New & Improved Laundry, Part I

What gets dirtier and dirtier, the more it cleans?

A washing machine.

It seems like an oxymoron, but it's true. My washing machine, for example, is a scandal, and I, for one, want nothing more to do with it. Unfortunately, I can't afford to send everything out to a dry cleaner (and wouldn't, even if I could - I'm a little uncomfortable with strangers folding my family's unmentionables).

So I'm stuck with our filthy washing machine.

But she's filthy no longer! Yea, verily, I say unto you, "I've cleaned that baby, and she shore do shine!"

Here's what you do for a top-loader:

1. Set the washer to its hottest water setting, longest cycle, largest load, and strongest agitation. As the machine is filling up with the water, add a quart of bleach. 
2. While you're standing there, waiting for the washer to fill, take a cloth or small dish towel and dip it into your hot water. Slosh water into the areas that surround the washer's opening. Take apart the bits where you add fabric softener and bleach and drop them into the hot water. Just keep dipping and sloshing (and scrubbing a bit) until all the grime is removed.
3. By the time you've done this, the bits you dropped into the washer will be clean and floating in the water, so just pull 'em out and reattach them. You can stop the fill process if you're worried about the machine starting to agitate while you're replacing the fabric softener dispenser.
4. Once the machine is filled and starts to agitate, let it do so for one minute, and then open the door to stop it. Let it sit like this for an hour.
5. While it's sitting there, you can continue to clean the outside of your machine with the hot water and the soap of your choice. Don't forget to remove the knobs. I also found a Magic Eraser to be very effective in removing some of the stains from the machine's interior lip.  
6. After an hour is up, shut the door, and let the machine do its full cycle.
7. Immediately upon finishing, repeat Step #1 - except this time substitute a quart of distilled white vinegar for the bleach.
8. Repeat Step #4. 

That's it! You've finished!  

Now it's my understanding that there are some other, more intensive things one can do that involve opening up the back of the machine and getting into its bowels. I'm not quite brave enough to go there yet. But when I do, I'll let you know what happened.

Thanks for stopping and have a blessed day!

Deborah

Comments

[Judy Jung]

That's the kind of household chore that results in great satisfaction! I use a lot of vinegar when I clean .. if I clean. Thanks for the tutorial!

[Ruby C]

I was just noticing my washer could use a little attention. Thanks for sharing this info.