Clean the washing machine - how it works

Even if the washing machine always looks clean, you should clean it regularly. Otherwise it can happen that your laundry stinks and does not get really clean. In our home tip, we tell you what you need to consider.

Clean the washing machine - how it works

Energy is often saved today, which makes sense. The programs with the low temperatures are often or even mostly used for washing - a paradise for bacteria and germs to nest and multiply vigorously. At the latest when you notice a smell in your washing machine, you should do a cleaning. It is advised to do this every month.

• The easiest way to clean the washing machine is with a wash. Simply select a wash program at 95 degrees. The germs are only killed at this temperature. However, if you are using hot laundry, you should only wash your towels or tea towels. Other textiles can easily fade.
• In addition to the hot laundry, special cleaning tabs are recommended. You can get this in every supermarket. This not only removes bacteria, but also lime. The tabs usually also work best at 95 degrees.
• If you don't have anything else at home, you can also use the dishwasher tabs. These work almost exactly the same way.
• If possible, liquid household cleaners should not be used. These could attack the rubber seals on the hoses. However, the cleaner can be easily replaced with apple cider vinegar.
• In addition, washing machines cannot dry out properly if they close them after the wash. This promotes the whereabouts and the multiplication of the bacteria. Therefore, leave the door of the washing machine open after washing and always rub your rubber seal on the edge of the drum dry.
• You should also remove the silt from the fluff filter at least once a month.
• A nice side effect: Proper care and regular cleaning are hygienic measures and help ensure cleanliness. However, this also increases the lifespan of the washing machine.

These home remedies help

• If you rub the rubber seals, you can occasionally use vinegar. If it is an essence, be sure to follow the manufacturer's instructions when diluting. Your seal, but also your airways, could be damaged. The following applies here: too often is harmful.
• Citric acid is also suitable for this procedure. You can also use vinegar or citric acid to wipe the washing machine drum thoroughly. It is important that you let both agents evaporate well.
• Baking soda is an all-purpose product and is also good for cleaning the washing machine. Mix a packet of it with a little water into a creamy paste. Put them in the washing powder compartment or directly in the empty drum. If you let the machine run empty in the cooking wash cycle, your washing machine will be freed of lime and germs will also be killed.
• Soda not only cleans the laundry, but also the machine. You can actually use this home remedy with every wash and thus constantly clean your washing machine. Simply add two tablespoons of soda to the washing powder. If the machine is very dirty, let the machine run empty and only fill soda into the detergent drawer.

Clean washing machine - why at all?

The washing machine does wash your laundry clean, but not itself:

• Get your laundry out of the drum, it looks clean, but there are various germs inside the machine.
• Nowadays, washing is usually only carried out at low temperatures, such as 30 or 40 degrees. This offers bacteria a wonderful environment for growing and multiplying. These germs are not killed by detergents either.
• No washing machine is completely dry at the end of a wash cycle. So there is always some water left in which germs multiply. This water will go back to your laundry the next time you load it.

In the next article we will show how many revolutions make sense in the washing machine. We have put together more tips on the subject of "cleaning the washing machine" here.