Washing the Washer

My washing machine is not from this century. It was old and dingy when we moved in and I was a little hesitant to use it at first because it was pretty gross. But Ive learned some tricks to clean it since then.

My washer gets  used a ton! Between having a baby, and a husband who likes to change clothes at least three times a day, not to mention having to wash dirty, diesel soaked rig clothes.

Oh yeah... And my cats think its great because they can sit on top and look out the windows. Its also covered in cat hair :(

See? Gross!

So it needs cleaned regularly (OK it really only gets cleaned once in a while)

First off, I clean everything with white vinegar. Its great at killing mold, dissolving hard water build up, and getting rid of funky smells.

Fill washer with hot water and add a cup of white vinegar. I add a few drops of dawn to get rid of built up oil from rig clothes but this is completely optional.



I also took a bit of vinegar to scrub the sides. They get really gross for some mysterious reason. (my husband blames the cats) I think that white vinegar is the only thing Ive found that removes  these yucky little spots.

I then cleaned outside the lid where detergent gets spilled.

I use a spray bottle with a few drops of dawn and water as a multipurpose cleaner. Its the only thing that cuts grime, and grease that won't make you light-headed with fumes and you can prepare food on it.

I used this mixture to clean the outside again. It helps to get the spots the vinegar missed.



Then tada! Clean washer! Its not perfect, but pretty dang good for my washer being 25+ years old!