Today we can hardly imagine our life without a home assistant - a washing machine. She significantly saves our time and takes care of women's hands, relieving them of the effects of washing powders and laundry rinses, which can dry the skin and cause allergies.
In the process of using the machine, limescale deposits form on its heating element. This is fraught with poor-quality operation of the device and even its failure. To ensure the smooth functioning of the machine, it is necessary to descale it from time to time.
What harms the washing machine?
Unfortunately, tap water is characterized by increased hardness, because it contains many different salts. During washing, when the water is heated, these substances settle on the internal parts of the machine. Especially a lot of scale settles on the heating element. As a result, it takes longer and longer to heat up and consumes more and more energy.
In addition, the use of some powders adversely affects the condition of the machine: the presence of a large amount of chemicals contributes to the appearance of dirt inside the machine, making it difficult to work.
At some point, the heating element may burn out, and then an expensive repair will be required, or you may even have to buy a new washer.
In addition, if the machine has not been used for a long time and the door is tightly closed in a poorly ventilated area with high humidity, mold may form in it. This not only damages household appliances. Mold spores have a detrimental effect on human health and stain laundry during subsequent washing, leaving stains on it.
Timely cleaning of the device will prevent these unpleasant phenomena.. And using vinegar, you can achieve two goals at the same time. You will be able to get rid of limescale and mold, as mold is afraid of an acidic environment. Also, this product will help get rid of unpleasant odors and other contaminants that appear after prolonged use.
Cleaning with acetic acid
A washing machine is an expensive item and must be handled with care. Therefore, it should be cleaned regularly.
This is easy enough to do at home. Hardware stores offer a variety of tools that can easily get the job done. They come with detailed instructions. But often these tools are expensive, and many people do not even realize that there are very effective tools that are always at hand, and the price of which is low.
Acetic acid is one of them. Any housewife has this product in the house, and you can also buy it at any grocery store for mere pennies. It is not difficult to carry out the procedure, you just need to do it right.
First of all, it is necessary to observe the correct dose of the product. You also need to carefully choose its type: do not use concentrated vinegar essence. It will not perform a more effective cleaning, but it can harm the car. When using a strong concentration of vinegar, rubber parts will suffer, as they will begin to harden and then begin to crumble.
For the procedure, take the usual table 9% vinegar. Two glasses of the product will be enough. No other detergents or washing powders need to be added.
Before carrying out the procedure, remove all things from the machine so as not to spoil them, and pour the product into the drum. Then turn on the machine for the longest high temperature cycle. The higher the temperature, the more effective the vinegar is. Therefore, you do not need a rinse mode - it happens in cool water.
After a while (10-15 minutes), when the water is well heated, the machine should be stopped for a sufficiently long period of time. If you have not run the machine often, wait 1-2 hours. For frequent use or long service life, the time should be increased. This is necessary so that the vinegar penetrates the small parts of the heating element. Then turn on the device again and wait for the end of the cycle.
If the machine has been used for a long time, and you have not cleaned the inside, then the procedure should be repeated. Let the machine rest for 1-2 hours and run the vinegar cycle again.
Run a quick wash or rinse cycle to completely clean the inside of the machine and remove any remaining scale. This will help get rid of the smell that will appear during washing with vinegar.
If you decide to run a wash cycle, you can add a little laundry detergent or fabric softener with a pleasant scent.
End of cleaning
So, you have cleaned the car of scale that has formed inside. Now you should finish cleaning - wash those places where the vinegar could not get. For example, in the tray in which you pour the powder and pour the fabric softener, dirt also accumulates. It also needs to be cleaned regularly.
Prepare a deep container. Its depth should be sufficient to immerse the tray completely. Pour hot water into a container and add 1.5 cups of vinegar. The water needs to be hot for the vinegar to work better.
Carefully remove the tray from the designated compartment. In products of different brands, the tray can be removed in different ways, so read the instructions for how to do it correctly.
Now lower the tray into the container with the solution and leave for a few hours. Then clean the tray of dirt with a sponge. For hard-to-reach places, use a brush or an old toothbrush.
When finished cleaning, rinse the tray in running water and dry with a clean cloth.
