How To Clean The Inside Of Your Washer And Dryer

This weekend, The Washington Post ran a story listing 10 things in your home that you probably aren’t cleaning, but should.

The list includes a lot of things that clean freaks probably already are cleaning like their ceiling fan, mattress, and shower head, but the list also included something I’d never thought about cleaning personally: the inside of your washer and dryer.

Image: 20 Twenty

According to Beth McGee, the author of “Get Your House Clean Now: the Home Method Anyone Can Master,” the inside of your washer and dryer can build up with things like mould, mildew and lint. The lint part I certainly knew, but I had never considered there might be mould or mildew hiding inside my washer.

Cleaning it isn’t that hard. According to McGee, if you have a newer washer with a sanitizer setting you can clean it by running an empty cycle with a quarter-cup of bleach.

If you’re rocking an older washer, then run a cycle set at the largest load setting on the hottest water setting with a quarter-cup of bleach. When it’s done, leave the door open and allow the washer to air dry.

She notes that the rubber seals around the washer door can also collect mould and mildew, so you may need to wipe those down separately.