ProudGrandma Posted October 30, 2023 Share Posted October 30, 2023 I have a top loading machine and the instructions say to put bleach in the bleach holder and run the clean washer cycle. However, I don't want to use bleach....I prefer an all natural approach... the recipe I have been told about is to use baking soda and vinegar directly in the tub and then run the clean wash cycle... the problem with that is any liquid added directly into the tub will go down the drain. So I was thinking... do you think I could add the vinegar in the bleach compartment and put the baking soda in the tub? Or has someone here done this a different way? Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prairiewindmomma Posted October 30, 2023 Share Posted October 30, 2023 The point of cleaning your washing machine is to kill any lingering bacteria, viruses, or mold. Vinegar is about 70-80% effective in killing viruses and molds/mildews. Bleach is 99.9% effective. If you are just doing a regular maintenance cleaning, put vinegar in the bleach compartment. But, if you are fighting odors or other evidence of mold, etc. I would consider bleach. I use natural cleaners 90% of the time, but I do bleach my kitchen sink and my washing machine every few months to make sure I don’t develop issues. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katy Posted October 30, 2023 Share Posted October 30, 2023 Bleach (without scents or thickeners) breaks down to salt and water after use. It’s not only fine for the environment, it’s so safe and effective it’s used to purify drinking water (if properly diluted). I use the bleach, but then I run another empty cycle afterwards with hot water. The second cycle prevents natural fabrics like cotton from getting random bleach stains, which we’ve had after self-clean cycles from time to time. 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
***** Posted October 30, 2023 Share Posted October 30, 2023 3 hours ago, Katy said: Bleach (without scents or thickeners) What do you mean by 'thickeners'? Could you please give examples of what is best to buy and not buy? Thanks! And no matter what is used, I heard to run your machine on HOT water. I have done this with bleach, and I also let the machine sit and soak for several hours. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katy Posted October 30, 2023 Share Posted October 30, 2023 1 hour ago, ***** said: What do you mean by 'thickeners'? Could you please give examples of what is best to buy and not buy? Thanks! And no matter what is used, I heard to run your machine on HOT water. I have done this with bleach, and I also let the machine sit and soak for several hours. There are new scented and “splashless” bleach that is thick and splashes less. I don’t know what they are thickened with. They’re about halfway between liquid bleach and the thick toilet gel with bleach cleansers. I do know scented or splashless bleaches cannot be safely used to sanitize drinking water. If you avoid those in favor of normal unscented and unthickened bleach, it’s fine. Restaurants are required to use cold water with their bleach solution to sanitize tables because hot water makes the bleach evaporate too fast to be effective at sanitizing. I would think the same would be true of a washing machine, but my fairly new set uses hot for that, it’s an automatic cycle I can’t adjust. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pawz4me Posted October 30, 2023 Share Posted October 30, 2023 13 minutes ago, Katy said: Restaurants are required to use cold water with their bleach solution to sanitize tables because hot water makes the bleach evaporate too fast to be effective at sanitizing. I would think the same would be true of a washing machine, but my fairly new set uses hot for that, it’s an automatic cycle I can’t adjust. FWIW, many years ago I took a child care/child safety class and we were told to dilute bleach in cold water for disinfecting/sanitizing for the same reason--it (apparently) degrades or evaporates too quickly in hot water to be effective. That's stuck with me over the years, so when (for example) bleaching white towels or anything similar I wash the load in cold, or at most warm, water. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prairiewindmomma Posted October 30, 2023 Share Posted October 30, 2023 2 hours ago, ***** said: What do you mean by 'thickeners'? Could you please give examples of what is best to buy and not buy? Thanks! And no matter what is used, I heard to run your machine on HOT water. I have done this with bleach, and I also let the machine sit and soak for several hours. You can read the back of the label and see if it gives instructions for sanitizing water. If it’s safe for that, it contains none of the additives. Chlorox uses Cetyl Betaine as its thickener, not sure what the other brands do. When I went to the store to buy bleach recently (its shelf life when open is 6 months), only one brand was available that was fragrance free and without additives. Bleach is corrosive. I am not wild about bleach soaks either. I do use cold water when I bleach my sink after meat juices, etc. Ds has a culinary license and keeps me strict with kitchen hygiene. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melissa in Australia Posted October 30, 2023 Share Posted October 30, 2023 My washing machine came with a warning to not use bleach as it deteriorates the rubber hoses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beth S Posted October 31, 2023 Share Posted October 31, 2023 I have ZERO experience with this, but there are several products called "Washing Machine Cleaner". Google, Amazon, etc. It may avoid the pitfalls of bleach. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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