When you pull out the tray, you will see that there is also a lot of dirt, rust and powder residue in the compartment. Moisten a cloth with vinegar solution and clean the compartment. This is not very easy to do, because it has many different protrusions and recesses. If necessary, other non-abrasive cleaners and a brush can be used. Then wipe the compartment clean with a clean, damp cloth. Now you can insert the tray into it again.
Another necessary action is cleaning the sealing rubber. Under it, not only dust and dirt accumulate. Due to the presence of moisture, mold can form there. It is because of it that an unpleasant smell can appear.
Carefully, to prevent damage, pull the rubber back and use a cloth dampened with vinegar solution to remove the dirt. Do not use high strength vinegar.
Even a small amount of product in solution will be enough to get rid of mold and harmful microorganisms.
The final step is to clean the filter and drain pump. Dust, fine fabric fibers, wool, and sometimes even buttons and coins can accumulate in the filter. The filter is located at the bottom of the machine. It is usually hidden by a panel.
In the instruction manual you will find instructions on how to remove the panel and open the filter. Before unscrewing it, place a low container under the machine to collect the remaining water. Open the filter cover and remove the dirt. After wiping the hole, you can close it and install the panel back.
If the installation method of the machine allows, also flush the drain hose.
other methods
There are other readily available and inexpensive cleaning products that you can find at home or in nearby stores.
Soda cleaning
For example, you can clean your washing machine with baking soda. You can use both calcined and ordinary food.
Prepare a "gruel" consisting of one part water and one part baking soda. Treat the drum, tray, tray compartment, sealing rubber with the resulting mixture. Leave the composition on the surfaces for about half an hour. Then they should be rubbed with a sponge or soft cloth and run on a quick wash cycle.
Baking soda is an excellent water softener, so it's a good idea to add it to your laundry as well. Two tablespoons of this product are poured into the tray along with washing powder. In addition to softening hard water, baking soda helps to cope with stubborn stains on cotton underwear.
However, when washing wool, silk and other delicate fabrics, adding soda is contraindicated.
Cleaning with citric acid
The washing machine can also be cleaned with citric acid. It is used both as an independent remedy and in combination with soda or acetic acid.
Pour about 100-150 grams of the product into the powder tray (you can add a small amount directly to the drum) and turn on the high temperature long wash cycle. Do not forget to remove the laundry from the drum, otherwise the acid will greatly damage it.
Do not use lemon juice for descaling. Although it has an extremely sour taste, it will not contain enough acid to descale the machine, and you will carry out a completely useless procedure.
Preventive car care
So that your assistant serves you for a long time without breakdowns, Some preventive measures must be followed:
- Wipe dry the drum, tray and tray compartment after each start of the machine. Wipe the sealing rubber especially carefully. Carefully pushing away, remove moisture and dirt from under it to avoid the appearance of a musty smell, and later mold.
- After wiping the tray, do not immediately insert it back into the machine to allow air flow to dry the inside of the machine. For the same purpose, after washing, leave the door ajar for several hours.
- Remember to use water hardness softeners and anti-scale agents, especially if you are running a high temperature wash cycle. Use high-quality washing powders from reputable manufacturers.
- Do not exceed the required dosage of detergents. To do this, carefully read the instructions, which, as a rule, are contained on the package.
- Descale your machine regularly with vinegar, baking soda, citric acid, or other detergent. Don't forget to clean the filter.
- When putting clothes in the drum, fasten all buttons and turn clothes inside out. Be sure to check your pockets to make sure there are no items left in them that could ruin your clothes or clog your machine.
- Do not wash unnecessarily linen at very high temperatures. It is with them that intensive scale formation occurs on the heating element.
Do not leave washed laundry in the machine for a long time, try to immediately take it out and hang it to dry, or at least put it in a basin. A warm, humid environment can promote the growth of pathogenic microbes, fungi, and molds.
Household appliances should always be clean, because the quality of their work depends on it. Now there are many different detergents for cleaning, but experienced housewives prefer cheap vinegar, rather than expensive chemicals.
What problems does vinegar deal with?
Vinegar is a very aggressive agent that is used effectively against mold, which often appears in washing machines. The solution quickly “corrodes” plaque and dirt and helps to remove them from the device, and a strong smell can kill the putrefactive “aroma” in one cleaning. In addition to these positive qualities, the low cost of the product and its availability should be noted. And the disadvantages of vinegar can only be attributed to its pungent smell, which will have to be weathered for some time.
