Debbie Young, an active member of the volunteer sewing community, Scrub Hub, shared a super cheap trick to make your washing machine clean that will stop your clothes from smelling musty.
If you don’t wash your washing machine, it can start to smell really bad, which isn’t good when you want to wear nice, clean clothes.
But don’t worry, cleaning it is easy and won’t cost much money or take lots of time. Debbie Young said all you need is something you might already have in your cupboard.
Debbie said: “You don’t need a costly speciality cleaner for this; instead, use dishwasher tabs, which the majority of us already have at home.”
On the Scrub Hub website, she also said: “Using dishwasher tabs to clean your washing machine is simple and effective.”
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Just put two dishwasher tablets in your empty washing machine, pour some warm water in the bit where you usually put soap, and turn it on like normal at 90C. Debbie explained: “It’s that simple.”
If you need to buy dishwasher tablets, they’re not expensive. You can get 40 of them for £3.39 at Tesco, so each one is just 8p. Or you can buy 60 for £5.60 at Sainsbury’s, and they’re 9p each.
If your washing machine is big, you might need to use three or four tablets but never use more than four because that’s not good for the machine.
Debbie advised: “More than four tablets may prevent the product from draining away properly, leaving a residue that may cling to garments or disrupt the normal washing cycle.”
“It’s a waste of washing tablets that could be put to better use in the dishwasher and will negatively impact your laundry and machine’s performance.”
Debbie added: “For best results, use two dishwasher tablets and run your machine at its highest temperature.”
It is advised to do a deep clean of the washing machine every three to six months to ensure clean clothes come out smelling fresh, and not musty.
Some washing machines may have a button that flashes after you do 30 washes, for example, which can be pressed to give the washing machine a deep clean.
