When you wash your clothes, you expect them to be clean. However, if you’re using a dirty washing machine, you’re just swishing your clothes around in whatever lurks behind the spin basket. Cleaning your washing machine should be something you do in your seasonal cleaning routine to help ward off mold growth that can harm your and your family’s health. So be sure you’re using these safe DIY washing machine cleaning routine tips to help keep your clothes clean and healthy to wear.
DIY Instructions for Cleaning Your Washing Machine
In your empty washing machine, add 2 cups of baking soda directly into the machine. The baking soda will gently scrub the inside of your washer, naturally removing any mold, bacteria, or old detergent residue that causes stale, moldy odors. Run a large, long hot water cycle (or “tub clean cycle” if your machine has that option), and leave it be.
Next, add in 2 cups of plain white vinegar and 10 drops of your choice of an essential oil or essential oil blend, like tea tree, Purify, lemongrass, or lavender (my personal favorite is blending lavender with lemongrass). Any of these oils will help with removing mildew and mineral deposits and will purify the inside of your machine. Run your washer on another cycle using the longest, hottest, largest load setting you can. The vinegar with oils will continue to help break down any deposits, further remove moldy smells, and react to any residual baking soda left from the last cycle.
Once both cycles are complete, wipe down the drum (and agitator if you have one) using a cotton cloth sprayed with white vinegar. If you have any stains, try rubbing them with a soft sponge or cloth dabbed in a paste of baking soda, lemon essential oil, and water.
Front-load washers have a rubber seal reaching along the edge of the machine that traps mildew, dog fur, dirt, and anything else possible. Dip a cotton cloth into plain white vinegar or diluted natural cleaner mixed with 10 drops of the essential oil of your choice, and wipe it down.
Be sure to check the exterior parts of the machine, including your machine’s detergent dispensers, all cracks and crevices, and the door frame. Even if they all look fine, it’s beneficial to wipe them down.
Clean the inside and outside of the door with a cotton cloth and a solution of vinegar diluted with water, and essential oils.
Scrub grimy areas where necessary with a cleaning toothbrush, and wipe everything clean with a cotton cloth. For extra scrubbing power, mix together a cap full of Thieves Cleaner, a cup of baking soda, and just enough water to make a paste. If you don’t have a natural cleaner, you can also use 10 drops of Immune Essential Oil Blend (recipe here) or lemon essential oil.
If your washer dispensing trays are removable, you may soak them in vinegar or your favorite nontoxic cleaner (like this one or this one), and then wipe them clean.
Please keep in mind… If you’re cleaning out a used machine with gunk stuck in from conventional detergents (like Tide or Gain) or fabric softeners, you may need to go through this cycle a few times.
Tips for maintaining your clean washing machine:
- Leave the washer’s door slightly open when it’s not in use. This will keep the air inside from getting stale or too humid, which encourages mold growth.
- Don’t use too much detergent. Many people use way more than necessary, especially when using concentrated detergents. If you regularly use too much, it may cling to the walls of your machine and cause germs and funky odors.
- Use a natural detergent. Synthetic detergents are the most common ones to find, but they’re also guilty of inflicting health issues on the people who use them. Naturally-made detergents (like these) are far more gentle when it comes to the ingredients used, which makes them less likely to stick to your clothes or to the walls of your machine.
- Remember to clean it before it gets gross.
A Note From Nicole
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Nicole
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Nicole is a military-trained research analyst, homeschooling mom, healthy lifestyle coach, flexible business consultant, and writer for MotherhoodTruth.com and GracefullyAbundant.com. After living through and overcoming a season of homelessness and chronic health, Nicole developed a passion for helping others develop healthier habits using functional nutrition, herbalism, and renewing faith.
