RoofRoutine
ENDE

How often should you clean the washing machine?

The short answer

A hot maintenance wash once a month, and wipe the door seal and the detergent drawer at the same time. Clean the filter every three months.

Why it smells

Washing at 30 or 40 °C with liquid detergent leaves a film of soap, fat and fibres inside the drum and the pipes. Bacteria live in that film, and a front loader's rubber seal holds water after every wash, which is why the smell starts there.

The monthly wash

The parts to wipe

Pull the rubber seal back and wipe the fold with a cloth. Take the detergent drawer out, rinse it, and clean the recess it sits in. Both take two minutes and prevent most of the problem.

The filter

Behind a small hatch at the bottom front. Put a towel and a flat dish under it, because water comes out. Coins, hairpins and lint gather there, and a blocked filter makes the machine drain slowly or stop mid cycle.

While we are here

Washing cold is better for the planet and your clothes, but a machine that only ever sees 30 °C will smell. One hot wash a month is the compromise.

Stop keeping this in your head

RoofRoutine remembers rhythms like this one for your home, and tells whichever of you is meant to do it. Your partner needs no account.

See how it works

More questions

How often should you descale a kettle?About every two months, monthly where the water is hard and every three where it is soft. How often should you change your bedsheets?Every one to two weeks. How often should you test a smoke alarm?Press the test button once a month. How often should you descale a coffee machine?Every one to three months, depending on the water and how much coffee you drink. How often should you wash towels?Bath towels after three uses, roughly weekly for one person. How often should you replace a toothbrush?Every three months, or as soon as the bristles splay. How often should you clean the dishwasher?Rinse the filter at the bottom once a month, and run a hot empty cycle with a cleaner every one to three months. How often should you vacuum?Once a week for a home without pets, twice for the rooms you actually live in. How often should you replace a kitchen sponge?Every week, and straight away if it smells. When should you change to winter tires?From October to Easter, the old rule of thumb.