Learn How to Deep Clean your Washer and Dryer Hassle-Freely
Being one of the most important household appliances in today’s life, washing machines help us to keep our favorite clothes as clean as possible. There are so many things to take care of the washing machine and cleaning it is one of them. Majority of us don’t even think about cleaning out the washing machine after using them for a while. It’s always a matter of fact that the machine that cleans our clothes can get how much dirt on it.
There are so many things that get built up after long use of such washer and dryer in them. Bacteria, soap scum, and other yucky substances are there that form up and they lead you to clean them. So, if you fail to clean this machine after a frequent span of time, you might have to look forthen. To help you from falling in such situations, in this blog post, we are going to discuss all the steps that will help to deep clean your washer and dryer. We’ll only use natural ingredients throughout the cleaning process.
Facts to Know that are Responsible for Making the Washing Machine Dirty
Many people are out there who think that why they should care about the cleaning of a washing machine while they have a lot of other things to do. Washing machines can be the harbor of different sorts of undesirable elements and this is the main reason why you should clean your washer. There are front-loading washers or high-efficiency washers which are more prone to mold and mildew growth around their doors. Such doors might be sealed but this is the place where such things get formed.
Certain members of the icky stuff get rinsed off the fabric but some of them find their own way around the washing machine and that’s causing the main trouble. Sometimes, the clothes you use to clean the stinky areas of your house or the other messes around it, need the best of your care. Whenever you want to wash such clothes with your washing machine you can and that’s the time when it begins. Specks of dirt are not all we should worry about, there are other facts also like bacteria and mineral buildup.
Maintain a Clean-Smelling Washing Machine Without Calling for Any Washing Machine Repair Service
With the help of certain recipes on which we are going to discuss in this section, you can not only clean your washer but also the dryer. You should do the following a few times in a year to make sure that it remains clean. The best practices for keeping your washing machine well-maintained are stated underneath.
- Don’t close the lid after each use and leave it open as it would help you to get rid of the mildew and stale odors from it.
- If you use too much laundry soap or fabric softener, then it becomes quite possible that the machine builds up such yucky things. You can even prevent such situations by using the appropriate amount of such elements in the machine.
- Use an antifungal cleaner to wipe down the seal of front loader washing machines. The antifungal cleaner might be the solution of Vinegar and tea tree essential oil and you should use this once a week. Leave the door open after each wash and dry the seal of the washing machine.
- If you’re using HE washing machine, then make sure that you are using HE safe and low suds detergent. The extra suds can cause several residues that are left behind after you use them.
These are the steps by which you can easily clean your dryer along with the washer and keep it well-maintained. After following such steps in an appropriate way, it won’t be a problem to maintain your washing machine.
Different Aspects to Learn About Deep Cleaning your Washing Machine in a Natural Way
For the people who lack in the methods that help their washing machines clean, this is the section dedicated to them. There are many of them who have no idea what are the things that they should do what they don’t. Let us discuss the things first that you shouldn’t do for deep cleaning your washing machine.
Things you should not Try
The time you purchase a washing machine, you get a lot of instructions that discuss the steps to maintain it in a proper way. It also describes the ways how you can keep it clean but there are certain steps that we shouldn’t attempt.
To prevent yourself from calling washing machine repair services, taking care of these things that are utmost important. Some of them might look more effective than most of the others whereas some state the use of bleach. Many users are there who feel uncomfortable using bleach to clean their washing machines.
According to certain users, the mixture of baking soda and vinegar is a great combination that will help you in this regard. Though they are completely safe and natural yet the combination might not be as effective as you thought it would be.
When it came to the mixture, you can use the combination of alkaline baking soda and the acidic vinegar to clean. However, they are also not going to help you as they cancel each other’s properties out but they can loosen the grime.
The Best Natural Cleaners to Use
Getting the most appropriate elements is so important to clean your washer as without them you cannot move a step forward. This is the main reason why you should know them and get the best natural cleaners from the market for the cleaning process. Without delaying too much, let’s get into the analysis of the best natural cleaners.
Vinegar
This is one kind of substrate that helps to tame grease, mold, mildew, and mineral deposits from the washing machine. It is nothing but an acid that can help you get rid of such elements. Vinegar can not only be used on the rinse cycle as a fabric softener but also to clean out the machine from each of its sides. Moreover, it can be quite effective if you regularly use it on the machine.
Washing Soda
Cleaning different kinds of surfaces across your house is the main task that the washing soda can do fabulously. This is nothing but the amplified version of the baking soda that people often use on various tasks.
