Cleaning your washer? I am embarrassed to admit I did not realize that you really needed to clean your washer! So, I have had my beautiful Samsung Front Loaders for a few years now and just realized that these things need cleaned. I am going to share some really embarrassing before and after photos. Then, share what I did to get them clean.
Ok, so I have no excuse for the soap area other than I did not realize how easy it can be to cleaned. But I could clearly see it is dirty and gross and needed done.
This is the gasket just inside my washer. It’s the rubber ring around the front, as you can see there is a lot of build up just on the surface here. But it gets worse…..
Eeeep!! So gross I know! I cannot believe I let it get this bad. This is what it looked like when you pull the rubber part back. All this ick hiding from me.
I decided to take some responsibility and figure out how I need to clean this so that I can keep it for years. Also, make sure my clothes are actually getting clean!
Step 1
Take some paper towels or rags that you would be okay with throwing away and soak them in some white vinegar.
Stuff them around the inside of the gasket ring and just let them soak. I also sprayed the outside of the gasket with vinegar to let sit for a little bit.
Step 2
While that was soaking, I cleaned out the filter area. Using a Tupperware, I took the hose and uncapped the white lid and let the water drip from the hose into the Tupperware.
I set it up with a towel underneath. This way it can drip by itself for a little while.
Step 3
Next, while that was dripping I worked on my soap area. I found that I could easily remove the drawer and take out all of the pieces and just wash them in the sink. It does say that the pieces are also dishwasher friendly but it doesn’t take long to wash.
For mine, there was just a place in the back middle that I could push down on and remove the drawer from the washer.
Then, I was able to put it in my utility sink and wash all the individual pieces and the drawer. Once done I set these aside to dry.
Step 4
Then, I went back to my filter, the water should be pretty much drained by now. You can twist the white filter and take it out of the washer. This part I actually knew I needed to do every couple months so its not too bad right now.
Just wash this off in the sink. I like to use a brush as its easier to get the bristles to clean all the little holes. I also wipe out the inside area with a rag or paper towel. Then put the filter back in, add the cap back onto the hose and tuck that back up and you’re done with this part!
Step 5
On to the fun part. While you did all of this those towels soaked in vinegar hopefully loosened up some of the crud. I recommend using gloves if you have them. Take a damp towel and wipe the outside of the ring clean. The vinegar worked pretty good for me. It did take some scrubbing, especially around the plastic pieces but came pretty clean.
Then, I took the soaking towels from the inside and scrubbed a little area at a time with them and removed them. I got a clean wet towel and started to scrub what was remaining. This was tough because there are little ridges and where the fold is you need to really reach in there to get it. But in the end I am happy with the results.
I did also, take some time to clean the glass on the door and the outside of the machine. After it was all done I ran the self clean cycle, which I found is recommended to be done every 40 washes. So it’s all fresh and clean now!
It really did not take all that long once I got the hang of what I was doing. I figure I can do this all within an hour. Probably less if I don’t let it get that bad!
Now, every day I wash laundry I am keeping a rag near the washer to wipe down after my last load. I am also adding this task to my cleaning list to do every month to every two months to make sure I can maintain it. I will watch to see if I need to do it more often. Every 40 washes is about 8 – 10 weeks of laundry for me. So if you have more laundry you may want to do this more frequently.
