So we all know living in London can be expensive. Whether it’s East, North, Central or wherever, what with the extortionate travel costs and the price of a pint going up daily, rent or mortgage is always a big drain. Even with a carefully constructed budget it can still be difficult. One way to lessen that cost is by sharing a house or flat, and that certainly comes with its own set of troubles… Today, we’re going to try and rid you of one of them.
You certainly don’t have enough money to replace your washing machine regularly, so why not take action to elongate it’s life? With a lot of people in one house, utilities and appliances can be in use almost constantly. All that use means they’re just going to get worn out a lot faster. Not to mention, with the washing loads of multiple people, it’s going to get dirty quicker. ‘Dirty washing machine? But it cleans my clothes, it won’t really need cleaning, right?’, we hear you say, and yes, you do in fact need to clean your washing machine I’m afraid. When your washing machine is dirty it’s not going to be anywhere near as effective at getting your clothes clean, which will probably mean you’ll end up putting more detergent in to counteract this. Don’t! Extra detergent in every load will not only be increasing your detergent costs but it will be shortening the life of your clothes! Adding more chemicals means your clothing gets worn out quicker and then you’re just spending more money on new clothes every year. No thank you. These things get grotty quickly. Keeping your washing machine sparkly clean will mean that your laundry is super fresh and you’re also going to be elongating the life of your appliance. Here at Glimmr we love life hacks that save us money.
Why Clean Your Washing Machine?
Often the inside of your washing machine doesn’t appear to be dirty, but put your head in, can you smell that musty damp? That’s mildew, and it’s not doing your clothes any favours. This is usually caused by a gradual build-up of cleaning fluids preventing the machine from draining properly, there’ll be water trapped in the detergent dispenser sitting there getting stagnant and disgusting. This sounds bad, but don’t worry, it’s a really easy fix.
Method One: An Easy Fix
A great thing to do regularly is to remove your detergent dispenser and give it a thorough clean. It’s remarkable how much of a difference this makes. If possible, remove this part and soak it in hot soapy water before giving it a good scrub. Slot it back in and see how much cleaner your clothes smell. It really is a revelation.
For those of you looking for a serious deep clean, we’re impressed, good on you. Here at Glimmr we use these really great methods for getting washing machines back to a level of cleanliness that could be brand new, and lucky you we’re sharing our secrets.
Method Two: A Deep Clean
Go get yourself some ‘soda crystals’, they’re made of sodium carbonate, and they are brilliant at breaking down that clogged up grime. When mixed with water they produce a moderately alkaline solution – not so strong as to hurt your machine, but perfect for disintegrating the built-up cleaning fluids and muck. These are such a handy essential tool for any basic cleaning kit and can be purposed to many different tasks – get yourself some!
So, take your miraculous soda crystals, measure out around 500g for a standard household sized washing machine and pop it into the same place you pour your detergent. Double check you haven’t left any laundry in the drum, because your clothes probably can’t withstand this intense wash, then run your machine on its absolute hottest setting. This will descale the grubby inside of your machine and with any luck clear out any blockages.
Once you’ve done this, take a damp cloth and wipe the inside of the machine, paying close attentions to the door seal as these rubber seals are the perfect environment for mould and mildew to develop. This will remove any residue from the soda crystal cleaning and leave your washer looking sparkling. Incidentally, you should give your washing machine door seals a wipe after each wash and leave the drum door open to allow any residual moisture to evaporate, drying it out ensures that mould can’t grow.
Method Three: A Deeper Clean
Take about 30g of baking soda, 50ml water, 200ml vinegar. Mix these to combine, then use the now frothing solution and a firm brush to get to work on the drum of your machine. Don’t scrub the rubber seals with the firm brush though as it may damage them and you definitely don’t want them damaged, that how your flood your room with soapy water. Once you’ve given the drum a really good scrub grab a soft, clean sponge and rinse away the mixture with clean water, you may want to do this a couple of times as you probably don’t want your clothes to smell of vinegar. And that’s it. Pretty simple, right? A straightforward clean that will keep your machine happy and healthy, and your clothes fresh and clean.
If you are looking for a cleaner East London, then look no beyond then Glimmr. Contact us today!