A washing machine is an indispensable assistant for every housewife; life in the modern world is impossible to imagine without this technique. For the washing machine to serve faithfully for many years, it is necessary to properly and timely care for it, regularly clean it from dirt at home.
It’s easier to regularly clean the machine from small impurities than to deal with the result of an unfair attitude to the au pair and use chemistry from the fungus, mold, scale and other unpleasant consequences.
Observe safety precautions when cleaning the washing machine from dirt and when working with detergents.
- Before cleaning, unplug the machine.
- Do not fill the washing machine body with water. Remember, this is an electric appliance, and electricity does not like water.
- Before working with detergents, read their instructions.
- Use gloves to protect hands.
- After cleaning, check and tighten in place what was disconnected.
Let's move on to the main part.
We clean the washing machine from smell and dirt
Armed with a damp cloth, clean the case of dust, small spots and traces of powder. The second step will be cleaning up inaccessible places where you can’t get there with a rag. These are places for joining parts, corners and shallow recesses. Take a small brush or an old toothbrush, soapy water or a non-abrasive detergent, and work on hard to reach places. Then wipe them with a dry cloth.
The most severe contamination is in the powder tray. Cleanliness and a pleasant smell in this place are the key to a good and high-quality washing, so pay special attention to it. The appearance of dirt here is promoted by the use of liquid powders, fabric softeners of dense concentration, sparse cleaning and cleaning of the tray.
If the tray is washed irregularly, black mold may appear, which can greatly harm the human body. To avoid this, rinse the tray with cool water, dry and put in place after each wash.
Now, in detail about how to clean the powder container from small contaminants. For cleaning, you will need an old toothbrush and soap solution.
- Take out the powder container. If you have any difficulties with this, read the instructions for the washing machine, which describes in detail how to remove the tray.
- Lower the tray into the prepared soap solution and brush off the dirt with a toothbrush.
- Rinse off any remaining product and dry the tray.
If the contamination is persistent, bleach or a chlorine-based product will be needed. Dilute the chemistry with water and lower the tray for a few minutes into it, then follow the same procedure as when cleaning light contamination.
Proven folk remedies
To quickly clean the machine from dirt and scale at home, proven folk remedies - citric acid and vinegar - are suitable.
Lemon acid
The amount of citric acid depends on the degree of contamination and the volume of the drum.For a machine with a volume of 1.5-3 kg, one or two 90 grams of a packet of citric acid will be required, if the volume is about 5 kg - five 90 grams of bags, one bag is poured into the powder compartment, and the rest in the drum.
After that, turn on the machine to the washing mode with a water temperature of 90 degrees. After such cleaning, all the dirt accumulated over the years will come out of the drum and hoses.
Video instructions
During cleaning, ensure that no pieces of dirt and scale get stuck in the drain hose. In this case, you will need to clean the hose manually. The procedure is advised to be carried out no more than 1 time per month.
Vinegar
Another way to clean folk remedies is vinegar.
Pour 40-60 ml of acetic acid into the powder compartment and turn on the washing mode at a temperature of 90-95 degrees.
If this type of washing machine cleaning is not credible, use purchased cleaning products. Fortunately, there are plenty of them in stores and the choice is limited only by the budget. Special solutions are sold to combat unpleasant odors, to combat scale and mold.
How to clean the filter and drum
The most important part of a washing machine is the drum. Some models have a nice feature - automatic drum cleaning. But what if there is no such bonus in the machine?
- Pour 100 ml of bleach into the drum and start washing at a temperature of at least 50 degrees. It is also recommended to put a double rinse so that the cleaning is most successful. After the procedure, ventilate and dry the drum.
- In addition to the drum, do not forget to clean the door with glass. For this, both folk remedies (gruel from soda) and purchased cleaners (liquid for cleaning glasses) are suitable.
Filter. It prevents foreign debris, rust from pipes. During prolonged use of the machine, the filter becomes clogged and requires cleaning. In such cases, you can disconnect the hose and connect the pipe to the opposite.
The mesh located at the end of the hose must be carefully removed and washed using a cotton swab to remove contamination.
Video instruction
Do not forget to clean the second filter (drain). It filters the water from the tank, into which garbage can get into the washing process - threads, fabric fibers and much more. You can see where the drain filter is located in the instructions.
There is a lid at the bottom of the machine, a drain pipe is located under it, on which there is a lid with a handle - this is the filter.
Substitute a small container to drain the water, lower the hose into it and open the filter.
Features of cleaning vertical washing machines
Top-loading machines are also cleaned regularly to prevent odors, mold and scale. For this, the tools discussed above are suitable. After each wash, the top-loading machine is wiped and the door is left open so that it dries and ventilates. The rest of the cleaning and maintenance is no different from a horizontal loading device.
Such a useful and irreplaceable housework as a washing machine will last a long time if you take care of it on time and regularly. To do this, bring to your daily planner several simple tasks: wipe dry after each wash, keep the door ajar, clean 1-2 times a month with citric acid or vinegar. Then the machine will last a long time.
