Laundry is a chore we all face.....no matter what type of home we live in.  With 3 teenagers in the house, believe me, laundry is a daily ritual in my home and my machines certainly get a workout! I inherited the washing machine and dryer with the house and have had no complaints other than the washer had begun to smell musty and was not cleaning as well as it was.  Before I began my quest for a brand new fancy front loading machine, the practical side of me sought out some solutions.  And a solution did I find....which I will share with you!

Who knew you had to "clean" your washing machine on a regular basis.  Well.....I didn't! But wow, what a difference it makes!My whites have never been whiter and my brights have never been brighter! 

Put the machine on the heaviest or longest wash cycle and start filling the tub with hot water.  While it is filling, add 1 litre of liquid bleach.  Let the machine agitate for 1 minute, then stop the cycle and let it sit for 1 hour.  While sitting, I cleaned the outside of the machine with lysol wipes to disinfect the entire surface.  After 1 hour, let the machine finish its cycle.

Once that cycle is done, once again put the machine on the heaviest or longest wash cycle and fill the tub once again with hot water.  This time, add 1 litre of white vinegar to the water and again, let the machine agitate for 1 minute before stopping the cycle and letting it sit for an hour.  After an hour, let the cycle finish and voila, you have a clean and sanitized washing machine ready for its next dirty load!

This blog post is dedicated to my brother-in-law who is Mr. Clean himself!!  Apologies to my sister to whom he will no doubt insist she now also does on a regular basis!!