Share your best tips for keeping your washing machine in tip-top shape with Fairy Non Bio - £300 voucher to be won! NOW CLOSED

[JustineBMumsnet]

Keeping your washing machine in good condition is vital step to having fresh, clean clothes...who knew?! Fairy Non Bio would like you to share all your methods and tips on how you keep your washing machine clean and in tip-top shape.

Here’s what Fairy have to say: “With the amount of washing we all do, we need to keep our faithful machines in tip top condition to keep it running for the long haul. Whether it is running a powder wash or a hot cycle every now and again, we would love to know your tips!”

Perhaps you give everything in the machine a wipe down after every wash? Do you have a schedule for how often you do an empty load? Or maybe you have some home remedies that you turn to that you think work brilliantly?

Whatever your methods are, share them on the thread below and you will be entered into a prize draw where one MNer will win a £300 voucher of their choice (from a list).

Thanks and good luck.

MNHQ

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I don’t do anything to mine. I’m hopelessly undomesticated though.

I leave he door ajar when not using it and on the advice of repair man, use powder detergent rather than liquid.definitely keeps the dispenser drawer cleaner anyway, plus cardboard box seems more environmentally friendly than plastic bottle.

Always leave the detergent drawer and drum open when not in use.

I use a washing machine cleaner every few weeks too.

I frequently use a rescaling and machine cleanser. I clean the drawer in bleach once a week and wipe the inside of the door whenever I clean the work surfaces.

I leave the door open after every wash and make sure I never overload the machine :)

I use a mixture of soda crystals, white vinegar and a little bleach to run the machine on a 90 degree wash once a month to keep the mould and grime at bay ...

Sadly, washing machines nowadays are almost "throwaway" items - thin panelling and flimsy door locks. Probably best to buy the best quality you can afford - and do you really need all those fancy programmes?

thrown in one of those maintenance wash things when I remember (must do one soon) and wipe the seal now and then.

I do a monthly descaler cycle & cross my fingers

I always do a empty hot wash once a month, and leave door ajar when not in use

Check pockets thoroughly, tissues are the devil

i use alot of bicarbonate of soda in my washes and I also dont overload, as it affects the quality of the wash and ruins the machine

Don't overload it,

Using powder and not liquid.

I leave the door and detergent tray open in between washes to dry and air the machine. I also think it helps preserve the rubber seal. I regularly wipe out the inside of the seal to get rid of the grey residual that settles in it.

I currently live in a property where my washing has to be in an outbuilding it's really annoying, and because of this my washing machine doesn't get the love it used to have ... what is great is the washing machine is currently making an awful noise on spin which I can't hear in the house

Leave the door open between washes so that all the remaining moisture evaporates and wipe down the rubber door seal regularly

Every so often I do an empty wash on the longest setting to give it a clean through

I always leave the door open and use calgon. I never knew about cleaning washing machines with vinegar until reading this so that is what I will be doing from now on.

We put cleaning stuff through it every couple of months and regularly take out the detergent drawer as that's the part that seems to get most mucky.

put a cleaner through it occasionally and check it for random fluff and the odd stuck sock that was once pink and it now murky grey! It thrives on its natural state i think

Powder not liquid and definitely none of those liquid tab things!

We have a hot anti bactrial wash which i run every now and then to kill off those damp odours you can get. Also leave the door ajar when not in use to keep it ventilated.

use powder not detergent and every so often do a 'service wash' - empty wash at 90 degrees
and it really does have to be ariel

Fortunately, we no longer live in a hard water area- hooray! No more scale!

I do have to clean the seals quite frequently though- the previous tenants had left the washing machine door shut and when we moved in there was mould blooming which I had to scrub off before we could use it that was a grim task, so I always go mad when I find DP has closed the door between washloads!