Steps for Cleaning Your Top Load Washing Machine

Washing machines need to be cleaned every once in a while to keep their cleaning capabilities up to par, and keep the mildew smells at bay. Not too many people know how to go about cleaning one, so this should be somewhat of a guide. This is only for top loading machines. Most front loaders have a self clean capability. The exterior of course will be the same for both. There is not much to cleaning the exterior. Using a soft cleaning cloth and gentle all purpose cleaner should work just fine. You may also want to use an attachment from your vacuum cleaner to clean under and behind the machine. The dust and dirt back there can actually pose a fire hazard!

To clean the interior:

-Use the same cloth and spray you used on the exterior to clean inside the lid and around the edges.

-Run the empty washing machine on a cycle with hot water and two cups of vinegar. Lemon juice works as well. This should loosen up the soap and hard water residue in the tub, and aid in odor removal.

-Run again with an empty load and hot water but use two cups of bleach this time. (This will help with any stains)

-Run the machine again without adding anything just to rinse it out.

-Take out the fabric softener dispenser and soak in hot water to loosen the residue. Clean with spray cleaner and cloth, and then return to machine.

This should work for most cleaning jobs. If you have any tough stains or rust you need to remove try checking a hardware store for cleaning products that are specially formulated to combat these problems.