How to Clean a Top-loading Washing Machine
The washing machine, now an indispensable tool for daily use. When we do more than one, we use it for washing sheets and underwear, jeans, tracksuits, and sometimes even shoes. Not to mention the blankets of our furry animal friends.
While our garments are washed and cleaned, the washing machine gets dirty, accumulates fabric fibers, dust, dirt, animal hair, and any other type of dirt that the fabrics lose. So how can we clean a washing machine, especially a top-loading washing machine?
Seal and Mold
The first enemy of the washing machine is mold. The top-loading washing machine is certainly ideal for those with little space to dedicate to the laundry, mainly because there is no risk of bumping into the open door. So why is it good to keep the washing machine door open?
Because at the end of each wash, it is good to let the washing machine dry to avoid mold formation, which leads to the consequent formation of unpleasant odors, which will also spread on our clothes.
It is a good practice to clean the door gasket daily. We can use a cloth soaked in water and bleach in equal parts of water and vinegar for the first pass and a clean cloth to remove any residues and dry the rubber.
Basin and Limestone
The compartment where we pour detergent and fabric softener always remains encrusted with these products. To clean them properly, we can use different methods. Equipped with a toothbrush and a mixture of water and a little bleach, we can pour some inside and remove the dirt once the water has softened it a little.
If the drawers are removable, we can remove them and put them to soak until the detergent residues have dissolved. In addition, adding a little baking soda to the detergent in daily washing will help prevent it from settling in the drawer and help prevent limescale build-up, one of the washing machine’s enemies.
Basket and Residues
The drum, the central and fundamental part of the washing machine. We put all our clothes in the basket, and dirt and residues of all kinds accumulate around it. For a complete washing of the drum of a washing machine with top loading, we must follow the following procedure.
First of all, we start the washing machine for an empty washing program. When the drum is filled with water, pour in a liter of bleach and leave it to act for about an hour. After this period of time, we can restart the program and finish cleaning the washing machine with top loading. If the smell of bleach bothers you, you can always replace it with half a bottle of wine vinegar.