Get Wise to Washing Machine Wisdom

“Why does the laundry stink?” is a thought that your household laundry-doer has at some point in time. The long and short of it is that sour, musty odor is bacteria, mold, and mildew.

Think about it: the washing machine is a breeding ground for germs — it’s in charge of cleaning kitchen rags to bath mats to sweaty workout clothes — and if it’s working hard all the time, there’s bound to be detergent build-up, softener residue, soap scum, and fiber residues backing up the drain.

So, keeping your laundry its freshest and cleanest comes down to two things:

1. Cleaning and sanitizing the inside of your washing machine as well as running your machine with distilled white vinegar to disinfect

2. Everyday laundry-doing-decorum.

What is the best way to clean the inside of my washing machine? We affectionately call it The Vinegar Cleanse.

First, add distilled white vinegar to a spray bottle and spritz the inside of the drum. Wipe, with some elbow grease, all around with a microfiber cloth and then do the same in the nooks and crannies of the rubber gaskets (the seals around the door). You’ll probably come across some gunk, lint, and hair… toss it.

Next, pour 2 measuring cup-fulls of distilled white vinegar in your detergent drawer. Run your washer empty through a normal cycle, with a hot water setting. Then, REPEAT immediately after. Except this time, add 1/2 cup of baking soda into the drum. Shout out to Rolando of Orange Appliance Repair for this extremely effective step to stink-free laundry freshness.

We recommend The Vinegar Cleanse as maintenance every 2-3 months.

Laundering Decorum Do’s and Don’ts

Do: Use a powerful detergent.

Do: Use less detergent! If you use too much detergent to wash your clothes, it makes it nearly impossible for the machine to rinse it out completely. This leads to detergent residue build up which attracts dirt and bacteria which ends with stanky laundry!
*For HE (High-Efficiency) machines, fill cap to Line 1
*For regular machines or large loads, fill cap to Line 2

Do: Wash wet or sweaty items straight away: This goes for damp towels, bath mats, kitchen rags, workout clothes and the 4th outfit your baby just spit up on today.

Don’t: Overload the machine: This is a big one and we’ve all been repeat offenders. Let your machine do its job properly by giving your clothes the space to get clean.

Don’t: Leave clean, WET laundry in the machine for too long before getting it into the dryer. Remember, your washing machine is a humid, WET environment which is the perfect condition for bacterial growth.

You got this, laundry-doer… fresh and ambrosial smelling laundry is just a few steps away. Laundry day just got a whole lot squeakier.