How to Clean Stains From Washing Machine Drums
Over time, every washing machine drum will develop some stains. They may be due to minerals in your water, cheap detergents or just plain wear and tear. Regardless of the root cause of the stains, they must be removed so that you do not end up with matching stains on your clothes over time or with a washing machine that leaves clothes with a gray or brownish tint. Fortunately, cleaning off your washing machine drum is a far easier process than you might expect. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
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Run the washing machine through an entire cycle on empty. Set the water temperature to hot and the level to full. Add 2 cups of vinegar to the mix. This will loosen up mineral deposits and probably remove a fair amount of staining on its own.
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Wipe down the interior of the washing machine using the soft rag and bleach. Many of the stains will come away with little scrubbing. Make sure that you wash the top of the drum, which is under the rim of the washing machine opening and out of sight. You can access it simply by reaching under the rim. Wear your rubber gloves whenever you are dealing with bleach to protect your hands and skin.
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Run the washing machine through another hot, full cycle. This time, add 2 cups of lemon juice. This will further loosen up stains and grime. At this point, you will probably start to notice a serious improvement in the appearance of your washing machine drum.
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4
Clean out the holes in the sides of the drum with Q-tips dipped in bleach. You must always use soft materials when cleaning washing machine drums because abrasive materials will destroy the interior and leave it susceptible to rust and erosion from the water. Dip a Q-tip in bleach and insert the bleach-saturated cotton into each hole individually. Rotate the Q-tip to get any grime that still is hanging on around the interior rim of the hole.
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Wipe the entire interior of the washing machine down with the soft bleach rag. This should remove any final stains from the drum. If there are any stubborn stains left, treat them with the bleach using the rag, then let them sit for about ten minutes before scrubbing them down again.
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Run the washing machine through one more empty cycle. As before, this should be set to hot and full. This will clean out the rest of the cleaning materials, and you should have a bright and beautiful washing machine drum interior that will yield you great laundry when you are done.
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Tips & Warnings
Work in a well-ventilated area when dealing with bleach and cleaning supplies.