You can use table vinegar to clean your washing machine.
Any cleaning product should be used only in certain dosages. This also applies to vinegar: at an excessively high concentration, it aggressively affects the rubber elements of the machine. At first they become rigid, and then they break completely, leading to serious damage. At the same time, the quality of cleaning does not improve. At the right concentration, the product does not harm any parts of the machine.
From my own experience, I can say that vinegar is in many ways superior to other cleaning products, since its solution does not corrode the skin as much as chemicals, and the smell, although harsh, is safer for the body than professional preparations. Although you can’t stand over the typewriter and breathe in vapors.
Instructions for using vinegar to clean the washing machine
Vinegar can be used to clean both the internal elements of the device and the external ones.
To clean the inside of the machine, do the following:
Pour the solution into all sections of the powder tray
Fabric fibers, small debris and scale particles get into the drain filter, they must be removed
Vinegar perfectly removes even very “old” scale To remove external contaminants, do the following:
Scale and other types of pollution are successfully removed with one concentration. Do not experiment with increasing it - you risk being left without a typewriter at all.
Vinegar can be replaced with any professional product (for example, Calgon), but not the fact that chemistry will be more effective. Be that as it may, remember the most important rule - do not use several products at the same time: the working elements will literally melt from such cleaning. From folk remedies, soda and citric acid are very effective. They can be used both instead of vinegar, and at the same time, for maximum effect.
Vinegar and soda is a “killer” mixture for any scale, and together with citric acid, dirt will not have a chance Each household appliance must be looked after and from time to time carry out preventive cleaning of contaminants. This is necessary so that the home assistant lasts as long as possible. A washing machine is no exception, which is why a reasonable question arises: “How to clean a washing machine with vinegar?”. Cleaning a washing machine with vinegar is not difficult, but you need to consider all the advantages and disadvantages, as well as the possible consequences of this method.
During the use of the washing machine, due to high temperatures, scale or plaque may form on the metal structural elements, which increases the degree of heating of the device during use. This happens due to a decrease in the throughput of water, which simply cannot “break through” due to scale. In addition, this situation significantly increases the consumption of electricity.
Important to know: the formation of scale in a short time can completely disable the device due to strong heat.
Cleaning the machine with vinegar. Detailed instructions for the procedure
So, how to clean the washing machine with vinegar. The process of cleaning the machine with vinegar is as follows: 
- The first step is to check if there are things in the drum, since they can quickly become unusable from exposure to vinegar (paints can fade).
- It is recommended to wear protective rubber gloves before cleaning as a few drops of vinegar can irritate the skin.
- Next, you need to take a 9% vinegar solution (it will take about 200-250 milliliters, depending on the size of the detergent container) and pour it into the powder container.
- Now it remains only to turn on the washing machine, select the delicate washing mode and set the maximum time. After the wash cycle is complete, allow the appliance to air out and wipe it down. Important to know: in order to reduce the concentration of the bite, you need to take a standard 70% solution (5 teaspoons) and dilute it with 100 milliliters of water.
It is important to know: if there is a strong smell from the cleaning agent used, then read below in the testamentary part of this article how to get rid of it.
Advantages and disadvantages of this cleaning method
Cleaning a washing machine with vinegar has its pros and cons. Vinegar is a powerful remedy.
Its advantages are that:
- Vinegar is a good cleaner for stubborn scale and plaque.
- This substance is able to kill a strong smell and mold, the appearance of which contributes to scale.
- Vinegar is much cheaper than similar products.
The disadvantages of this cleaning method include residual and excessive odor, which is quite difficult to get rid of. Therefore, in order to minimize it, you need to put the device into the rinse mode several times, and the place where it stands needs to be ventilated. In order to get rid of the smell, you can use additional flavoring or absorbing substances.
It is worth remembering that vinegar must be used sparingly, as its excessive concentration can lead to destruction of the rubber elements of the machine.
Important to know: if we take into account the benefits of using vinegar, we can conclude that this is an almost ideal tool for cleaning scale.
Cleaning trays with vinegar
Scale and plaque can form not only in the inside of the device, but also on the outside - these are trays for pouring washing powder or adding liquid soap. To completely remove plaque, pour 100 milliliters of a 9% acetic solution into a tray and the same amount of hot water. The solution is left for 8 hours, and then drained, the tray is wiped with a dry cloth and dries for several hours.
