Don't forget to clean your washer and dryer as you do your other appliances.
Just because your machines may be tucked away in a closet or the basement is no reason to let grime and lint build up.
You don't want your home laundry to look like an unkempt public laundry mat. Any place were cleaning is the primary purpose (such as your bathroom and kitchens) should be maintained to the highest of standards.
An excellent example of this is when Ferris comes home from his college apartment* and says "Why do I feel so much cleaner when I get out of our shower here at home."
For top loading washers - wipe the area around the tub and up under the lid. Any dirt left here can be transferred to your clean clothes. For front loaders - be sure to occasionally wipe the inside of the glass door and all around and under the door gasket. Mold and mildew can develop here if left moist. Also with front loaders be sure to run bleach loads regularly. Clean the top and around the dials of both types of machines to keep them looking new and shiny.
For the dryer - lint is really the enemy. To keep lint at a minimum, be sure not to use too much detergent. Clean the lint after EVERY load. And every so often vacuum out any areas you can reach where lint may collect. You can even buy a special attachment for the vacuum to reach way in under the lint screen.
Remember excess lint in the dryer is a fire hazard.
The outside of the dryer should only require the occasional wiping off. If you have laundry detergent spills there ...for goodness sakes - wipe them up immediately.
Your laundry machines take very little exterior abuse, and can look like new even after a decade of use with minimal care.
* a most tidy college apartment I might add
5 comments:
I have just cleaned both he washing machine and the dryer. I use vinegar and lemon juice to clean mine, works a treat.
A couple of tablespoons of bicarb soda in with the detergent each wash also helps, not only to freshen the fibres in your clothes, but to keep the machine clean.
and always remember that despite being a "cheap solution" don't use plastic exhaust pipe of any kind for your dryer---metal only. MANY clients and friends have ended up with house fires using plastic exhaust flexi-pipe. Spend the money, do it right.
I wonder if I leave little cleaning rags in the basement if the mice will clean the washer and dryer.
Nope.
Sorry.
This is so true, great tip.
We run a cleaning cycle every so often, to rid the washer of any smells and whatnot.
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