How Often Should You Clean a Washing Machine

“How often should I clean my washing machine?” is not a question we ask ourselves very often, is it? It is extremely important, however, that you clean your washer regularly. The experts recommend that we do this at least once a month to keep our appliance in good shape.

How often should you clean your washing machine?

Cleaning your washing machine on a regular basis would help its overall cleanliness and functionality. This could very well increase its life. Dirt from your clothes, soap residue, laundry detergent, fabric softener, minerals from the water, and other different types of debris can all build up to create issues with your appliance.

They can vary from small things, such as your laundry not smelling as fresh after it has been washed, to more serious problems, such as your washing machine becoming an incubator for germs and bacteria, dirt and mould accumulating inside the rubber gasket, or even impact on the proper functionality of the appliance. One such problem is when your washing machine door won’t open.

This is why, as the washing machine engineers recommend, we should clean our appliances at least once a month. Doing so is relatively quick and easy. We’ll review the general cleaning process in more detail below.

How to keep your washing machine clean

It’s possible that your washing machine has a self-cleaning function. If this is the case, you can run this program and then clean the interior of the washer as per the manufacturer’s instructions. Obviously, don’t forget to clean the exterior as well for a finished look.

If your appliance doesn’t have a self-cleaning function, then there are a few steps you should follow in order to clean it:

1. Clean the rubber seal – It’s crucial that you do not forget to clean the rubber seal of your washing machine. Give it a good wipe and then dry it properly in order to avoid mould and mildew build-up.
2. Clean the drain filter – locate the drain filter, which is most probably located behind a small door near the bottom. Clean it well and put it back in its original place. 
3. Clean the interior of the washing machine – You can very easily do that by putting DIY or ready-to-use cleaning detergent inside the washing machine (NB: not inside the dispenser) and then run it empty at the hottest cycle possible. Make sure to select the proper cleaning product for your washing machine and follow the instructions when using it. If you have decided to go with the DIY option, you can use two cups of vinegar and pour them into the drum.
4. Clean the dispenser – this is something that could very easily be missed. Make sure to clean it as well in order to get rid of any cleaning detergent residue.
5. Wipe the washing machine’s exterior – clean the outside of the washer to complete the process.

Now that you have cleaned your washing machine top to bottom, we recommend that you follow two simple steps in order to keep it in a good condition until the next big clean:

Need help?

In order to keep your washing machine in good condition, you should give it a nice clean once a month. If you don’t have the time or simply do not want to do this task yourself, you can always hire the Fantastic Services’ professionals to do it for you.

They’ll happily take this off your shoulders, so you can go and enjoy your free time doing something fun with your friends and family.

Takeaways

Cleaning your washing machine is fast and simple. There are a few main things you should cover:

• Rubber gasket
• Interior of the washing machine
• Washing machine filter
• Cleaning detergent dispenser
• Washing machine exterior

If you wish to keep your washing machine clean and in good working order for longer, you should leave the door open following each cycle and clean its main parts – rubber gasket, drum and door after every use. If you are doing all of this and there are still issues with your washer, then maybe it’s time to consider replacing it with a new one. 

Image source: Shutterstock / New Africa