How to get rid of bad smell
The main disadvantage of cleaning with vinegar is an unpleasant smell that remains for a long time. Things can absorb it. In order to prevent such an unpleasant situation, it is recommended that after cleaning with vinegar, pour baking soda into the drum of the washing machine, as it perfectly absorbs odors.
Important to know: in order to get rid of the annoying smell, you can pour a detergent with fragrance into the drum and run a soft wash program. Water together with detergent will heat up to the required temperature (up to 65 degrees Celsius) and remove the strong smell of vinegar. It is recommended to repeat this procedure several times.
Preventive measures
In order to prevent the formation of scale and the appearance of plaque, it is advisable to carry out simple preventive measures at least once every few months, which include:
In order for the washing machine to last as long as possible, the following recommendations must be observed:
- Most appliance repairers strongly advise against the use of well-publicized specialty cleaning products, as they are conventional water softeners in their composition, and in most cases, detergent manufacturers add specific chemicals.
- During washing, you should not heat the water to extreme values \u200b\u200b(this is 75-85 degrees Celsius), since it is high temperatures that contribute to the appearance of scale. The optimum temperature level is 50 degrees Celsius.
- The drum and other internal elements of the washing machine must be cleaned every two months. It should also be remembered that it is not recommended to wash clothes that are too worn and old, as pieces of fabric, buttons, threads, etc. can get inside the drum and filters, clogging them and impairing their functioning. Don't forget to check the washing machine drum immediately after washing to check for small items before they get into the filter.
Alternatives
If vinegar is not at hand, then it can be replaced with the following substances: 
- Soda not only perfectly fights with excessive odors, but also cleans scale and plaque.
- Citric acid is a concentrated cleaner that allows
quickly clean the washing machine. - Coca-Cola is the most widely used cleaner and simply pours into a drum and boils.
Conclusion
Cleaning the washing machine with acid bite should be carried out as needed and scale formation. The main rule in carrying out this procedure is the correct dosage of the bite and timely cleaning. In order to carry out as few cleaning procedures as possible, it is recommended to regularly carry out preventive cleaning of the washing device.
To maintain home appliances in order, it is not necessary to spend money on expensive products from the store or call a specialist. It is quite possible to cope on your own, if you know how to deal with scale. In this case, a ridiculous amount will be spent.
It would seem that there is nothing difficult in cleaning the washing machine with acid. In theory, almost all housewives know how to do it. But in fact, if you miss some points, you can ruin the unit and make it even worse than it was.
Each tool and each method of cleaning the washing machine has its pros and cons. Acetic acid by itself cannot harm household appliances. But sometimes small oversights lead to premature wear of the unit. Therefore, before making a choice in favor of the most affordable and inexpensive means, you should weigh the pros and cons and make the right decision.
First, it is worth finding out why many experienced housewives strongly advise getting rid of scale with vinegar, and not with any other alternative remedy. The strengths of acetic acid include:
- Availability. For many, the price of a cleaning agent for home appliances is decisive. And rightly so - it is better to clean the washing machine with improvised means than not to clean it at all and bring the device to a deplorable state. There is a bottle of vinegar in every home, and if not, it is very expensive in the store and is always in stock. Therefore, if you compare it with professional cleaning products in terms of cost, then vinegar will undoubtedly win.
- Versatility. With the help of vinegar, you can remove not only scale on the heating element of the washing machine. This substance perfectly copes with mold, eliminates the smell of sewerage, which often begins to come from the depths of the unit. In addition, it is suitable for cleaning the detergent tray and outdoor surfaces.
- Efficiency. Vinegar does its job really well and dissolves even a very dense coating of scale on the internal elements of the washing machine. If you use it correctly, the machine will be in perfect condition at minimal cost, and no blockages will occur with pieces of fallen lime.
Those users who usually used purchased products to care for their washing machine were pleasantly surprised after the first experience with vinegar. It turns out that it’s really not at all necessary to spend a decent amount on an expensive composition - you can get by with a penny acetic solution and get the result no worse.
