Your washing machine removes grime and odours from clothes, but you don’t always consider what to do in order to keep it clean. It’s common to sometimes get a musty odour from the drum, so to ensure your washer is operating properly it’s recommended that you clean it regularly.
Run A Hot Wash
The majority of people across the United Kingdom wash clothes at 40°C, this is both more environmentally friendly and saves money. However, this isn’t quite warm enough to ensure that you are getting rid of all of the mould and bacteria in the machine. To offset this, you can spin the machine on a high temperature without any clothes, preferably once every couple of months to clean the drum.
Clean The Seal
An easy place for bacteria to settle and grow is around the door. The rubber seal around the hole may need a scrub after washing, and this will help to prevent any build-up. If dirt and mould has festered then replacing the door seal might be the only option to solve this problem. Cleaning the washing machine soap tray and seal is part of our thorough end of tenancy cleaning service.
Leave The Door Open Between Washes
Following a wash, you need to allow the interior of the drum to dry out completely. This will reduce the possibility of mould. Whilst doing this you can also leave the detergent drawer open for the same purpose. While this might seem obvious, most people don’t do this!
Clean The Detergent Drawer
As well as the drum, you need to take care of the drawer. From encrusted washing powder to germs to mould, it’s amazing how quickly this little area can get dirty. A particular concern when you consider this is where you put the cleaner! To attack this, remove the drawer and start on it with a toothbrush and ordinary domestic cleaner to get it sparkling.
Check The Filter
The debris filter stops things like lint, stray tissues, coins and other dirt, so it obviously is a place where there can be an issue with germs. Being a warm and humid spot, it is a place where bacteria can breed and smells emanate. All you need to do in this case is empty it regularly to get rid of any dirt and fluff that has found its way there.
Talking about taking the chore out of washing clothes, technology continues to advance and the latest prototype Panasonic washing machine has robot arms that fold clean clothes. This would take the pain out of washing.