How To Clean Your Washing Machine Without Vinegar

It's easy to run a cleaning cycle on your washing machine, but it's not always as simple to figure out what to use when you do so. Vinegar can be used to brighten and clean clothes, but many appliance brands say that it can degrade rubber gaskets and hoses over time. If you're looking for a better way to clean your washing machine without using vinegar, use chlorine bleach instead.

According to Maytag, chlorine bleach is generally safe to use in a washing machine. It's not as acidic as vinegar, so it isn't corrosive to the pipes and hoses within your washer. If you need to disinfect your washing machine after getting sick or if you're trying to remove internal buildup, bleach will do the trick. It gets rid of mold, mildew, and clogs caused by hard minerals or oils within your machine. It's even handy for cleaning the soap dispenser, drum, and gasket of your machine, too.

Note that not all washing machines can safely cycle bleach. Using bleach in a machine that doesn't recommend it as part of the cleaning cycle could damage its internal parts over time. Be sure to check your owner's manual before using bleach in your washer. 

To clean the inside of your washer using bleach, add one cup of bleach to the laundry machine's bleach dispenser (or use as much bleach as your machine's cleaning cycle recommends). For top-loading machines, add a cup of bleach to the washer after it fills. Set the machine to self-clean and allow it to complete the cycle. If your machine doesn't have a self-cleaning cycle, choose a normal cycle with the hottest temperature instead. Once your machine is finished, you should run a rinse cycle. This will ensure there's no bleach left over in the machine, and you can safely wash linens inside without accidentally bleaching them. 

You can also use bleach to clean the inside of your washing machine's drum. For front-loading machines, clean inside and around the machine's gasket with bleach to remove mold. You can also disinfect the soap and fabric dispensers with bleach to get rid of mold and mildew. Dilute bleach before using it to clean any part of your washer; 48 parts water to 1 part bleach is a good ratio to keep in mind. Always run a rinse cycle and rinse off removable parts thoroughly after using bleach.

Clean your washer with bleach about once a month. If you notice your clothes smell musty coming out of the washer or if you see mold anywhere in the machine, it's time for another deep cleaning. For both top-loading and front-loading machines, it's a good idea to leave the door open after you're done doing laundry, to allow the machine to dry out thoroughly between loads, which prevents mildew.