As for the shortcomings, most often the housewives complain about the pungent smell of acid. It remains in the drum of the machine after cleaning and can be absorbed into the laundry that will be washed after the descaling procedure. But this is hardly a significant drawback and a reason to refuse to use vinegar. You can simply turn on the machine after cleaning for an extra rinse, and then ventilate it.
You can also hear complaints that after several cleanings with vinegar, the rubber elements of the unit have worn out, coarsened and burst. This can really happen. But only if, in the pursuit of sterility and immediate effect, the dosage was exceeded, or the descaling procedure is carried out too often.
Step-by-step cleaning of the washing machine with vinegar
The big advantage of this particular method of cleaning the washing machine is that at one time you can remove all the scale and dirt even on the internal hard-to-reach parts of the machine. How to do it according to all the rules?
- First you need to prepare the washing machine for the descaling procedure. Preparation consists in inspecting the drum and removing all the things that are in it. Sometimes a child's sock or scarf goes unnoticed. In principle, this is not a disaster. Some even suggest putting old towels and rags in the drum for a gentler cleaning. But experts do not recommend doing so. Vinegar aggressively affects the fabric and destroys it. Fibers, getting into the filter, will nullify all your efforts and the meaning of cleaning in general. Therefore - all things are taken out necessarily.
- Now it's time for the vinegar. You need to pour it not into the drum, but into the detergent compartment.
- After that, the highest water temperature and the longest wash cycle are selected. It's not worth saving here. Scale builds up when washing at high temperatures. But it also collapses only with this. if you choose a quick wash with a temperature below 65 degrees, there will be no effect.
- And now the most important point. You need to wait until the water collects and heats up, combines with vinegar and the washing phase begins directly. After this has happened, press pause - and forget about the typewriter for an hour. Do not be afraid, nothing bad will happen to her.
- After an hour, we remove the machine from the pause and wait for the complete completion of the wash. Haste will also reduce the effectiveness of cleaning - the wash should go completely. If you turn off the machine before rinsing, pieces of dissolved lime will remain in the filter or drain hose. That is, the cleaning will not be complete and of high quality, and may lead to a breakdown of the washing machine.
After washing, be sure not to be too lazy to remove the drain filter and rinse it under running water. If the machine has not been cleaned for a long time, and a lot of scale has accumulated on the heating element, pieces of lime must have remained in it. They need to be removed. That's all about cleaning the machine from scale. And now a little about how to use vinegar to clean external surfaces and accessible elements.
Exterior washing machine cleaning with vinegar
it is not pure vinegar that is used for this procedure, but its solution. 500 ml of warm water will be enough - a tablespoon of vinegar is dissolved in it. In the resulting liquid, moisten a sponge or linen napkin and thoroughly wipe all accessible parts of the washing machine.
It remains a controversial question whether or not it is possible to wipe the rubber seals on the door with vinegar. Rubber on contact with acid loses its elasticity and becomes rough. The tightness of the lid may be broken, and the seal itself will very quickly begin to crack and burst.
But such a nuisance threatens only if a concentrated acid solution is used. If you wipe the seals with a weak vinegar solution, everything will be in order.
For reliability, after all the external elements of the washing machine have been processed, you need to close the drum and turn on the fastest washing mode. This is necessary in order to get rid of the remnants of the cleaning agent on the parts of the unit, eliminate the smell and wash out the pieces of lime that may have stuck somewhere.
On this, the cleaning of the washing machine can be considered completely completed. After the quick wash cycle is completed, you need to open the drum, wipe the machine dry and leave to air out.
The most common question that interests almost all users is how often you need to clean the machine with vinegar. You can answer it like this: the more often and more intensively household appliances are used, the more regular cleaning should be. But at the same time, you can not expose the unit to acid more than once every two months. Otherwise, rubber and plastic parts wear out quickly.
Vinegar can be used not only to remove scale, but also to prevent its formation. To do this, it should be added to the detergent when washing, but only in small quantities.
But combining vinegar with other chemicals to remove scale is strongly discouraged. This can lead to the most undesirable consequences: a chemical reaction will begin, and the internal parts of the machine will simply melt.
If it seems to you that there is too much scale, and it has not been completely removed after cleaning, it is better not to experiment with explosive mixtures, but to repeat the procedure after a few weeks.
