How to easily get rid of odor and mold in a washing machine?

Unpleasant odors and pollution in the form of black spots or dots are perhaps the most common problems when using modern automatic washing machines. Not knowing how to cope with the problem, housewives often bring the condition of the car to critical when it has to either be seriously repaired or altered completely. However, there are many proven ways to quickly get rid of odor and mold in a washing machine.

Where do odors and fungi come from?

Unfortunately, improper operation is the main cause of most problems with household appliances. Without knowing it, we ourselves make our washing machine a hotbed of bacteria, germs, fungi, that is, we create a favorable environment for their active reproduction.

The unpleasant smell in the room, on the washed laundry, allergic reactions of households and even premature failure of the washing machine - all these are possible consequences of such a “settlement”. But what does the mistress provoke him with?

The reasons for the appearance of odors are many:

• Continuous wash in fast mode at low temperature. For a fungus, indicators above 60 degrees are fatal (on a quick wash, they are much lower, and this, on the contrary, is favorable for it).
• Using a fabric softener without an extra rinse. It is more difficult to wash the conditioner than the powder, and its residues form a layer of mucus in the rinse aid compartment, which becomes thicker over time. And this is a real paradise for pathogenic microflora.
• Lack of washing powder in the arsenal of the hostess with a whitening effect. It has disinfecting properties, so it is necessary to wash white clothes with it periodically.
• The appearance of dampness. This happens if after washing you do not wipe the detergent tray and gum of the loading window dry, do not leave the machine open for drying, have the habit of throwing wet items into the machine until the next wash (doused with something or soaked with sweat).
• Poor powder or conditioner or excessive dosage of laundry detergents. At the same time, their particles adhere to the walls of the machine, and eventually begin to emit a rotten smell.
• Gradual contamination of the powder tank with detergent particles. This happens even with a normal dosage of quality powder. If the tray is not washed and not dried at least a couple of times a month, mold fungi start to breed on these “deposits”, emitting a musty smell.
• The same thing happens with a powder or air conditioning duct.
• A clogged drain filter that picks up all kinds of debris from the drum. If the filter is not cleaned at least 2-3 times a year, all its “savings” begin to decompose, becoming a source of a musty, rotten, putrid “aroma” or even a cause of “blocking” the drain.
• The old drain hose also gradually accumulates particles of garbage, detergents, due to the decomposition of which from the washing machine it stinks, as from a sewer.
• Over time, such a raid and boils on the heater. With constant "cold" washing, such a scum starts to produce a stench.
• After each wash, a little water always remains in the machine, which is not visible. If the loading window is tightly closed until the next time, this water will go out and smell accordingly.
• If you accidentally wash clothes in the pockets of which you forgot a piece of buns, cookies, chewing gum or other food, their softened leftovers will quickly start to stink.

Often, several different reasons are simultaneously layered on top of each other. But in any case, you have to clean the washing machine.

We clean the washing machine

If the smell of dampness emanates from the car, but the fungus is not visible externally, this is no reason to think that it is not there. Colonies can hide under a rubber rim or in other secret places (in a hose, discharge). You can get rid of odor and mold in an automatic washing machine at home using different methods. A very simple and quick, but at the same time very effective way to get rid of stench, fungus and dirt is to use an improvised product containing acid: mold is very afraid of it. For example, you can take citric acid or vinegar.

• Citric acid cleansing

Pour a glass of citric acid into a clean and dry powder tray and start the longest wash cycle at maximum temperature without loading laundry. After that, you will need to wipe the inside of the drum.

• Vinegar cleaning

This is a more concentrated acid, so it will need less: half a glass. The wash is turned on in the same mode. Only vinegar is poured not immediately, but after the machine has drained the first portion of water.

In addition to acids, the fungus is afraid of heat and dryness. Carry out acidic cleaning in the “hottest” mode, save the household appliance from dampness, thoroughly wiping it, leaving the door open and providing ventilation for the room. Victory will be unconditional.