It helps to break down hard water deposits from the machine and also dissolve the grease-like elements. Several users use the washing soda as their laundry detergent and dish soap but it’s also great for deep clean your dryer.
Essential Oils
With a wide range of anti-microbial properties, there are different essential oils that people have been using for many days. The notable fact here is that which one you are currently using. To help you with the mold growth, there are tea tree and melaleuca which are potent to antifungal. For helping you fight with different viruses and bacteria, thieves blend is another kind of essential oil.
Borax
To kill a wide variety of softening water and mold, there is this naturally occurring mineral which is known as Borax. Though the use of this element in the time of cleaning your washer is controversial, yet you can easily use it. For those who don’t prefer this borax can use the natural oxygen bleach as per their convenience.
Natural Recipes for Cleaning Washing Machine
Before following any of the methods, you should know that they might vary accordingly from manufacturer to manufacturer. The most deciding factor is whether you are using a front loader or a top loader washing machine. There won’t be any requirement for availing washing machine repair services if you follow this section in an appropriate way. As per the new washing machines are concerned, there are filters near the bottom of them whereas the older ones don’t have any of such filters in them. To help you understand the process specifically for the machine, let’s walk through the following section.
Clean your Front Loading Washing Machine
When it comes to cleaning a front loading washing machine, there are a few elements you should have. The required elements are given underneath for your convenience.
- 2 TBSP washing soda and the same amount of borax or natural oxygen bleach whatever you prefer.
- 20 drops of the germ-fighting blend or thieves blend and tea tree essential oil along with 2 cups of white vinegar.
Once you have these elements you can go ahead to clean your washer without facing any kind of trouble in the.process. The steps as described in the following section would be so helpful, hence, it is essential to follow them accordingly.
Step 1:
At first, remove the tray dispenser from the unit and let it soak in hot soapy water under fully submerged condition. Scrub the residues off after they get softened and to do that you can use some toothbrush. Once you are done with the rinsing process of the tray with fresh water, put it back into the washer and proceed further.
Step 2:
The unit should have a release button and if you don’t find any such button, then you can pour some vinegar in the tray and scrub it off using some kind of toothbrush.
Step 3:
Use borax or oxygen bleach along with washing soda into the drum of the washing machine you are cleaning. Put the unit in its hottest setting and then use as much as water possible to rinse it off.
Step 4:
If there is a cleaning cycle of the machine, then you should use it without any second thoughts. To do that, you need the manufacturer’s instructions to be followed and by which you will know whether you should put the powder in the drum or in the dispenser tray.
Step 5:
Once you have completed the cleaning cycle, pour the essential oils and vinegar into the liquid dispenser to make the tray completely clean. After that, if the machine permits to perform another clean cycle, then do it immediately.
Step 6:
With the help of clean microfiber, you need to wipe out the drum of the washer. Use a vinegar solution and soak the microfiber cloth into it in order to clean the door seal and the outer surface of the washing machine.
Step 7:
This is the last step but not the least where you have to remove and clean the filter of it. To do that, you can use hot soapy water or vinegar.
With the steps, you can easily clean the front loading washing machine. You can only follow step 7 in those machines which come with filters.
Clean your Top Loading Washing Machine
There are also certain elements in the cleaning process of your top loading washing machines. The quantity of such elements is more than they were for the front-loading machine and the elements also differ a bit. The elements are given in the following section.
- A ½ cup of natural oxygen bleach or borax along with the washing soda of the same amount.
- 30 drops of the thieves blend or germ-fighting blend and 1 quart of white vinegar.
After getting all these elements in your hand, follow the steps stated underneath carefully and to prevent washing machine repair services.
Step 1:
In a full drum of hot water, add washing soda and borax or oxygen bleach whatever you have and then wash it on heavy duty as per the requirements of the machine. This is one of the cleaning cycles that come with most of the modern washing machines.
Step 2:
Add vinegar to the drum after the cycle is done and use some essential oils with that vinegar. After that, run another hot water cycle and wait for a few minutes and let it agitate for that duration. Wait again for 30-60 minutes to let the vinegar sit before finishing the entire cleaning cycle.
Step 3:
Take a clean microfiber cloth and dip it into the water while the vinegar is sitting inside the washing machine. Clean the outside of the machine using this soaked microfiber cloth.
Step 4:
Make sure that you clean the lip of the machine where the drum sits and then clean the dispensers accordingly. Removing the dirt, hair, soap, and other grime from the unit is an essential aspect here to take care of. You can use a toothbrush to clean some of the stubborn areas of it.
