Chlorine bleach and white vinegar are common cleaning ingredients proven to deal with mold, mildew, and everyday gunk. White vinegar is highly acidic, so it's an excellent way to kill unwanted slimy accumulation that tends to grow in a wet environment.
"We recommend cleaning your washing machine about once a month or about every 30 cycles to prevent buildup and soils," advises Martinez. "Without cleaning your washing machine, you may experience buildup of detergent or soils that cause clothing to smell," she adds.
Add 1/4 to 1/2 cup of distilled white vinegar to the final rinse cycle of your washing machine.
Using vinegar in the washing machine is fine, so long as you don't overdo it. If you start adding huge amounts of vinegar to your loads every single day, then the seals and hoses on your washing machine will start to perish.
Do you need to rinse after washing with vinegar? If you have used vinegar in your washing machine to clean or to do laundry, then you do not need to run a rinse cycle afterward as a standard laundry cycle runs a plain water cycle towards the end anyway to remove any residue left behind.
She is a writer and fact checker for TripSavvy, as well as a fact-checker for The Spruce. You can use natural, non-commercial, or unconventional laundry products like distilled white vinegar, baking soda, and borax in a high-efficiency (HE) washer.
To use vinegar to disinfect your laundry, try adding 1 cup to the rinse cycle. Not only can it kill germs and bacteria, but it's also a great natural deodorizer.
Using too much vinegar or the wrong type can actually harm the rubber seals in your washer, so it's important to make sure you only use white vinegar and do so in moderation.
The Benefits of Using Vinegar in Laundry
There are many uses for vinegar in laundry, including stain removal, odor elimination, and mold and mildew eradication. Vinegar can also be used as an alternative to commercial fabric softeners.
For best results, add vinegar to the rinse cycle after the detergent has done its job in the wash cycle.
White and distilled are types of vinegar. They differ fundamentally in their acetic acid content. White, also known as spirit vinegar, has 5% to 20% acetic acid. This is generally higher as compared to distilled vinegar's 5%-8%.
The results will be exactly the same, however white vinegar is most definitely the more environmentally option (and it's more affordable too). Just remember to never mix the both bleach and vinegar together or even use them at the same time, as this can cause a dangerous reaction and release chlorine gas.
Clean Your Washing Machine
If you have automatic detergent or fabric softener dispensers, place the distilled white vinegar in the dispensers to dissolve any residue buildup that may limit performance.
Simply add 1/4 cup of white vinegar to the fabric softener dispenser or to a fabric softener ball. The white vinegar will act as a fabric softener AND it will keep your washing machine smelling fresh and clean!
Before going further, we have to warn you: adding vinegar or baking soda to the wash along with your laundry detergent increases the risk of poorer cleaning performance, as detergents are optimized for a specific pH level, which is altered by the presence of these two household additives in the wash.
Pour equal parts of vinegar and Dawn into a spray bottle. Gently shake, then spray liberally onto the surface to be cleaned.
High heat can cause dullness or damage to black clothes, so it is important to dry them on a low heat setting or air dry them. Adding half a cup of white vinegar to the wash cycle can help to set the color and prevent fading.
"Surprisingly enough, the strong scent of vinegar neutralizes odors," Harris explains, "and the vinegar scent fades very quickly, leaving no scent behind." If your machine doesn't have a detergent compartment, you can pour the half-cup of vinegar into your main drum after diluting with a cup of water.
White vinegar also has natural whitening capabilities and is an effective fabric softener. Try adding half a cup at the beginning of the wash cycle. Alternatively, you can soak the sheets and pillowcases in vinegar and warm water prior to placing them in your washing machine.