On today’s episode of “Things I never thought I would have to scrub,” our featured guest is: the washing machine.
THANK YOU ERATH HARD WATER lol
When I pulled the laundry out this morning, the washer smelled unpleasant. The clothes themselves smelled fine, so I took a deeper look at the washing machine and discovered wads of hair in the fabric softener and bleach cups and brown scale all around the plastic parts of the washer
No biggie! I know how to clean a washer... so I thought!
I toothbrushed hair out the fabric softener and bleach cups and ran it as if full with laundry soap and a cup of bleach. It smelled better, but still had brown crust on most of the plastic surfaces. So I grab a sponge, clean the column, and then run it again as if full with soap and a cup of bleach. Only now that the dark brown scale is gone from the column, I more clearly notice how there is buildup all along the rim.
The more you clean, the more you see what needs to be cleaned!
So now I attack the rim. Sponge doesn't work. Magic Eraser works on the big wall of the rim, but not the "sticky outty" part of the rim itself (yeah, that's a technical term). With fear and trepidation, I pull out the Foamy Q&A. Foamy is an acid cleaner and you can't let it sit for too long. Plus, we're an essential oils household (I LOVE my Thieves Cleaner) and I only use the Foamy when nothing else works.
Y'all! Foamy cut through the scale like butter! I run the washer on empty again to rinse it, select 2 rinse cycles due to using the foamy, and this is where I discover (after 10 years of using the washer) that it actually has a "clean washer" setting. According to the website for my brand of washer, this setting uses extra water to clean the interior of the machine and can be used with either bleach or a product called "Affresh" to sanitize and disinfect. So I use that and guess what? The washer is sparking and the clothes smell amazing!
I post about my adventure, and local moms add their tips. So here are 3 recommendations to keep hard water from ruining your washer:
1. Do a thorough deep clean to start. If I had done all the scrubbing at once, it would have taken about 45 minutes - perfect for listening to your favorite podcast or "watching" something mindless on Netflix that doesn't require actually watching to enjoy the show. If you've already done this, or if the hard water hasn't affected your washer to the point of scale and odor yet, the next 2 steps should help you prevent this from happening. Products I love are: Thieves Cleaner, Magic Eraser, Foamy Q&A
2. Sanitize monthly. If your washer has a "clean washer" use that with either a bleach or washer cleaning tablet. If not, run it on maximum load size and a cup of bleach. You might also like to include a little bit of soap or thieves cleaner (but I received mixed reviews on that, with most moms saying it was not necessary). I'm waiting for the Affresh to arrive
3. Consider using cleaning vinegar instead of fabric softener. This was the hardest for me to try because I didn't want my clothes to come out sour. But they came out so fresh! I am very impressed. Now I'm still waiting for my "cleansing vinegar" to get here, so I just used regular white vinegar. Cleaning vinegar is 20% stronger and is said to cut through hard water. I'm looking forward to trying it on windows and mirrors, too. I'm especially interested in having a "natural" product instead of the Foamy Q&A.
Special note about Amazon #ad affiliate links: I don't vouch for the sellers, just the products. I can order Thieves for you or you can get it local from Honey Bee Natural Food behind HEB. You can get magic eraser at the grocery store, and I bought Foamy at our local janitorial supply Baxter Chemical & Pack and Ship.
