Methods for cleaning the washing machine from mold

With the advent of a washing machine in the house, the owners have significantly reduced the number of worries with cleaning clothes. But one day, when you open the door to load the wash, you will smell a strange smell of dampness. A close inspection will most likely show mold on the rubber seal. And the washed clothes are riddled with a strange mustiness. Especially if you do not have a special basket for storing things before washing, but throw everything into the washing drum.

What is mold

Mold is insidious in that it manifests itself at first in inconspicuous and hard-to-reach places. It is detected when an entire colony of fungi appears and the characteristic musty odor spreads.

Mold is a microscopic fungus that multiplies rapidly under two conditions:

• sugar, as a constituent of the carbohydrate part of most food;
• humidity as the main habitat and development for the fungus and its spores.

Mold is difficult to remove in one go. You can peel off the top layer of the mushroom colony, but the spores still remain in the structure of the material and germinate again.

Why is she dangerous

If you find dark spots on the washing machine, you are at risk for the health of all family members.

Spores of the fungus, being in an open space, do not have a detrimental effect on a person. Getting into a closed room, for example, a bathroom, where a washing room is usually located, mold begins to regularly penetrate the human body. Since mold multiplies rapidly in a humid environment, the number of fungal spores that end up on the skin, mucous membranes and in the respiratory tract of a person is estimated in the billions.

Especially dangerous are mycotoxins, which mold produces in large quantities. They contribute to a decrease in immunity in children and elderly people, have a detrimental effect on the health of pets, and cause frequent colds in households. In a house where the fungus lives regularly, inflammation of the mucous membrane occurs, for example, conjunctivitis, thrush, stomatitis. Problems are exacerbated in people prone to allergic reactions. The case can come to asthma, eczema and other serious, difficult to treat diseases.

Mold is a powerful allergen that can exist and multiply inside a person or pet, constantly poisoning the host's body with its toxins.

What are the reasons for the appearance of mold in the washing machine

Mold appears in the washing machine for a number of reasons:

1. If you wash constantly in the economy mode for a short wash at medium and low temperatures up to 60 degrees. In this case, there is no proper disinfection of the drum and the entire unit.
2. If you ignore descaling the washing machine. No matter how wonderful and expensive your technique is, moisture and residues of cleaning agents accumulate in it over time.
3. If you abuse inexpensive rinses. They leave a layer of mucus on the walls of the washing machine, in which fungal colonies feel great.
4. If you use cheap powders without bleaching. In this case, there are no active chemical components in the mixture that inhibit the life of the mold.

How to remove mold from a washing machine using folk methods

Fungal mold in the washing machine does not like:

• chemical acids that destroy the structure of the fungus and its spores;
• the high temperature at which the vital activity of the mold is inhibited;
• a dry space in which the existence and reproduction of a fungal organism is impossible.

Our grandmothers knew how to get rid of mold in the washing machine. After using folk cleansers, it is recommended to additionally use chemical agents to consolidate the effect and get rid of the fungus forever:

1. Acetic acid. Blot generously with mold habitat, especially hard-to-reach areas, joints and seams. After 5-7 minutes, start gently brushing off the fungus. Rinse with clean water. Can be additionally cleaned with baking soda. Then rinse again with plenty of clean water. It helps if half a glass of 9% acetic acid is poured into the detergent compartment and run a dry wash at a high temperature.
2. The baking soda will help remove black mold from the washing machine. Dilute it with water to a slurry consistency and treat the parts of the washing machine with a sponge. Then rinse with clean water.
3. Citric acid relieves the washing machine not only of the colony of microorganisms, but also of scale on the parts. If you have crystalline powder, pour it into the powder receptacle. Citric acid diluted with water is poured directly into the drum. Then run the machine on the longest wash at a high temperature to remove any acid residues.
4. Treat the affected areas with 100 grams of copper sulfate diluted in 10 liters of water. This is a particularly effective method for newly emerging mold. After processing with such a mixture, the fungus disappears forever. Otherwise, it is recommended to repeat the procedure.
5. Sometimes camphor balls, laid out right in the drum of the washing machine, help. This is an excellent prophylaxis against the appearance of harmful microorganisms, which can be carried out between washings.
6. Tea tree oil. It is an excellent antiseptic that disinfects and prevents the fungus from developing. Add a teaspoon of the product to the spray bottle, spray the mixture inside the washing machine and in the bathroom. Before using the technique, it is advisable to turn on the wash at idle mode in order to remove the oil from the inner surfaces.

Removing mold with special products

What to do if mold appears on the rubber band of the washing machine? Cleaning products are much more effective than home cleaners because they remove mold quickly and usually permanently.

Since the fungus is often invisible, it is recommended as a preventive measure to continue to treat the affected areas every 2-3 days for several weeks:

1. Domestos. Like any chlorine-containing agent, it inhibits the vital activity of the fungus, destroys its spores.
2. “Dressing duck” and other sanitary ware cleaners. They are adapted to fight various harmful microorganisms and eliminate unpleasant odors from washing machines. Treat the details of the technique with a product, especially pay attention to the seams and the rubber cuff. Then run a dry wash.
3. You can perfectly remove fungus, dirt and limescale ordinary "Whiteness". Pour a liter of whiteness into the detergent container. Start the wash and then repeat the process with clean water.

How to remove mold odor

It is important to keep the washing machine dry and avoid wet spots. Store a bag with a mixture of salt and crushed activated carbon in the drum between washes. This will absorb all foreign odors. The washing machine will thank you.

Preventive recommendations

What can you do to prevent mold colonies from returning to your washing machine? Follow these simple rules and you will get rid of the fungal trouble forever:

• wipe dry all parts of the washing machine after use;
• clean the powder container from residues and remove moisture;
• do not leave damp laundry in the drum; as soon as you see a black coating, act immediately;
• if you prefer the “quick wash” mode, once a month for preventive maintenance, run the machine for a long cycle with high temperatures;
• once every six months, clean the machine from scale and fungal spores with citric acid, soda or vinegar;
• do not use inexpensive fabric softeners and rinses, which leave moist mucus on the walls of the unit;
• check the condition of the filter, hoses and pipes where mold and mildew can accumulate. The elastic is the most vulnerable spot.

Mold in the washing machine is fixable. Make it a rule to regularly inspect the condition of the washing machine and prevent the reappearance of the fungus.

Video: how to clean a washing machine from mold