Have you ever opened your washing machine to put away your freshly washed laundry, only to be hit with the aroma of a damp basement instead of the clean smell? Let's face it - despite all the "ultra-mega-hygienic" capsules and smart features with a phone app, even the most modern washing machines fail. In fact, most users forget one crucial step: cleaning the machine itself.
Inside washing machine Residue builds up with each wash detergent, limescale, mold and bacteria that cause unpleasant odors and reduce washing efficiency. Professional washing machine cleaners are often full of harsh chemicals that are not kind to the environment – or your wallet. Fortunately, there is a simple, effective and completely natural way that has been the secret weapon of grandmothers and resourceful housewives for decades: baking soda and white vinegar.
How to clean a washing machine with baking soda and vinegar
This method relies on the natural properties of both ingredients – vinegar as a disinfectant and anti-limescale agent, and baking soda as a mild abrasive and odor neutralizer. Together, they create a residue-free, toxin-free cleaning solution without the need for expensive specialty cleaners.
1. Preparing the appliance
Before starting, check that the drum is empty and that there are no laundry residues in the machine. Open the detergent dispenser and, if possible, clean it by hand with lukewarm water, as detergent deposits and mold often accumulate there.
2. Vinegar in the dispenser
Pour detergent into the detergent drawer. 1 cup of white vinegar (approximately 250 ml). White vinegar has the ability to break down limescale, soap scum, and bacterial deposits that otherwise hide in the pipes and rubber parts of the machine. This measure ensures that the vinegar is distributed throughout all the internal channels of the washing system.
3. Baking soda in the drum
Pour directly into the drum 1/2 cup baking soda (approximately 100 g). Baking soda acts as a natural abrasive that mechanically helps remove accumulated dirt, while also neutralizing unpleasant odors and having a slight antibacterial effect.
4. Hot wash cycle without laundry
Set your washing machine to the highest temperature (recommended 90°C) and select the longest cycle. The hot water activates the vinegar and baking soda, causing a mild chemical reaction that mechanically and chemically cleans the inside of the machine – from the drum, through the hoses, to hidden corners that you can't reach with regular cleaning.
Why This Method Works (and Why Everyone Should Use It)
White vinegar contains acetic acid, which has a strong antimicrobial effect, and is also extremely effective in dissolving mineral deposits - limescale, which is mainly formed in hard water. Baking soda is alkaline and therefore reacts with vinegar, which further accelerates the cleaning and decomposition of organic substances. In addition, soda acts as a neutralizer of acidic residues, thus preventing corrosion of metal parts of the machine.
It is therefore a natural, yet chemically designed reaction that works on several levels: mechanical removal, disinfection, dissolution of limescale and neutralization of odors. Regular use of this method, recommended once a month, significantly extends the life of the washing machine, improves washing efficiency and – as a bonus – reduces detergent consumption, as it will no longer adhere to existing deposits.
Keep your washing machine as clean as your conscience after reading this article.
Although it sounds almost too simple to work – in this case, it really is true: less is more. No chemicals, no advertising gimmicks and no need for new “miracle drum cleaning capsules”. Just baking soda, vinegar and hot water.
And the next time someone complains about the smell of your laundry, you can safely invite them to smell the drum of your washing machine. It will probably smell better than many perfumes with exotic names.
