the detergent dispenser. Step 4− Run a complete washing cycle with hot water and on the largest load setting.
2 – 4 dishwasher tablets are all that's needed to clean a washing machine for those who are brave enough to try it. To clean the washing machine drum, simply drop 2, 3, or 4 dishwasher tablets into the drum. Set it to a hot wash, and let the machine and tablet do the work for you.
The black bits in washing machines are essentially a build up of bacteria, grease, and mould. Over time and without regular cleaning, a washing machine will get clogged up with leftover detergent and debris, which will then become a perfect breeding ground for bacteria and mould.
However, if you cannot locate the source of the smell, examine your washing machine — the cause of the problem might be hiding in your laundry room. The most common causes of a washing machine that smells like sewage are improperly installed P-traps, drain clogs, or vent pipe clogs.
Open the washing machine door. Set your washer to the hottest setting and the largest load capacity. Once the water starts to fill up, add one quart of bleach (about 4 cups) to the water inside the washer. Once the washer is full of water, close the lid and turn it on to a long spin cycle.
Clean the Washing Machine with Vinegar Again fill the washer with HOT water but this time add one quart of white vinegar. Same routine-set on the longest cycle and let it agitate a few minutes then sit for one hour. After the hour complete the wash and rinse cycle.
The most likely is bacteria growing in your washer because of built-up dirt, mildew and mold, lint, and/or soap. If you don't regularly clean your washing machine, these things build up on, under, or inside the rubber seal and in the crevices of the drum.
Pour a quart of white vinegar into the wash drum with a cup of baking soda. Use a stiff nylon brush and vinegar to scrub the interior of the wash drum. At the hottest temperature setting, run a wash cycle with this cleaning solution in an empty washer; select the heavy-duty wash cycle if available.
For Extra-Clean Clothes
“It will help lift dirt and grime from clothing,” says Reichert. Don't put baking soda in your washer's detergent dispenser, however. Instead, sprinkle it into the empty drum of your washer, then add clothes and whatever detergent and fabric softeners you'd normally use.
Washing towels with vinegar and baking soda can bring them back to life in just three steps: Wash towels in hot water and one cup vinegar. Don't add any detergent. Wash the towels a second time (without drying them) in hot water and one cup baking soda.