Step 5:
If there’s a filter in the machine, then clean it by using hot soapy water or the white vinegar that we used earlier in the front-loading washing machine.
So, that’s it, if you have followed the steps in proper order, then you have successfully cleaned your washing machine. It not only described how you can clean your washer but also the outer surface with all the natural recipes.
Learn how to Clean your Dryer
As of now, you are well aware of the fact that how you can clean the washer and want to know the process of cleaning the dryer. However, you should know that cleaning dryer is a bit more difficult than it was for the washer. Cleaning the dryer is so important as dirty dryers can lead to fiery dryers and you’d never like that.
There is Lint which is flammable stuff but if it touches the heating coil, well, then you know what will happen afterward. Depending on the usage of the dryer, you can do this in every 6-12 months. Before you proceed with the steps to clean your dryer brace yourself and get a screwdriver.
Step 1:
In the beginning, unplug the dryer and then empty the Lint trap from the unit. If there’s a discharge hose in the back of the dryer, then take it out. Give the hose a good shake to remove debris to completely clean it.
Step 2:
Pop off the back panel after unscrewing it from the dryer unit and remove it gently. There should be a TON of lint-on the base in the canal of the machine. The canal leads to the discharge line of the machine through its innards. Use a crevice tool or some sort of brush attachment to vacuum this up.
Step 3:
Let the lint-trap vacuum itself and unscrew the trap if the unit allows you to do so to get to its inner section. This is the place, where there is a freakish amount of dust gets accumulated after long use. Just clean it up with the help of some vacuum attachment.
Step 4:
You should also make sure that you are keeping the screws separate from the unit or they will also be vacuumed and you won’t want that. Using a vacuum brush would be a lot helpful in this process.
Step 5:
If there’s anything left inside the unit, then vacuum them up too. Whatsoever, be warned this is the place where you might find a zoo full of dust bunnies who have stayed there for so long.
Step 6:
Finally, make sure that you give the unit a quick wipedown and in this process, you can always use some microfiber cloth and some cleaner as per your wish. Now, put everything on their places including the hoses, panels and screw the unit.
These are the steps by which you can easily clean your dryer without facing any kind of trouble. Thus, you can now plug it up and use again. Though the steps are quite difficult yet you can always perform them on your own.
Concluding Words
Well, now you know how you can clean your washing machine along with the dryer. We don’t think, you need any more of the washing machine repair services to make the machine clean from now on. You can do the cleaning process yourself without asking anyone’s help. In this post, we have discussed every aspect that you should know about the deep clean of your washing machines and dryers. Hope, it was a helpful perspective to you. Thank you.
FAQs
1. How do you Clean a Front Load Washer and Dryer?
In this process, you need to make sure that the drum of the washer is empty and then select the Clean Cycle button from the control panel of the unit. If there’s no such button available in the control panel of the unit, then do select the largest and hottest load setting. After that, you can add 2 cups of vinegar to the detergent tray to completely clean the washing machine.
2. How do I Deep Clean my Washing Machine?
At first, fill the washer with hot soapy water and then add 1 quart of chlorine bleach without any kind of detergent. After that, let the machine agitate for around a minute and let the bleach sit for around 50-60 minutes in the unit. Allow the washer to run through its longest wash and spin cycle as per the unit requires.
3. How do you Clean a Smelly Dryer?
Take a clean microfiber cloth and dip it into distilled white vinegar and run it around the dryer to make it clean. After cleaning the inside portion, clean the rubber gasket that seals the door of the dryer. Use of the vinegar deodorizes the interior of the unit and that’s the reason why should leave the door of the dryer open. Keep it open until the vinegar smell dissipates from it and in this way you can clean the dryer completely.
4. How can I Disinfect my Washing Machine?
The sanitization process of the washing machine is quite simple and to do that, you can do the following.
- At first, use hot water and then select the extra rinse option from the settings of the washing machine.
- Add the regular bleach to the bleach dispenser with an amount of ½ cup of it. If the dispenser lets you, then fill it to the max-fill line of the unit.
- Start the cleaning cycle of the unit with an extra rinse cycle and also ensure that there’s no bleach left behind it.
With the steps as prescribed above, you can easily disinfect your washing machine without any kind of problem.
5. Can Vinegar Damage your Washing Machine?
The acetic acid in distilled white vinegar is not going to harm all kinds of washable fabrics that we use in our daily lives. However, it is quite strong to dissolve residues that got left after using detergents and several soaps in the machine. By adding only one-half cup of vinegar to the final rinse, you will get more vibrant colors with much more clarity.