Clean Your Washer & Dryer

6 Materials
$2
1 Hour
Easy
My washer and dryer are very well loved with our family of 4. Besides doing around 11 loads of regular laundry at a minimum every week (I know, right?!!!), it has to clean baseball gear, dance wear and costumes, pillows, blankets & bedding, and more. I figured it was about time to give it a little TLC and a deep cleaning to help them last.

In a squirt bottle place 1 part vinegar and 10 parts water.  If you don't like the smell you can use a table spoon of lemon juice.  Or if you'd rather you could use dish soap and water as well.
Spray down the entire exterior of both your washer and drier and wipe it clean with a wash cloth or microfiber towel.  Make sure to get the surface, buttons/dials, and all the nooks and crannies.  
Spray with the vinegar mixture and use a tooth brush to get in tough spots like the bleach spout, the lid, etc.
In my washing machine the center spinning part gets built up film, and it turns brown in color.  Use a magic eraser to clean that right up as well as any other tough spots.
In your washer make sure to get on top and around the tub of the washing machine.  There is a lot of dirt and dust that collects up there.
For the tub itself, place 1 quart (4 cups) of vinegar in your tub and fill all the way up with hot water.  Run your regular wash cycle.  Again you can add lemon juice to cut the smell of the vinegar if you like.  Once it's complete you can opt to do a second rinse cycle if you like. When the cycle is done, wipe it out with a clean cloth.
Spray the vinegar mixture inside your dryer, as well as on all surfaces as you did with your washer and wipe clean with a wash cloth or microfiber cloth. 
Use a toothbrush to get the dirt and grime up from tough spots.  Mine collected by the lint trap.
My dryer came with a bristle wand.  I use that do dig down and get the extra lint out that my lint trap might not have trapped.
I also use my vacuum cleaner with the wand attachment to suck out the lint trap.
I spray my lint trap with the vinegar mixture and use a toothbrush to scrub it clean.
Rise the lint trap off and let it dry.  If it's good and clean the water will run through the trap, if it's not clean enough the water will not go through the mesh.
My washer and dryer look great and are all clean. Mine are almost 18 years old! Just a little TLC like this will keep them working well for a long time.


I would love to have you stop by my blog    Chas' Crazy Creations  for the full tutorial as well as sign up for my latest creations, posts, recipes, exclusives, and more...


I would love for you to subscribe to my YouTube channel to see more of my crazy creations - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIOsMN7hycVRco-MROXwmXg
Resources for this project:
See all materials
Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.
Hometalk may collect a small share of sales from the links on this page.More info
Chas' Crazy Creations
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
Go
Frequently asked questions
Have a question about this project?
3 of 7 questions
  • Melinda Moxley Melinda Moxley on Jun 28, 2018

    Could u use Hydrogen peroxide to clean them instead??

  • JC JC on May 14, 2019

    My washer has fabric softener dispenser in the center of the agitator and has built up softener really bad. How can I clean this?

  • Joyce Dobeck Joyce Dobeck on Sep 06, 2021

    Have a front loading washer. Any suggestions for deep cleaning this model? Can’t pour a quart of vinegar into tub. 😊 thank you!

Comments
Join the conversation
4 of 74 comments
Next