How to use a lemon and toothpaste to clean your washing machine

Do you open your washing machine and smell a musty odour coming from inside? That's a sign that mould is developing. How can you get rid of it? Use a product you already have in your bathroom.

Many people put off washing machine cleaning until it starts emitting an unpleasant odour. That's a sign that mould has developed inside. This problem appears in many homes, but it can be resolved easily.

You can find many products in stores dedicated to cleaning washing machines. Don't want to spend money? Try one of the home remedies. You only need a few ingredients you likely already have in your kitchen or bathroom.

Baking soda is a versatile product with a wide range of uses. You can add it to baked goods or use it to clean and disinfect surfaces. It has antibacterial, antifungal, and whitening properties. You can use it to clean the washing machine, but this method doesn't always work. Sometimes, baking soda can't handle the unpleasant smell.

In such a situation, most of us turn to vinegar. Like baking soda, it has disinfecting, whitening, and fungicidal properties. Just pour it into the detergent compartment and set the program below 60°C. Vinegar combined with hot water will get rid of the mould and impurities. This method has one major disadvantage—the vinegar smell lasts for many hours.

However, one more method eliminates the need for baking soda or vinegar. You only need two things for this—a lemon and a tube of toothpaste. Citric acid dissolves the limescale and removes the mould, while the toothpaste thoroughly cleans the drum and leaves a pleasant, minty smell.

How to do it? Remove the laundry and put a halved lemon and half a tube of toothpaste into the drum. Close the door and set the program to the highest possible temperature. After the cycle is finished, the washing machine will be sparkling clean. Repeat the process once every three months, and you'll forget about mould.

Cleaning the washing machine shouldn't be limited to the drum, door, and seals. Dirt from fabrics accumulates inside the seals and can eventually turn into mould. Before you start cleaning, grab a paper towel, soak it in hydrogen peroxide, and wipe the inside of the seals and door. Hydrogen peroxide will remove mould spores and any dirt.