Start with an empty tub. For a front-load washer, put 2 tablespoons of borax or oxygen bleach and 2 tablespoons of washing soda in the tub of the washing machine. For a top-loading machine, put 1/2 cup of each of the powders into the wash tub. Run at the hottest temperature or use the “clean tub” setting on the washer.
All you will need to clean a washing machine is white vinegar (or lemon juice) and bleach. I recommend Heinz® All Natural White Vinegar because, well, it's all natural. It's organic, only lacking in pretension. Seventh Generation has an eco-friendly bleach that will work well for the second ingredient.
``If you have mold or mildew, both vinegar and bleach are effective, but bleach is more effective,'' Gazzo says. ``For removing odors, I would say vinegar.''
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.
After years of contact with soap buildup and dirty clothes, your washing machine will eventually start to smell. You can eliminate this odor using baking soda and vinegar. To do this, run a hot cycle with two cups of distilled white vinegar. After the cycle finishes, run a second cycle with half a cup of baking soda.
Add 4 cups of vinegar and 1 cup of baking soda to the basket and start a long, hot cycle. If possible, pause the cycle for half an hour after the basket has filled. Fill the drum with hot water and add 4 cups of vinegar. Let stand for half an hour, then add 1 cup of baking soda and run a long, hot cycle immediately.
Bayes Washing Machine Cleaner
We like that it's effective for both conventional and HE machines and that it's formulated with eco-friendly ingredients such as natural enzymes and essential oils. As a bonus, all Bayes products are made in the U.S. and are Leaping Bunny Certified (meaning they're cruelty-free).
Bleach can be used inside your washing machine for cleaning it as well as working well as a washing machine disinfectant. The most important thing to remember is that you must run at least one empty cycle after cleaning, to remove all remaining bleach and help prevent bleaching next time you do a load of laundry.
Running your washing machine empty can be particularly beneficial under certain conditions. For instance, if you're transitioning from washing heavy fabrics, like towels, to lighter items, an empty cycle can help prepare the machine and eliminate any residue.
"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.
Starting the washer on its hottest cycle, allow the drum to fill with water, then add one quart of chlorine bleach to the water before allowing the cycle to complete. Repeat the process once the cycle has finished, adding a quart of distilled white vinegar to the washer drum before letting its second cycle complete.
Pour a quart of white vinegar into the wash drum with a cup of baking soda. Use a stiff nylon brush and vinegar to scrub the interior of the wash drum. At the hottest temperature setting, run a wash cycle with this cleaning solution in an empty washer; select the heavy-duty wash cycle if available.
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.
It's generally recommended to clean your washing machine once a month, especially if you want to prevent musty odours from forming inside the drum and keep your clothes smelling great.
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.
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.
As a natural option in place of washing machine cleaner tabs, pour 2 cups of vinegar into your detergent dispenser and run your washer on the hot cycle. When it's done, add a half-cup of baking soda to the drum and run another hot cycle.
White vinegar, also known as distilled vinegar or spirit vinegar, is made by fermenting grain alcohol (ethanol) which then turns into acetic acid. Water is then added to the vinegar, so white vinegar is made of five to ten percent acetic acid and ninety to ninety-five percent water.
Mixing baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) and vinegar (acetic acid) causes a chemical reaction that produces a salt (sodium acetate) and water, as well as carbon dioxide gas. In this demonstration, baking soda is placed in a balloon that is attached to a flask holding vinegar.
Without proper care, this buildup can create a moldy or mildew smell. That grime and buildup in your washer can also get left behind on your clothing and lead to that musty smell. It's hard to get clean clothes from a dirty washer.
Final Verdict. Our top pick for a washing machine cleaner is the Affresh Washing Machine Cleaner. These tablets are easy to use and compatible with all types of washing machines. If you're looking for a tablet to clean all the parts of your washing machine in one cycle, this is the one to try.