Cleaning the washing machine with vinegar

Today we can hardly imagine our life without a home assistant - a washing machine. She significantly saves our time and takes care of women's hands, relieving them of the effects of washing powders and laundry rinses, which can dry the skin and cause allergies.

In the process of using the machine, limescale deposits form on its heating element. This is fraught with poor-quality operation of the device and even its failure. To ensure the smooth functioning of the machine, it is necessary to descale it from time to time.

Unfortunately, tap water is characterized by increased hardness, because it contains many different salts. During washing, when the water is heated, these substances settle on the internal parts of the machine. Especially a lot of scale settles on the heating element. As a result, it takes longer and longer to heat up and consumes more and more energy.

In addition, the use of some powders adversely affects the condition of the machine: the presence of a large number of chemicals contributes to the appearance of contaminants inside the device, making it difficult to work.

In addition, if the machine has not been used for a long time and the door is tightly closed in a poorly ventilated room with high humidity, mold may form in it. This not only damages household appliances. Mold spores have a detrimental effect on human health and stain laundry during subsequent washing, leaving stains on it.

Timely cleaning of the device will prevent these unpleasant phenomena.. And using vinegar, you can achieve two goals at the same time. You will be able to get rid of limescale and mold, as mold is afraid of an acidic environment. Also, this product will help get rid of unpleasant odors and other contaminants that appear after prolonged use.

A washing machine is an expensive item and must be handled with care. Therefore, it should be cleaned regularly.

This is easy enough to do at home. Hardware stores offer a variety of tools that can easily get the job done. They come with detailed instructions. But often these tools are expensive, and many people do not even realize that there are very effective tools that are always at hand, and the price of which is low.

Acetic acid is one of them. Any housewife has this product in the house, and you can also buy it at any grocery store for mere pennies. It is not difficult to carry out the procedure, you just need to do it right.

First of all, it is necessary to observe the correct dose of the product. You also need to carefully choose its type: do not use concentrated vinegar essence. It will not perform a more effective cleaning, but it can harm the car. When using a strong concentration of vinegar, rubber parts will suffer, as they will begin to harden and then begin to crumble.

Before carrying out the procedure, remove all things from the machine so as not to spoil them, and pour the product into the drum. Then turn on the machine for the longest high temperature cycle. The higher the temperature, the more effective the vinegar is. Therefore, you do not need a rinse mode - it happens in cool water.

After a while (10-15 minutes), when the water is well heated, the machine should be stopped for a sufficiently long period of time. If you have not run the machine often, wait 1-2 hours. For frequent use or long service life, the time should be increased. This is necessary so that the vinegar penetrates the small parts of the heating element. Then turn on the device again and wait for the end of the cycle.

If the machine has been used for a long time, and you have not cleaned the inside, then the procedure should be repeated. Let the machine rest for 1-2 hours and run the vinegar cycle again.

Run a quick wash or rinse cycle to completely clean the inside of the machine and remove any remaining scale. This will help get rid of the smell that will appear during washing with vinegar.

So, you have cleaned the car of scale that has formed inside. Now you should finish cleaning - wash those places where the vinegar could not get. For example, in the tray in which you pour the powder and pour the fabric softener, dirt also accumulates. It also needs to be cleaned regularly.

Prepare a deep container. Its depth should be sufficient to immerse the tray completely. Pour hot water into a container and add 1.5 cups of vinegar. The water needs to be hot for the vinegar to work better.

Carefully remove the tray from the designated compartment. In products of different brands, the tray can be removed in different ways, so read the instructions for how to do it correctly.

Now lower the tray into the container with the solution and leave for a few hours. Then clean the tray of dirt with a sponge. For hard-to-reach places, use a brush or an old toothbrush.

When you pull out the tray, you will see that there is also a lot of dirt, rust and powder residue in the compartment. Moisten a cloth with vinegar solution and clean the compartment. This is not very easy to do, because it has many different protrusions and recesses. If necessary, other non-abrasive cleaners and a brush can be used. Then wipe the compartment clean with a clean, damp cloth. Now you can insert the tray into it again.

Another necessary action is cleaning the sealing rubber. Under it, not only dust and dirt accumulate. Due to the presence of moisture, mold can form there. It is because of it that an unpleasant smell can appear.

Carefully, to prevent damage, pull the rubber back and use a cloth dampened with vinegar solution to remove the dirt. Do not use high strength vinegar.

The final step is to clean the filter and drain pump. Dust, fine fabric fibers, wool, and sometimes even buttons and coins can accumulate in the filter. The filter is located at the bottom of the machine. It is usually hidden by a panel.

In the instruction manual you will find instructions on how to remove the panel and open the filter. Before unscrewing it, place a low container under the machine to collect the remaining water. Open the filter cover and remove the dirt. After wiping the hole, you can close it and install the panel back.

There are other readily available and inexpensive cleaning products that you can find at home or in nearby stores.

For example, you can clean your washing machine with baking soda. You can use both calcined and ordinary food.

Prepare a "gruel" consisting of one part water and one part baking soda. Treat the drum, tray, tray compartment, sealing rubber with the resulting mixture. Leave the composition on the surfaces for about half an hour. Then they should be rubbed with a sponge or soft cloth and run on a quick wash cycle.

Baking soda is an excellent water softener, so it's a good idea to add it to your laundry as well. Two tablespoons of this product are poured into the tray along with washing powder.In addition to softening hard water, baking soda helps to cope with stubborn stains on cotton underwear.

The washing machine can also be cleaned with citric acid. It is used both as an independent remedy and in combination with soda or acetic acid.

Pour approximately 100-150 grams of the product into the powder tray (you can add a small amount directly to the drum) and turn on the high temperature long wash cycle. Do not forget to remove the laundry from the drum, otherwise the acid will greatly damage it.

So that your assistant serves you for a long time without breakdowns, Some preventive measures must be followed:

• Wipe dry the drum, tray and tray compartment after each start of the machine. Wipe the sealing rubber especially carefully. Carefully pushing away, remove moisture and dirt from under it to avoid the appearance of a musty smell, and later mold.
• After wiping the tray, do not immediately insert it back into the machine to allow air flow to dry the inside of the machine. For the same purpose, after washing, leave the door ajar for several hours.
• Remember to use water softeners and anti-scale agents, especially if you run a high temperature wash cycle.Use high-quality washing powders from reputable manufacturers.
• Do not exceed the required dosage of detergents. To do this, carefully read the instructions, which, as a rule, are contained on the package.
• Descale your machine regularly with vinegar, baking soda, citric acid, or other detergent. Don't forget to clean the filter.
• When putting clothes in the drum, fasten all buttons and turn clothes inside out. Be sure to check your pockets to make sure there are no items left in them that could ruin your clothes or clog your machine.
• Do not wash unnecessarily linen at very high temperatures. It is with them that intensive scale formation occurs on the heating element.

For more information on how to clean a washing machine with vinegar, see the following video.