Hi there Somewhat Simple readers! I am so excited to be here with you today. I am Anna of Ask Anna, I’m a new contributor to Somewhat Simple, and I’m excited to start sharing cleaning and organizing tips with you ever month. Today, I’m going to share one of my most popular posts, and one of Stephanie’s favorites: How to Clean your Washing Machine. So here we go…
When I first wrote this post back in February my washing machine was in desperate need of a good cleaning, just look at this picture, ewww!
Step 1: Fill the washing machine up and pour in 2 cups of white vinegar. Let it set for 1 hour.
Step 2: Start the washing machine over again and let it run through a complete cycle.
When the machine drains if it still has grime on it use a sponge and scrub it down really well. Add straight white vinegar to the sponge for the best results.
Look at how much better that is!
Step 3: Fill washing machine up again and pour in 2 cups of bleach. Let it soak for 1 hour.
While it is soaking use Q-Tips to detail all the nooks and crannies. My washer hadn’t been cleaned since my dad bought it 15+ years ago so it needed a good detailing! Don’t forget to clean the knobs and the lid too.
Step 4: Restart the washing machine and let it run through a complete cycle.
Once the cycle has finished you are done; your washing machine will be clean and shiny!
If you have a front-loading machine, don’t worry, you can use these same steps to clean your washing machine but with a few modifications. Instead of putting the vinegar and bleach (at separate times!) directly in the tub and then letting them soak for an hour {steps 1 & 3}, you will put each ingredient {at the appropriate step} in the detergent dispenser and run the machine through a complete cycle.
I think the pictures speak for themselves, isn’t the transformation amazing!? I definitely won’t be waiting another 15+ years to do this again. I recommend cleaning your washing machine at least once a year, it’s a great task to add to your Spring Cleaning list!
*This post needs some clarification as there are TONS of comments about the dangers of mixing vinegar and bleach. Yes, mixing the two of these causes toxic fumes, but read this tutorial again and see that you are not mixing these two liquids together. Vinegar is used in one step and a washing cycle is run and then beach is used in the next step. No lungs will be harmed in this process! 
About Todays Post
I have alot of red dirt around our area. We have a well, so the red color from the clay comes through our pipes in the water. The showers, totlets, washer, and sinks. So far to clean up I use LimeAway Shower, it’s the only thing that I have found to really clean. Any suggestions, I hate not having White Clothes, they have a brownish tint to them. Thank you
Hi, I love your website and it has some great tips on here! I just wanted to add a link on here because I am concerned about the bleach and vinegar being used so close together. http://chemistry.about.com/b/2012/02/01/why-people-mix-bleach-and-vinegar.htm
Please don’t use bleach and vinegar together! It is very toxic.
Instead of bleach, try using two cups of hydrogen peroxide or powdered oxygen bleach. Much safer for the environment and you! Plus it can be used with vinegar without the toxic side effects. I do this about once every four months and it works great.
Will bleach do the work? instead of using vinigar…
When you fill up the machine, should you use cold or hot water? Thanks!!
simple… pour One bottle of Toilet Bowl cleaner into machine , fill with water, run WASH cycle for 5 minutes, then switch OFF for One to Two hours to soak, then restart WASH cycle and run till completion…..Your done, and Your machine is CLEAN
I also learned to take the lint filter from the dryer, using a toothbrush or scrub brush with a tad of detergent to scrub off the film that lint filters, bounce, etc. leave on it. Takes less time per drying cycle now!
What if you have a front loader washer?
Thanks for the post, unfortunately the people that have a front loading washing machine need to use other methods to clean effectively. found that the below mold removal methods have worked for my front loader, I hope it helps all of you too.
Fill a dishpan with one liter of hot water, 1/2 cup baking soda and 1/2 cup vinegar. Remove any parts that are meant to come off like the detergent drawer or fabric softener dispenser. Soak them in the dishpan for 10 minutes before scrubbing them and rinsing them under a stream of cold water.
Mix another batch of cleanser in the dishpan with one liter of hot water, 1/2 cup baking soda and 1/2 cup vinegar. Dip a scrub brush in the solution and use it to scrub the area in around the fabric softener and detergent dispensers. Scrub the entire interior of the washing machine and door.
Fill a spray bottle with the cleansing solution and use it to spray hard to reach areas of the washing machine. Let the cleanser sit on the washing machine before rinsing it off with a second spray bottle of clean water.
Put undiluted bleach in a empty spray bottle and use that to spray any areas that still aren’t mold free, or clean. Allow the bleach to sit for a few minutes before scrubbing it and rinsing it away with water.
Put the detergent drawer and fabric softener dispenser back together. Pour two cups of bleach into the basin of the washing machine. Set your washer to the highest heat setting and longest wash cycle. Allow it to run through to complete the cleaning process
This did absolutely nothing for my machine. Still looks like your before pics.
I am having this same problem, after the soak it still looked like the before so i tried the next step of scrubbing with a sponge and Iv destroyed my sponge trying to scrub it off, I am using straight white vinegar.
Great ideas ! We have a septic tank so can’t use bleach as it destroys the good bacteria – I use vinegar and elbow grease. Also service tech showed me how to clean the lint screen using an sos pad to remove crusties from fabric softeners (which I don’t use anymore –there are Natura clothes that you leave in the dryer and they don’t have heavy fragrances and are reusable) be sure to support the lint cleaner if it is curved like mine. Hope this helps !
Today, I went to the beach with my children. I found a sea shell and gave
it to my 4 year old daughter and said “You can hear the ocean if you put this to your ear.” She placed the shell to her ear
and screamed. There was a hermit crab inside and it pinched her ear.
She never wants to go back! LoL I know this is entirely off topic but
I had to tell someone!
If you take two tablespoons of white vinegar mix it in a cup of hot water, then pour it into the seashell and let it soak for five minutes, then rinse the vinegar hot water solution off with bleach, that should eliminate your hermit crab problem.
This method also works for the dishwasher. I put 1 cup of vinegar in my Pyrex measuring cup and run a cycle then run another cycle with 1 cup bleach.