Washing machines are used regularly in most households, meaning they also need to be kept as clean as possible.
Keeping up with the cleaning will not only make your clothes fresher after being washed, but it'll also prolong the lifespan of your appliance, saving you money.
The three parts that need frequent scrubbing are the drum, the filter and the drawer. A writer from the Express managed to get all three done and remove mould using just three household ingredients, costing £1.50 in total.
Here, Sophie Harris has shared her experience and laid out exactly what she did to make the washing machine spic and span again.
Washing machine drawer
Because it comes into contact with liquids and detergents often, the residue in the drawer can cause dirt and mould to form.
To start with, Sophie soaked the drawer in hot water, adding a few drops of Asda's Fresh Berry washing up liquid and letting it sit for around five minutes.
She then used an old toothbrush to scrub all the nooks and crannies, and the mould started to disappear "instantly" as it melted into the water.
Sophie added: "It took around five minutes to remove all of the gunk and mould before I let it dry completely on the draining board. This step is very important otherwise bad odours could begin to appear from the drawer."
Filter
These are really useful at catching things like hair and other residue when your clothes are in the wash, but they can easily become clogged and require regular cleaning.
After draining some excess water from the filter, which can usually be found at the bottom of your appliance, Sophie took it out and found plenty of debris and even a hair clip.
All she did to clean the filter was run it under the hot tap, making sure that any dirt was removed. It's recommended that you do this around every four months, to ensure it doesn't get too clogged.
Drum
Making sure the drum and door of your washing machine are clean is really important, as it stops harmful bacteria from building up and getting on your clothes.
You should clean this every month or so, and according to Sophie, it's easy enough to do.
She put a cup of baking soda into the drum and added a small amount of white vinegar into the drawer, both of which are powerful cleaning agents that help to remove bacteria and keep your machine clean.
Next, Sophie ran the machine on a hot wash of 60 degrees or as hot as it would go.
After the cycle finished, she took some disinfectant spray and wiped the door to make sure it was free from any debris and also wiped around the seal.
The last step was to keep the washing machine door open to allow it to dry out fully. If this isn’t left open, bad odours and mould can begin to occur inside the drum.
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