| By :
Nick Vassilev
Its strange how often we forget the fact that the appliances that we use for cleaning themselves need to be cleaned regularly. Think of all the dirt that comes off all the clothes that are washed in the machine over a period of a few months. Yes, most of it is flushed out with the rinsing water, but some dirt will always remain which will soon cause odours that will transfer to the clothes being washed. Here is a simple procedure you can use to clean your washing machine. Even if cleaning the appliance is part of the work of your home cleaners knowing how to do it yourself in an emergency is always useful. * First of all use a normal spray cleaner and paper towels to clean the exterior of the machine. Be careful not to spray directly on any of the controls as moisture could damage them. * Now use the spray to clean the inside of the lid as well and the area around the lip under the lid. * That takes care of the non operational areas. Next, we come to cleaning the drum itself which is hard work, but which the machine will do for you. Remember the machine must be empty for all that follows. * Set the machine on the heaviest load setting and fill it with hot water. * Add two cups of vinegar to the water and allow the machine to run through a complete wash cycle. Run an additional rinse cycle if the vinegar smell is still strong. * This will take care of the odour. The next thing is to remove the stains. * Once again fill the machine with hot water at the heaviest load setting and this time add two cups of normal household bleach to the water. * Let the full wash and rinse cycle run. * It's a good idea to do this even if you don't see any stains - since the interior of the drum is dark, you may not notice developing stains until it is too late. * After completing both these cycles, run a final wash and rinse cycle with plain hot water. This will remove any bleach residue that may remain. * People often overlook the dispensers. Remove the fabric softener, bleach and detergent dispensers and soak them in warm water. * Once the built up deposits are loose, wipe them away. * Use a domestic cleaner and cotton swabs to clean the corners and hard to reach areas. * Refit them. You now have a clean washing machine.
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