Cleaning a washing machine

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My mother is interested in cleaning the washing machine. I don't know why. I think it's fine. It doesn't smell. She had a wash on this morning and she said it was very noisy.

How do you clean a washing machine. Do you guys cleaning your washing machine?
I am anxious that she will start an empty load and put it on a high temperature of 90 degrees for a few hours and I don't think there's any need for that.

I never had much joy with the washing machine cleaners you can buy. I find they can dislodge the dirt and make it smell worse.
I now put about 40ml of bleach in an empty 40 or 60 degree wash, does the job fine.

Also, not to be done at the same time, a dishwasher tablet on 60 degrees will help with limescale.

Mine has a special cleaning programme, but previous ones I’ve just run an empty 90c wash with a cleaning tablet every couple of months. It stops it smelling and going mouldy. It won’t make any difference to funny noises, but I don’t understand why it’s making you anxious.

I think maybe my mother might be going demented. You say you do a 90 degree wash once every few months. She will do it weekly, or several times a week.

I've found the same with the proprietary washing machine cleaners available in supermarkets. I don't bother with them now and usually just put Laundry Cleanser in with most washes, in addition to biological laundry powder.

Dettol can also be used and do produce some disinfectants that can be used in this way (not the Dettol Washing Machine Cleaners, find it with their other disinfectants).

I think the problem with the washing machine cleaners that say you should use them in an empty machine on a high temperature (60⁰ or 90⁰) is that they often dislodge only part of any gunk that is in there, and this causes a pretty awful smell to emanate from the machine afterwards.

So, while I understand where your mother is coming from, I'd advise her to be careful what she wishes for.

The most important thing is to clear out the filter every few months. Mine got blocked by a bra pad and oh, the smell!

Apart from that, yes, just run an empty hot wash every now and then (adding some washing soda, maybe), or use the built-in clean cycle. My machine bleeps at me to do this after a certain number of wash cycles.

Is this your machine or your mothers? I don’t really understand the anxiety to be honest - unless you are the one paying the electricity bill.

To be honest , doing a 60 degree towel wash once a week keeps my machine pretty clean - no smells, no black gunk,- but I think it can be affected by water hardness. A Calgon tablet at 60 or 90 can work wonders.

I use a fabulosa cleaner every few months and wash the drawer and the trap. The tumble dryer is the more important one to keep on top of.