5 Easy Ways to Clean Your HE Front Load Washer with Natural Ingredients

 

5 Easy Ways to Clean Your HE Front Load Washer with Natural Ingredients
Keeping your HE Front Load Washer clean is a bit different than the older style washers because of the physical shape and places for mold or mildew to grow.  We learned through personal experience that it is important to proactively clean our washing machine and to make sure that baby socks do not get stuck in the rubber area inside of the door!  

1. Let it air out by keeping the door and drawer open.
After a load of laundry, leave the detergent drawer open, as well as, the door.  If everything is closed and there is still moisture in there, the dark and damp environment may help to breed mold and/or mildew.  Personally,  our washing machine started to smell and that is what clued me in that we needed to take more care in keeping our HE washer clean.

2. Check for small items that may have become lost.
Our washing machine was collecting baby socks in the rubber seal area.  I had no idea for months. The socks were wet, gross, and smelled awful!  I even gagged as I removed them from the rubber seal area. Be sure to check this area in case small items get stuck here! 

3. Wipe it clean.
Wipe the inside of your washer and the rubber seal area clean with white vinegar. We use a soft sponge to clean this area.  If your rubber seal is like the one on our washer, make sure to thoroughly clean the entire area, including where the area presses in slightly.

4. Wash the detergent drawer.
The detergent drawer for our washing machine is removable.  I remove and wash by hand with dish soap and water.  I then hand dry the detergent drawer and reinsert it.  I use HE liquid laundry detergent and am able to see some buildup on the detergent drawer, so I think that it is important to clean this area.

5. Run white vinegar through a cycle.
Use approximately 1/2 cup of vinegar and run through a hot cycle.  This should be an empty load - don't add your laundry when you do this.   There are also brand-name products that are specifically targeted toward cleaning HE washers that are helpful too, but we happened to have a large gallon of vinegar and have using it to help with cleaning.

We follow the first two tips every time that we use our HE washer.  I wipe it clean as mentioned in #3 about twice per month.  I wash the detergent drawer once per month.  I only run white vinegar through a cycle when I sense that there is a bad smell or once every few months. These tips are all easy to do, although the last tip takes a bit of time to run an extra cycle.   Of course, I am not an expert and you should always consult the manufacturer of your HE washing machine to ask if they approve of these tips, especially since there are so many different brands and models of HE washing machines.

Do you have tips for helping people to keep their HE Washers clean?

A final discussion
When the HE washer finishes, it says that it is sending information to my dryer.  I would love to know exactly what the washing machine is telling the dryer!  I wonder if they are sending information about my clothing choices or level of smell.   Now that I've shared my cleaning tips, if anyone has insight into what the washer is telling the dryer, please let me know. I am super curious!