Other remedies that can solve the urgent problem are soda, tablets for the dishwasher, chlorine bleach.

• Soda Cleaning

This tool is suitable for the destruction of local areas with the fungus, when it is still a little. Soda helps remove mold from accessible places: drum, detergent tank, rubber, door seal.

For processing, mix a few tablespoons of soda with water until a mushy mass is obtained, which is treated with a brush to treat fungal foci. Soda should work for about half an hour. After that, the laundry is also started “idle”, setting the maximum time and temperature. For greater efficiency, you can pour a couple of spoons of powder into the tray.

• Dishwasher Cleaning

The peculiarity of this method is that tablets (6 pieces) are not placed in the powder container, but directly in the drum. Next, start the wash, as described above. Around the middle of the cycle, you need to pause the program (or turn off the machine if it does not have such a function) and wait at least 3 hours. During this time, boiling water and the active substance of the tablet should remove the smell and mold. After this, the washing is carried out to the end.

• Cleaning with chlorine-based products

This method of eliminating odor and fungus is good for very advanced cases, but is not suitable for all machines. The instructions must necessarily indicate that the use of chlorine is permissible.

The principle is the same: long wash at high temperature without laundry. A liter of chlorine bleach should be poured into the powder tank and the wash should be started. Similarly, in the middle of the process, the machine is stopped for at least an hour and a half, after which it is started again.

At the end of the cycle, 2 cups of 9% vinegar are poured into the tank and the rinse mode is started.

After this treatment, the machine should stand open for at least a couple of days so that the chlorine and vinegar vapors disappear.

Do not try to shorten the process time and increase its efficiency by pouring chlorine and vinegar into the tray at the same time. This is a very "explosive" mixture that can harm the parts and mechanisms of the device.

During home cleaning, watch out for sounds made by the washing machine. If large pieces of plaque and scale get into the drain, they must be removed immediately, otherwise your assistant may break down. An unusual noise, whistling, rattle, buzzing is an excuse to immediately pause and check for deposits in the drum and drain.

Relapse prevention

Mold is a rather annoying and stubborn fungus. Having removed it once, you cannot be sure that it will not appear again. As soon as the conditions are favorable, the mold will settle in the washer again. To prevent this, it is important to constantly maintain an environment that is uncomfortable for her:

• after each wash, it is imperative to wipe dry all available cavities: tray, drum, seal, gum, sunroof;
• contrary to the annoying commercial, it is important to leave the window of the washing machine between the launches ajar, while the tray must be removed, washed and left to dry;
• in the room where the machine is located, there must be a ventilation system, otherwise the problem may arise due to dampness not in the machine itself, but around it;
• after the end of the washing cycle, the laundry should be removed immediately, not allowing it to keep the drum wet;
• Do not store dirty things in the drum - there are special baskets or tanks for this. Otherwise, a stale smell will appear in the machine (even if the laundry is dry, it must have microorganisms on it, and particles of dried food, dead skin cells of our skin, stubborn sweat or other secretions are a great environment for their reproduction);
• when using the air conditioner, it is better to pour it in less than the norm, than more, and it is imperative to start an additional rinse to wash the rest of the product;
• rinse and powder should be of high quality, you can not save on them for the benefit of the development of the fungus;
• once a month, it is necessary to treat the machine’s cavities with as hot water as possible with the help of “idle” washing at the maximum time and temperature - such prevention will allow you to regularly get rid of microorganisms and fungi, preventing them from multiplying;
• every six months it is advisable to “drive off” the washing machine without washing with citric acid;
• the hose and filter also require cleaning at least once every six months.

Any problem is always easier to prevent than then look for ways to solve it. The smell and mold in the automatic machine is no exception. If preventive measures are not followed, in a favorable environment, the fungus and the accompanying “aroma” will certainly appear, even if they did not exist before. Well, if there were - you need to take care of the machine in enhanced mode.