Woman shows how to deep clean your washing machine to get rid of dirt and grime

A TikToker has revealed the best way to get all the excess dirt and grub out of your clothes washing machine.

Content creator Caroline Solomon - a Home Organising and Lifestyle Expert based in New York - has taken to social media to answer the question that's been on all our minds.

How on earth do we clean our clothes washing machines and save our clothes from coming out dirtier and smellier than when we put them in?

Gone are the days were you're left with a build-up of sludgy water, lint and goodness knows what else left oozing out the creases and cracks of your washing machine - some likely having slimed onto your clothes as you've dragged them out - EW!

Caroline - who goes by @neat.caroline on the platform - uploaded the TikTok video to share the way she 'deep clean[s]' her washing machine.

She explains: "Pour two cups of vinegar into the detergent dispenser. Set it to drum clean if you have that option and run it on the hottest cycle.

"Once that cycle's up, you're going to add half a cup of baking soda directly to the drum and run it on the same hot cycle. Now that that's done, it smells fresh and clean."

But the hack doesn't just end there.

Caroline then sprays inside the drum with some vinegar on a microfibre cleaning cloth, wiping the cylinder down - and not forgetting the back wall either.

"Wipe the gasket with hot soapy water and microfibre cleaning cloth," the TikToker continues. "Now, just clean the inside and outside of the machine door."

If a job's worth doing, it's worth doing well and Caroline certainly leaves no fleck of dirt or grime unwiped.

"Pull out the detergent dispenser and rinse under warm, soapy water and wipe it dry. Now just wipe down this cavity so mildew and mould don't form. Go in with a clean rag" she says.

And there we have it, sparkling and looking almost brand new.

And people have flooded to the post in appreciation of Caroline's nifty cleaning hack.

One TikTok user said: "I needed this."

"I was about to buy a new washer because no matter what I did it still didn't smell clean," another commented.

However, one user warned they'd been told by a repairman that vinegar can 'rot the rubber hose and seal over time'.

Although, another responded: "Vinegar is fine to use in a washer, it's commonly used to remove clothing odors. It won't break down parts."

Either way, Caroline's washing machine certainly looks clean enough and I'm willing to try anything at this point - but feel free to check with your machine's handbook or a repairman if unsure.

Featured Image Credit: TikTok/@neat.caroline

Topics: Home, Real Life, Life, Hacks, TikTok, Social media

Poppy Bilderbeck

Poppy Bilderbeck is a Senior Journalist at LADbible Group. She graduated from The University of Manchester in 2021 with a First in English Literature and Drama, where alongside her studies she was Editor-in-Chief of The Tab Manchester. Poppy is most comfortable when chatting about all things mental health, is proving a drama degree is far from useless by watching and reviewing as many TV shows and films as possible and is such a crisp fanatic the office has been forced to release them in batches.