How To Clean Your Moldy Washing Machine

8/10/2020 (Permalink)

Does your washing machine stink? There may be mold growth in the drain.

Your washing machine is designed to clean your clothes and keep them smelling fresh. What happens when your clothes not only stop smelling fresh out the wash but also take on an odor? If the laundry room in your home in Boca, FL, smells musty and damp, that unpleasant smell is most likely caused by mold.

Simple Steps To Clean Your Machine

Before worrying about replacing the expensive appliance, consider simply cleaning the machine to get rid of the nasty mold smell. With a few basic ingredients found in most homes, you can have your machine smelling better in no time:

• Empty your machine.
  
• Mix 1/4 cup of baking soda with 1/4 cup of vinegar.
  
• Add that mixture to the machine in place of detergent.
  
• Add 2 cups of vinegar to the drum of the machine.
  
• Run an empty wash cycle on high heat without any dirty laundry.
  
  

One wash cycle with this mixture should break down the mold and eliminate the musty smell from your washing machine.
If it still smells, look for any visible mold within the machine. If you are able to easily see mold, try scrubbing it directly with an equal mixture of vinegar and water using the scrubber side of a kitchen sponge. After a good scrubbing, try repeating the five steps above.

What To Do If The Smell Persists Even After Cleaning
If you’ve done your best to clean your machine and still find the mold smell to be a problem, your machine may have mold that is lingering in places you cannot see or reach. When this happens, it is likely time to call a mold remediation specialist to identify and solve the problem.
You wash your clothes with the expectation that they will come out looking and smelling better than when they went in. You depend on your washing machine to deliver day after day, but mold doesn't care about your wardrobe. It grows and spreads, so it's best to address the problem right away.