Cleaning the washing machine's door seal: tips for getting a fragrant washing machine and laundry

It is well known that bad smells from clothes can sometimes be caused by the washing machine. Dirt can accumulate in the drum or other parts of the washing machine, causing these odors.

A place where dirt often tends to settle - causing a proliferation of mold and bacteria - is the rubber door seal. Here, between the gaps in the rubber, it is easy for dust, hair and other pollutants to settle.

It is necessary, then, to adopt measures to prevent this problem. Some of these are listed below:

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To prevent residue from accumulating in the door seal:

• Leave the door open after each wash to air out the interior
• Remove the laundry immediately after washing it to prevent water from stagnating and causing mold to develop.
• After removing the laundry, always make sure that there is no detergent residue in the drum and in the seal and, if so, wipe them up with a sponge.
• Always wipe the inside of the seal with a dry cloth - even if you don't see any kind of residue. This will avoid the stagnation of water in the seal.
• Periodically schedule an empty wash and pour a glass of white vinegar in the drum or detergent drawer. Doing this once every two weeks can help you to keep the various parts of the washing machine sanitized and limescale free.

If the aforementioned measures are not sufficient and mold or stains have formed inside the seal, you have two alternatives:

• Firstly, you can wet a non-abrasive sponge with vinegar and gently rub the areas to be treated. Once the stain has been removed, gently rinse off with a microfiber cloth and let dry.
• If you want to adopt a slightly stronger but very effective solution, create a solution by mixing water and sodium bicarbonate or dissolved Marseille soap and sodium bicarbonate. In both cases you will get produce cleaning compounds that can be used on the seal. Thereafter, rinse off thoroughly and let dry.

Did you already know about these tips?