As an alternative means, you can no longer use vinegar, but other substances that are also available and quite effective:
- citric acid;
- food or soda ash;
- copper sulfate.
And for prevention, do not forget to add an emollient to the washing powder with each wash - at least a tablespoon of the same soda. Then the laundry will be softer, and scale will not form so quickly, and the automatic washing machine will last much longer.
Household appliances such as a microwave oven, stove, refrigerator, washing machine need to be cleaned and looked after in a timely manner.
There are a lot of special tools that line the shelves of household chemicals stores. However, experienced housewives do not recommend rushing, buying something, but first trying vinegar - a handy tool that is in almost every home.
How to use it correctly to clean the washing machine, let's figure it out.
Cleaning the machine: step by step instructions
Attention! Some visitors to our site report that acetic acid can harm the washing machine! Responsibility for any use of it lies entirely with you. You can find feedback on the use of this tool in the comments at the bottom of the page.
Cleaning the internal parts of the washing machine with vinegar is done as follows:
- First you need to check the drum for the presence of things in it and remove everything, if any. From vinegar, some things can become unusable.
- We take 9% table vinegar and pour 200-250 ml into that compartment of the powder tray where the powder is poured.
Wear rubber gloves before cleaning your car to prevent accidental contact with the vinegar, which can dry out your skin.
- We turn on the machine, select the longest washing cycle at a high temperature (from 60 to 90 0 C) and start it.
- After a while, when the water in the drum heats up, press the pause button on the washing machine and leave it for an hour and a half.
- Turn on the machine to complete the cycle.
- Now definitely from the remnants of scale.
- After wetting a cloth in a weak solution of vinegar (50 ml of vinegar per liter of water), we wipe the drum and rubber cuff.
- We run a short wash cycle without detergents and cleaners, in order to surely wash out all the remnants of scale particles and vinegar.
- We wipe the internal parts of the machine, including the powder tray, with a dry cloth.
For your information! To get 200 ml of 9% from 70% vinegar, you need to take 24 ml of vinegar (5 tsp) and add 176 ml (12 tablespoons) of water to it.
In order to clean the powder container from lime and stone deposits, you can also use vinegar. To do this, pour hot water (90 0 C) into the container and add 250 ml of 9% vinegar. A tray is placed in this solution and left overnight. Choose a container so that the container fits well and the water completely hides the compartments of the tray. After soaking, the container can be cleaned with a sponge, then rinsed and wiped with a dry cloth.
You can use a slurry of baking soda and vinegar to clean the container. It is necessary to apply the gruel for a long time, and then, using an old toothbrush, remove the plaque and rinse the tray. After wiping it dry, install it in place.
Cleaning with vinegar: pros and cons
Cleaning a washing machine with vinegar has its pros and cons. Vinegar is a powerful remedy. Its advantages are that:
- it copes well with scale on the internal parts of the machine;
- destroys unpleasant putrefactive odors and the smell of stagnant water;
- costs several times cheaper than specialized cleaning products.
The main disadvantage of using vinegar is its pungent smell. Therefore, for better rinsing out of the machine, you can install an additional rinse. And the room in which the washing machine is installed must be well ventilated. In addition, when using vinegar, you must follow the dosage. After all, vinegar of high concentration can adversely affect the sealing gum. From him gum roughen, and then torn.
Alternative cleaning methods
Another effective and inexpensive tool that helps clean the tray, drum and cuff of the washing machine is this. It helps to kill mold and mildew. In addition, cleaning with soda eliminates unpleasant odors.
From specialized tools to clean the washing machine, you can use:
- Antinakipin;
- filtero;
- Dr. Beckmann;
- descaler;
- Frau Schmidt cleaner;
- Five Plus;
- AntiKal.
This is just a small list of tools with which you can clean the washing machine. Today, manufacturers offer their own cleaning products, for example, Bosch, Electrolux, Candy, etc. have descalers. Cleaning with these products should be carried out strictly according to the instructions indicated on the package. As for the effectiveness of each of them, you can only know for sure by trying the tool. And only by trial and error you can find one that suits you both in terms of quality and price.
So, you need to clean the washing machine with aggressive chemicals, including table vinegar, once every six months. But for prevention, some products can be used with almost every wash, for example, or Alfagon. Take care of the cleanliness of your machine, and it will last you much longer.