Almost every family has a washing machine, which greatly facilitates the life of women. But in order for this household appliance to serve for a long time and without complaints, it needs special care. It is no secret that during the heating of water a lot of scale is formed, which gradually settles on the working parts of the machine and eventually leads to serious damage. In order to clean the washer, you can use special descaling powders and liquids, or you can resort to an inexpensive but effective method. Not all hostesses know how to clean a washing machine with vinegar, but this is quite valuable information.
Causes of contamination of the washing machine and possible consequences
Before cleaning the washing machine from scale with vinegar, you need to make sure that cleaning is really necessary in this case. In addition, for general development, it does not hurt to know where most of the limescale is formed. If you look into the middle of a washing machine that has been in operation for more than one year, you can see that its plastic and metal parts are covered with a dirty coating that is difficult to remove with a rag. There can be several reasons for such deposits, but most often they combine to cause scale formation.
- The water that enters the machine is too hard or not sufficiently purified.
- There are a lot of chemicals in the powder used for washing.
- The washing machine is constantly operated in the intensive washing mode.
It is worth considering that many corners in which dirt has accumulated are completely inaccessible for cleaning.Hands do not crawl into hard-to-reach places, and using something sharp and thin is dangerous, as it can damage the equipment. Therefore, over time, dirt accumulates more and more and as a result, the machine simply breaks down. Washing machine repairs are usually expensive, so in order not to go to the extreme, you need to take care of the washer in advance. Cleaning the washing machine with vinegar will not take much time and effort, but the result will be obvious, all working parts of the unit will be effectively washed from scale.
Scale formation mechanism
Water in the tap is hard if it contains a lot of calcium and magnesium salts. When water is heated, they enter into a chemical reaction, which produces carbon dioxide and a solid precipitate. This solid sediment, along with dirt particles, settles on the heating element and other parts of the machine. A heating element covered with a layer of scale does not conduct heat well, as a result of which the water heats up longer, and more electricity is consumed. And the dirt that is in the water gradually clogs the exhaust valve and reduces its service life.
See if there is scale on the heating element, every hostess can. As a rule, the heating element of the machine is located directly under the drum or is slightly shifted to the side. It is necessary to take a flashlight and shine it into the holes of the drum, trying to see the heating element, to complete the picture, the drum can be shaken a little to fully see the desired detail.
On machines that have been operating for more than one year, lime deposits accumulate in large quantities, so such equipment simply needs to be descaled.
It is important to know that most of the dirt enters the machine after turning off the water or after repairs!
How to clean your machine with vinegar
Many housewives are wondering if it is possible to clean the washer with vinegar? This is not only possible, but necessary. By cleaning the washer with vinegar, you can get rid of not only lime deposits, but also the unpleasant smell. According to the reviews of experienced housewives, after such a procedure, the washing machine heats the water faster and makes less noise when heated. However, not everyone knows how much vinegar to add, so they often pour it just by eye.
To qualitatively clean the washer with vinegar in normal home conditions, you should adhere to the following algorithm:
- Before pouring vinegar into the machine, all things are removed from the drum, as they can be damaged during cleaning.
- To wash the heating element and other working parts, it is necessary to take 9% acetic acid. Two glasses of vinegar are poured directly into the drum of the washing machine.
- On the typewriter, the machine selects the longest mode with a high temperature and starts it.
- When the water in the machine warms up well, pause for about an hour. This is necessary so that the vinegar penetrates all nooks and crannies and dissolves the layer of scale.
- After an hour, washing with vinegar in the washing machine continues until the end of the cycle.
- From time to time it is necessary to clean the drain filter from scale. But this can only be done when the water is completely drained and the machine is turned off.Otherwise, when you pull out the filter, all the water that is in the drum will flow out onto the floor.
- Dilute 50 ml of vinegar in a liter of water. The resulting solution will wash the rubber cuff of the washing machine well, as well as plastic parts.
- To wash off the vinegar that was used in the wash, the machine is turned on for a quick wash. During this time, the remnants of acetic acid and scale will have time to completely wash off.
Some housewives, for greater effect, descale the washing machine with citric acid powder and vinegar at the same time. To do this, pour a glass of 9% vinegar and pour a tablespoon with a slide of citric acid. Turn on in the same way for the longest mode and high temperature.
Powder drawer cleaning
The powder receiver gets dirty very often, in addition to powder residues, scale also forms on it. To wash this important detail, you need to take a large basin or bucket, pour 5 liters of water into it and add one and a half glasses of vinegar. The powder compartment is carefully removed from the washer and placed in the resulting acetic solution, where it must be kept for about a day. After the allotted time has passed, take a soft sponge and carefully wash off the remaining dirt from the container.
You can clean your washing machine with vinegar and baking soda. To do this, take two tablespoons of baking soda and a spoonful of vinegar, mix until gruel. The resulting composition is applied to the contaminated parts of the washing machine and kept for about 2 hours, after which they are cleaned with an old toothbrush and washed. Such a tool is also applied to the compartment where the powder receiver is inserted.
After cleaning with vinegar, the powder compartment must be rinsed well with running water. The rubber tubes through which water enters the drum break very quickly when interacting with vinegar.
Advantages and disadvantages of the method
Cleaning the washing machine with ordinary household vinegar has both advantages and disadvantages. The advantages of this method include:
- The price of vinegar is low, so this method of getting rid of scale is available to all segments of the population.
- Acetic acid effectively eliminates unpleasant odors.
- Thanks to vinegar, the parts of the machine are cleaned of mold, and the laundry no longer smells of charm.
There are also many disadvantages to this method of cleaning the washer, but if everything is done wisely, then they become almost invisible. So, after using acetic acid as a detergent in the room where the washing machine is installed, the vinegar smell is very noticeable. To get rid of it, it is enough to put an additional rinse and open the windows in the dwelling for ventilation.
If you do not follow the correct dosage of vinegar, or if this substance is highly concentrated, then you may encounter an unfortunate consequence, such as failure of the rubber cuff.
Is it possible to wash clothes with vinegar
Some hostesses add 9% vinegar to the washing machine during washing to prevent lime deposits. This method is also quite rational and allows not only to prevent scale, but also to wash clothes well.It is especially good to pour vinegar while washing cotton linen or towels. This substance removes dirt well, removes stubborn stains, refreshes colors on colored linen and returns the original whiteness to white things.
To wash clothes with the addition of vinegar, it is necessary to add 50 ml of a 9% solution of acetic acid to the powder compartment, while the detergent can be any - powder or gel. Things are washed at high temperature for at least an hour.
To rinse the laundry, a small amount of vinegar is also added, just 2-3 tablespoons are enough, which are poured into the powder compartment during the last rinse. This approach allows you to refresh the colors on the fabric and greatly facilitates subsequent ironing.
Ordinary food vinegar is able to quickly remove scale from the heating element and other parts of the washing machine. Thanks to periodic washing with this substance, the machine starts to work better, and its service life is significantly increased.
