Washing your washing machine

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Ahorsesoul

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Oh this is a good one. This should be our Nov thing to clean. lol

I use vinegar as my fabric softener so I never have any icky build up. I do have my washer's manual out. There are two filters in my front loading machine that need to be cleaned so it's on my list.

When I had a top loader I was always amazed at how dirty under the tub was when the repairman would come in to do the maintenance. The first time he came he pulled out a pot holder that was under there. Guess what, it wasn't mine. So Sears had sold me a used washer.
 
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AnnieClaus

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Every now and again I do an empty load with just bleach and I use the hot water setting.

Annie
 

FrostyShimmer

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Lana, I do the same thing.

Off topic, but I put vinegar through my coffee maker once a month, and it runs through a murky colour. When I was home I decided to show my mother (The Queen of Clean) how much gunk builds up. I put the vinegar through her machine, and it ran through perfectly clear. Sparkling even *Sigh* She just beamed.

(Reminded me of the episode of Everybody Loves Raymond when Debra tries to demonstrate the vacuum cleaner at her mother-in-law's house, and there is no dirt at all.)
 

Ahorsesoul

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What fun stories.

This is a good place for dirty stories. So here goes. I was at PT. Big place suppose to be very modern and the best PT. In comes the water guy to put in one of those big clear 5 gallon plastic water jugs that go upside down in a little square stand. Someone looks inside it when he pulled off the empty one. It was filled with green slime. The guy was just going put in the new jug. I never drink out of those water things now. When people say how good the water tastes I tell my story.
 

luludou

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Diedra,... they do say those waterfountains are very dirty. Mom cleans hers every time she puts a new jug in.
 

HouseElf

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ugh, green slime! Not pretty.

Vinegar is wonderful cleaner. Could write a poem to vinegar! ;)
 

girlsinmo

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Annie I clean mine the same way. Diedra I don't think I will be drinking out of a water cooler when I see one..Yuck! HouseElf I agree vinegar is a good cleaner
 

Cindylouwho

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I'm a vinegar fan also. But haven't tried it on my washer. Here's my washer story:

A few years back we had to replace our washer when our old one finally died. We replaced it with a front loader (love that thing). What I didn't know was that front loaders are susceptible to a moldy odor (gag!) if laundry is left inside too long (24 hours). Old washers, if you blew it and forgot about your laundry then you just ran it again and all was fine. This new washer was completely unforgiving and it permeated future loads. Several days of "science lab experiments" later (different detergents, Bleach, etc....I might have even tried vinegar) it was runnning a load of towels in hot water with a cup of Borax that did the trick. Never a problem since. Manufacturer also told me that the front loaders have such a tight seal that for those of us that do laundry once a week, it is best to leave the door ajar so the machine can dry a couple days. So now I do that and all is fresh and dreamy. :)
 

Ahorsesoul

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I have a front loader too. I do not even like my clothes to sit in the washer overnight. The door is always open if not in use. Drives some of the LCs crazy since they are use to keeping everything closed. lol
 

MrsSoup

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We have a front loader as well and found out the hard way (mold and smell with our old one) to leave the door open and haven't had any problem with our new ones. There is a little door in the front on the bottom corner that contains a hose that you can pull out to drain the washer and I think there's a filter or something too. I haven't done it yet but probably should every few months. That will go on my list of things to do soon! Our washer has a Tub Clean option on it and you can buy a special packet to put in it to clean it but I haven't bought any.

I also run vinegar through my Keurig and then run clear cold water through several times to clean it out.
 

jampss

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Vinegar

I am still doing the vinegar cleaning to my washing machine and dish washer! But, hmmmm ... I will do it with the coffee maker!
 

Ahorsesoul

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I've never ran vinegar in my Keurig. Maybe I should.

I use vinegar in my washer each time I wash. It stays pretty clean. I do not use any fabric softener since I use vinegar.
 

jampss

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Vinegar

I didn't know about vinegar as fabric softener???
 

Winged One

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I use vinegar as a softener a lot of the time - anytime with wools or towels, and a lot of times with any other loads too (although I generally use softener with sheets - I like a lavender softener). It does help keep the machine clean too. I usually use about 20 drops of tea tree oil in with the vinegar as well.

I am not great at remembering to clean the washer, but it's usually ok.

But the filters on the condenser tumble dryer are another matter! The lint filter gets cleaned after each load. But I also need to remember to clean the lower down filter (condensing one) every couple of months, as there is fluff and lint that gets pulled down there and builds up. And the section from the lint filter to the condenser filter can have a build up of tiny fluff that is damp so sets like concrete on the edges and must be scraped off. I use pot scrubbers on the hard stuff and a long skewer to get into the condenser filter to pull out the bits that gather there.

We use vinegar in the coffee machine too. It does help.

And for teapots that have heavy tea staining in them, my Mom had a trick from years ago to put some biological washing powder in it and fill with hot water, leave for a couple of hours and come back to icky water but a gleaming teapot. A colleague in work, who has a tea mug that gets badly stained, uses the breadsoda from the office fridge - a pinch of that and his mug filled with water for a couple of hours works well too. (We keep an old coffee jar lid upturned in the shelf on the door which has a couple of tablespoons of breadsoda in it - as we had a problem with odours a couple of years back - and only realized at Christmas this year why the level had dropped to almost nothing when he admitted his extra use for the soda!! Luckily odours are no longer a problem).
 

Cindylouwho

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Thank you! This is a great thread to bump for January! Have to try this on my dishwasher. And I might have to fill a squirt bottle with it too to put in the mudroom. Vinegar works miracles on cleaning floors also.
 

jampss

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Tips

I usually use about 20 drops of tea tree oil in with the vinegar as well.

But I also need to remember to clean the lower down filter (condensing one) every couple of months, as there is fluff and lint that gets pulled down there and builds up.

A colleague in work, who has a tea mug that gets badly stained, uses the breadsoda from the office fridge - a pinch of that and his mug filled with water for a couple of hours works well too.
:snowman2:
Wow, I will use all of these three tips! Thanks. I'm guessing the "breadsoda" is what I call "baking soda"? A friend gave me this funny mug with an octopus inside!!! But yes, I could see it staining in hard to scrub out places. So, the soda would be the option there for cleaning!

And yes, ... boy do I have to get down deep into my dryer lint trap and then go outside to the vent and put my hand inside and up into it to clean that out every so often! Who knew it could build up so, but IT DOES!!! Don't want no fire!
 
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