Written by Jennifer Sill

Before you judge, I am not a dirty, hoarder type of person. There just seems to be one or two things in my house I avoid. Cleaning my cleaning machines happens to be something I put off. I mean seriously put off. Now I have put it off too long.

 

Here’s what it took to clean.

1. The Inside of the machine

Tide Washing Machine Cleaner.

**I ran this through on the hot/hot cycle twice. It seemed to take care of any ‘smell’ or issues on the INSIDE of the machine.

2. The ‘Slider’

Soaking in bleach water.

**I took apart the ‘slider’ in my machine and soaked it in bleach water for 10 minutes. Then I rinsed it in my sink. No worries. No elbow grease. All gross stuff gone.

 

3. The dreaded ring.

A. The first advice was to run the Tide stuff a few times. It didn’t touch the ring.

B. The second advice was to use bleach water. It should be noted that this method uses bleach, elbow grease and time. But it works. Sort of…

**Mix 1 cup bleach water with a gallon (or stew pot) of warm water

**Use a white cloth to scrub the black mold.

**Also use a small sponge.

**Scrub — A LOT

**Use some Spray Bleach. Let soak for at least 30 minutes.
**Scrub — A LOT

**Leave the Spray Bleach on ALL NIGHT.

**Better. Still not perfect.

 

Before

SO, Any suggestions? Keep soaking??

It IS much better than it was….

 

Here’s another “Before” and “After”

Before
After

 

But there is still stuff that needs power washing. (Of course I can’t do that…)  I need more suggestions!

 

————————————————————————————————————————————-

Look at this.


 

Seriously. Gross.

I’ve had my front-loading washing machine for 4 years. I haven’t done the up keep (obviously)

 

So now I need H.E.L.P.

 

I asked for advice on FB and you guys have already started giving me some great tips. Below I’ve listed a few. (Please, try along with me! Some of these tips are awesome!!)

 

I’m going to try them, take some pictures and report back.

 

Here are a couple pieces of advice I’ve gotten already:

 

Jamie E. ” Tide has Energy Efficient cleaning tabs that work wonders, the cheaper brand works just fine too!”

Tonya B. “My mom always told me to leave the washer open on so it will dry out faster and prevents buildup of mold and mildew. Mold likes warm, moist areas.”

Brooke N. “I use a cycle of bleach, it cheaper and cleans great! I have a sanitize setting on mine, if you don’t you should have a clean mode.”

Lynn D. ” I googled the topic last month…. one chemical free alternative is to once a week clean the barrel by adding 1 cup vinegar and 1 cup baking soda run regular cycle hot water. also recommend leaving door open between use, and wipe down the rubber with vinegar to get rid of the mildew in the lining of the opening.”

Maria M. sent me to a website with this advice:

  1. Begin by filling the washing machine with hot water on the largest load setting. Make sure there is no laundry in the washer.
  2. Add 2 cups of vinegar to the water to get rid of odor problems. (Most HE washers should have a “clean cycle” on it and you can add vinegar or bleach on that setting). 
  3. Allow the washing machine to run through a complete wash and rinse cycle.
  4. Fill the washer a second time with hot water, also on the largest load setting.
  5. Add 2 cups of bleach to the water to help with stain removal.
  6. Again, allow the machine to run through a complete wash and rinse cycle.
  7. If all of the stains are removed, run an additional cycle without adding anything to the water. This will thoroughly rinse away any remaining residue.
  8. Remove the bleach dispenser and fabric softener dispenser and soak them in a bucket of warm water. When they have soaked long enough, remove them from the water, lay them on a towel, and spray them with an all-purpose spray cleaner. Wipe away any dirt with the towel.
  9. Dry the dispensers and return them to their original places in the machine.
  10. Finally, inspect the rubber door seal for mold and mildew. Pull back the seal to examine the hidden crevices. Mix 1 cup of liquid chlorine bleach with 1 gallon of warm water. Moisten a clean white cloth with the bleach water solution, then wipe down the seal to remove any mold and mildew. Allow the solution to remain on the seal for five minutes, then wipe down the door seal with a clean, dry white cloth.

 

 

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Jen Sill

For nearly 15 years Jennifer spent her time clawing her way up the chain as a television producer and newsroom manager. She's helped create and produce newscasts and talkshows. Just as she was realizing some of her professional goals, she decided to give it all up for a family. Although Jennifer has lived in Miami and L.A., she has always called Nebraska home. She always knew she wanted to raise her children in the Midwest. Jennifer is now trying to find her way in a new world. She may be frenzied and frazzled sometimes, but she would not give up being a mom to her almost four year old and her almost two year old for anything.

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