As the receptacle for your dirty clothes and shoes, your washing machine is one appliance that must be cleaned regularly to ensure it does its job properly.
However, due to the dampness of the inside, things like mould, bacteria, mildew and fungus can fester inside the drum, reports the Mirror. And people can feel overwhelmed when it comes to cleaning a washing machine, as many do not know where to begin.
Thankfully, Dryzone's resident mould expert, Oscar Maltby has come to the rescue with his ten-step method that will ensure mould is eradicated from the appliance. When cleaning your washing machine, there are many cracks and crevices you need to scrub to make sure its performing at its very best.
Oscar said: "The challenge of the awkward shape of the washing machine seal, and given we rarely think to stick our head in the drum until we notice a problem - typically a damp, earthy smell coming from somewhere inside the washing machine - means that mould can go undetected for a while.
"It's important to regularly wash your washing machine to ensure it isn't harbouring harmful black mould. And there's nothing like a deep clean to refresh your washing machine and keep it at bay."
How to clean your washing machine - a ten-step guide
To begin with, you'll need a stiff scrubbing brush that hasn't been used or is clean, a bucket of warm water, a bleach-based cleaner and a mould cleaner. One such mould cleaner could be the Mrs-Hinch-approved Astonish mould spray - which can be bought from Amazon for around a fiver.
First, ensure the machine is empty and dry. Put on protective gloves to protect your skin from any harsh chemicals. Then, spray a small amount of the bleach-based mould cleaner onto a microfibre cloth and wipe the entire machine's seal.
Mould, fabric fibres and dirt can gather in the seal causing an unpleasant smell. You should turn the seal out to make sure you wiped everything down, and remove any lint left over with the cloth.
Then, you shift your focus on the machine's drum. Wipe all areas of the drum with the bleach-based mould cleaner, including the back of the machine, and make sure you are paying extra attention to the plastic paddles.
You should then rinse the drum thoroughly with warm water and leave the door open so it can dry, for at least an hour or sometimes more.
Then it's onto the detergent drawer, so remove it and submerge it in clean warm water to get rid of excess soap. Leave it to dry before using the bleach-based mould cleaner to wipe it all down. You should be concentrating on the areas where black mould could be gathering.
As the drawer dries, wipe down the inside of the empty compartment with the bleach-based cleaner and rinse it thoroughly with warm water. After this, rinse the microfibre cloth in clean water and leave it to dry.
Then, repeat all of the above steps with the mould cleaner that is not bleach based. Due to the amount of moisture in a washing machine, cleaning away the mould initially is not enough to ensure it won't come back.
Once the deep cleaning is done, wipe down the seal after every use to ensure the mould won't grow back. The detergent drawer should be cleaned once a month at least, to remove visible soap residue.
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