Using bicarb to clean the washing machine

cornishchick89

Hi, I'm new so really sorry if this is in the wrong place or has been asked before!

I need to clean our washing machine and my friend mentioned using bicarb or white vinegar to do it but wasn't sure how much to used / where to put it etc.

Has anyone got any tips?! (you will have to be specific about where to put it, how to mix it up as I have no idea!!)

I only have bicarb and no white vinegar as I couldn't find any white vinegar in the shop (small cornish village shop I rarely go to the supermarket and so will not be making a trip to buy vinegar!).

Thanks

Avoriaz

Would a very hot wash with normal detergent and no clothes not be enough?

Jonee

If you live in Cornwall...your water is very soft and wouldn`t imagine your machine can be that dirty but if you need to clean it then put soda crystals in an empty tub (about an egg cup should suffice) on a boil wash or the hottest wash your machine does. I used to love going to Cornwall for holidays as I took as much washing as I could, whites definitely whiter and softer too.....

Horseunderwater

Yes use Soda crystals - green packet in washing section of supermarket approx 90p for 1kg bag. Pharmacy may also stock it.
I use it in all heavy soiled washes as a pre wash softener (hottest no 1 prog) - it helps get the awful dirt out of OH work clothes. To get rid of any mould on door seal, you will need to use a combi of neat liquid deterg cheapest will do/mixed with soda crystals and some warm water then get a scouring sponge and use the rough side to get rid of. Takes a little elbow grease if you have left it a while, but done once a month or so will keep on top of it much better. Also Malt vinegar works just as well as white, it is cheaper and does not stain. It can be used as a rinse aid in both dish washer and as a conditioner in washing machine. No clothes do not smell. Has the added bonus of helping keep any limescale at bay as well. Spraying it on an oven door will soften up baked on fats/food, then use a paint trimming window scraper to remove the softened deposits. No harsh expensive dangerous products and cheap as chips too. Have cleaned floors with it and a mop/bucket. Cleaned loo seats and tiles etc with it and working surfaces. It will also clean around the door edges of the dishwasher. Drain does not clogg up any more either!

Jaynne

Horseunderwater wrote: »

No harsh expensive dangerous products and cheap as chips too.

and can be used on your chips!

We use bicarb plus some oxy clean on a boil wash every month or so but I'm sure the above is as good or better. One thing we have found though is in our new house the washing machine got far more mould than anywhere else we've lived. Switching to using a whites powder like Daz for the whites and a bit of bicarb every now and then keeps the washing machine much cleaner vs using a multi purpose liquid all the time. We rarely have to do the boil wash on its own now.

cattie

I always substitute brown vinegar when I have no white and it works just as well. It just takes a little while for the smell to dissipate, generally 30-60mins.

Obukit

*washing machine engineer hat on*

The best thing to use to clean a washing machine is powder or tablet detergent on the hottest wash possible. What causes a washing machine to become dirty and smelly inside is a build up of slime caused by bacteria on the outer tub. It's caused because at a low temperature wash it's moist and warm allowing them to breed.

Washing powder (not the eco stuff) contains oxygen-based bleach which kills off the bacteria. Soda crystals might shift the slime at the bottom of the tub but modern washing machines use very little water so it won't clean the bearing seal and spider properly.

Hot wash - powder detegent - every six weeks. I reckon it adds 50% again to the life of a washing machine.