How to clean your Washing Machine

I really believe in looking after the equipment I have in our home. Our currently washing machine is only the second one we have had in our 20 years of being married and it has served me really well.

We put the washer through its places, pretty much daily. What with muddy football kids and the fact that I recently died some white sheets red.

Once a month I clean all our white goods, washing machine, tumble dryer, oven and dishwasher and here I share with you how I keep our washing machine spick and span.

By doing it regularly it takes 10 minutes of active cleaning and the rest of time is automated and you really can not clean anything in a dirty machine!

You can see the red stain on the rubber, which wouldn't rub off with a cloth.

Materials

Bleach

White vinegar

Cloth or rag

Old toothbrush

Add two cups of bleach to the powder drawer.
Run the washer on a hot wash empty. As we use liquid or powders in the machine and run it at 30 degrees there is often a build up of unused product in the machine. This will remove it and make sure that there is removed and that there is no buildup of bacteria and help with stain removal.
Add two cups of white vinegar to the powder drawer.
Run the washer on a 40 degree wash. The vinegar will ensure that you have no odor issues
Remove the powder drawer and soak for 20 minutes in the sink in hot water with one cup of bleach.
Take a cloth and damp it using the water the powder dispenser is soaking in and run around the door seal, ensuring to pull it back to clean all areas.
Take a clean damp cloth and wipe the door area and seal.
Using the bleach solution cloth, wipe inside the machine where the powder dispenser does.
You may need to use a toothbrush to clean the powder drawer.
Once clean, take out and dry it and replace it in the machine.

Where my powder dispenser goes!

My powder dispenser once cleaned

In order to keep your machine smelling clean and fresh it is important to leave the door open in between washes.

My machine after it has been cleaned

Do you have a post that is about thrifty parenting, decorating or lifestyle. One that is about frugal food or crafts and art. or even a post about making the post of what you have, then please do link up. Each week we make sure we pin the post, feature some on our facebook pages and then we each have a round up on a Sunday. Let’s all share that being frugal can be fabulous.

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Please take a look at my fab co hosts and their posts, Cass at Diary of a Frugal Family,Mum in The Mad House and Emma at Mum’s Savvy Savings.

So whilst you are cleaning the washing machine, why not have a go at tinting jars with the kids. They look amazing. Hands on as we grow has a great tutorial.