Mums are sharing their incredible cleaning hacks that get your gross washing machine looking like new
Which one will you try?
They’re the modern-day blessing that saves us scrubbing our clothes by hand, but you’d probably be very surprised to see exactly what goes on behind the scenes of your dear old washing machine.
If your clothes and linens are coming out of the wash a little musty, it might just be that your machine needs a little TLC itself. But before you call in the professionals or start pulling apart your machine to find the funk, you might want to try these hacks shared by fellow mums that get the job done, as easily as doing a load of washing.
The pictures speak for themselves. And some of them are saying “eeewwww!”
These mum-approved hacks will get your washer looking like new.
Hack #1: Four common household ingredients
A cleaning-mad mum has revealed a quick, cheap and easy way to clean dirty washing machines using common household items.
The woman shared her tip on a cleaning group on Facebook, saying all you need to use are four ingredients: washing-up liquid, an old toothbrush, bicarbonate of soda and white vinegar.
She explained how she rinsed the drawer in household washing-up liquid, then used an old toothbrush to ensure every corner was scrubbed.
Washing machine drawer before.
Next, she wiped away some of the loosened grime, then used a combination of bicarbonate of soda and white vinegar to remove odours and smells from the drawer.
Lastly, she gave it a spray with a mould and mildew spray and soaked it in hot water before running the machine on a hot wash to remove any last traces of dirt.
Washing machine drawer after.
Yay, no more mould or dirt on clothes! Many members in the group said they were keen to give it a go.
“Wow, great job,” wrote one woman. “Mine looks like your before photo. On my list to do this week.”
Another added: “I didn’t even realise the inside, where the drawer goes, got like this!”
Hack #2: Dishwasher tablets
It’s the cleaning hack that’s taken Australia by storm since it first appeared on New Idea Food in 2020, with millions of people using dishwashing tablets to give their washing machines a super clean.
The simple trick went viral after a washing machine technician revealed that popping a dishwashing tablet in your drum and putting it on the clean cycle once a fortnight was the perfect way to keep your appliance crystal clean – without spending a lot of money!
But in a new twist, hundreds of mums have taken the viral hack to a new level – claiming that if you use four dishwashing tablets on a hot cycle, you’ll get the best results by far!
The dirt that came out of a regular washing machine after cleaning with four dishwasher tablets.
One Facebook user said: “I tried one dishwashing tablet and the water that I collected in a bucket from my machine wasn’t too dirty. But then, after reading other posts where people had used four dishwashing tablets I tried that and WOW. The water was almost black, I couldn’t believe it. I am so doing this every fortnight, massive results!”
Mums Who Clean member Stacey reveals the amazing results she achieved from using four dishwashing tablets.
Other converts have also inundated the hugely popular Mums Who Clean Facebook group to share their amazing results from using four dishwashing tablets – not one.
Another member, Jenny said: “I AM EXCITED!! I followed the lady who was following the lady who put four dishwasher tablets in the washing machine. This is the second rinse of water. No wonder everything’s been smelling musty 🤮”
She adds: “I have a front loader, this works in top or front. 4 tablets (I used the standard cheap Woolworths brand ones). Hottest cycle (mine was 95degrees for 1.5hrs)”
Jenny revealed the dirty water that was flushed from her washing machine after using four dishwashing tablets on a hot cycle.
Another Facebook user reveals the murky water that was flushed from her washing machine after doing the dishwashing tablet hack.
Another member Lauren showed off the super black water produced after using the four dishwashing tablets – and says this was just three weeks after cleaning it with a specialist product.
She writes: “Someone suggested on here yesterday that they put 4 dishwasher tablets in their washing machine and run the hottest cycle to clean their machine. Thought I’d try it out. I’ve put 2 of those pine o cleen washing machine cleaners through it recently too!”
Wow! Which of these hacks will you try?
