As an alternative to a formulated washer tub cleaning product like Affresh, you can use a DIY washing machine cleaner to clean and sanitize the inside of the tub with a combination of white vinegar and baking soda, or liquid chlorine bleach (be aware that vinegar and bleach should never be used together).
Here are some options: White vinegar and baking soda: A mixture of white vinegar and baking soda is a popular and effective alternative to Affresh. Simply add 1 cup of white vinegar to the detergent dispenser or directly into the drum, and then add 1/2 cup of baking soda.
Pour 2 cups of vinegar into the detergent dispenser, filling all the sections. Then, select the largest load and hottest water setting and run a complete cycle. Pour 1 cup of baking soda into the washer drum and run a second cycle set to the largest load and hottest water setting.
Set your washing machine to the highest and hottest water setting. Add in four cups of white vinegar, and start a cycle. Once the washing machine is filled up and barely started, pause it and allow the water and white vinegar to soak the drum for an hour.
White wine vinegar, in particular, is great for dispelling odours. You can either add some to the drum and run an empty cycle or spray it onto a cloth to wipe down the interior and exterior of your machine. Bicarbonate of soda, or baking soda, is also a great household item for cleaning and removing smells.
Run the machine on the hottest setting: Without adding any clothes to the washing machine, pour in four cups of distilled white vinegar and run the machine on its hottest setting.
Vinegar and baking soda make a great cleaner for washing machines because they remove hard water deposits as well as dirt and grime.
Use a combination of white vinegar and baking soda to naturally clean your washing machine; pour half a cup of baking soda into the drum followed by two cups of vinegar in the detergent dispenser, then run a hot wash cycle. For stubborn grime and odors, consider commercial washing machine cleaners.
If you don't have affresh® tablets you may be able to use liquid chlorine bleach, but check your use and care guide first. Close the door and select your washer's cleaning cycle or a normal cycle with hot water setting.
Although every formula is different, the main active ingredients in affresh® tablets are sodium carbonate (washing soda) and sodium percarbonate (oxygen-based bleach). These septic-safe ingredients cut through grime, remove residues that cause odors, and rinse away as oxygen and water.
You can't go wrong with vinegar and baking soda - it's probably the most popular alternative to Affresh, and for good reason. Here's what you do: grab a cup of baking soda and two cups of white vinegar, then put them right in your washing machine's drum. Run it on hot water, and these two ingredients will get to work.
Use Laundry Borax or Baking Soda
Place the dry product directly in the washer drum before adding detergent, soiled clothes, and water. If you have no detergent at all, use 1 cup of borax or baking soda for a normal load.
Step 3: Run a Clean Washer cycle
Place washing machine cleaner into your washer according to the package instructions, then select a Clean Washer cycle on the washer's control panel. Let the cycle run until it is complete. If you are out of affresh® washing machine cleaner, you can use liquid chlorine bleach.
As an alternative to a formulated washer tub cleaning product like Affresh, you can use a DIY washing machine cleaner to clean and sanitize the inside of the tub with a combination of white vinegar and baking soda, or liquid chlorine bleach (be aware that vinegar and bleach should never be used together).
It's time to clean your coffee maker, but you're all out of descaling tablets. If you need your coffee now, an at home remedy is as simple as using white vinegar and water to clean your coffee maker.
Try Borax Powder as an Affresh Replacement
At about $5 for a 65 ounce box, Borax powder is also much cheaper than the Affresh tabs. Bonus - it is an excellent laundry booster to add to a load of whites or a particularly stinky batch. Toss in 1/3 cup of borax powder and hit the clean cycle. That's it.
You can run the washer without any Affresh inside, and when it's down, the washer will think you ran an Afresh cycle and it'll reset back to normal. The other option is to start the cycle and then press and hold the start button for 3 seconds. That should cancel and reset the cycle.
For a homemade option, you can try cleaning your washing machine with vinegar. Just pour two cups of distilled vinegar into your detergent drawer. You can also use soda crystals (or baking soda) to clean your washing machine. Sprinkle half a cup into your drum and then let your washing machine run on a hot setting.
If you don't have affresh® tablets, you may be able to use liquid chlorine bleach. Check your owner's manual as bleach should not be used in certain front load models. Close the door and select your washer's cleaning cycle.
White vinegar is an excellent natural cleaner that can help remove odours and clean your washing machine's drum. Simply add a cup of white vinegar to an empty cycle and run your machine on the hottest setting. This will help to kill any bacteria that may have accumulated in the appliance.
Professionals use a gas-powered pressure washer, a surface cleaner attachment, and a careful selection of specialized nozzle tips, surfactants, bleaches, degreasers, and oxalic acid for pressure washing.
The results will be exactly the same, however white vinegar is most definitely the more environmentally friendly option (and it's more affordable too). Just remember to never mix both bleach and vinegar together or even use them at the same time, as this can cause a dangerous reaction and release chlorine gas.
Mixing vinegar and baking soda causes an immediate chemical reaction. This reaction forms water, sodium acetate (a salt) and carbon dioxide – the fizzy part. The amount of carbon dioxide gas that is produced from baking soda is remarkable – one tablespoon (around 18 grams) can release over five litres of gas!
"Vinegar softens clothes by breaking down excess detergent that makes clothes feel stiff," says Patric Richardson of The Laundry Evangelist. Never mix vinegar with bleach or chlorine bleach, as the combination is highly toxic.