Mum reveals GENIUS two-minute hack that stops laundry smelling of damp

12 December 2018, 11:00 | Updated: 5 December 2019, 16:46

How to stop your washing smelling mouldy: mum reveals genius hack to keep laundry fresh

We all know there's nothing worse than doing a big load of washing, realising it smells of damp, then having to decide whether to go through the effort of putting it again or accepting your fate of wearing mouldy clothes for the next week.

But now, finally, we have a solution to this ever-prevalent problem.

Read more: Creative mum shares genius hack that keeps her baby asleep while she has a coffee break

A mum has revealed that there's a really simple way to make sure this nightmare never happens - and it only takes two minutes.

Many of us are guilty of not giving our washing machines a regular scrub (they're self-cleaning, surely?), but the mum of two claims that making sure the rubber seal inside it is free from mould will keep your washing smelling fresh.

She said that she discovered it was so covered with grime that it "was so disgusting it nearly made me vomit".

“I had noticed my washing smelt a bit musty when I took it out of the machine but couldn’t work out what it was,” she told Kidspot.

“My ex husband asked me if I had checked the rubber seal around the machine - I pulled apart the seal and it was full of brown sludge.

“It was so disgusting it nearly made me vomit.“I was horrified that I had been washing mine and my children’s clothes in mould. I had no idea you had to clean out that part of the washing machine.”

After reading her story, many mums commented to say they'd experienced similar problems - and that some brands of washing machine were worse than others.

One wrote: “Some brands collect it, some don’t. I once had a washing machine that resembled a Florida swamp after about a week but the current one doesn’t get like this."

The mum also revealed that her attempts to clean the sludge with baby wipes were to no avail, but that she had more luck with putting bleach in the detergent section of the machine with an empty load. This apparently got rid of the smell, but still left a stain.

However, Clean and Scentible blog recommends the following method to clean the it properly:

1) "Wipe down the inner seal with a white towel soaked in a 50/50 mixture of bleach and warm water (make sure you're wearing rubber gloves).

2) "If it's hard to get off, soak another towel in the bleach mixture and leave it inside for half an hour.After soaking, scrub at the area with an old toothbrush.

3) "Wipe down with a clean, dry cloth until all the reside is gone.

4) "Place all the towels in the washing machine and run for a full wash and rinse cycle, on the hottest setting.

5) "Run another complete cycle, on the hottest setting, with two cups of vinegar (never mix this with bleach). You may need to add some towels, if you've been advised not to run an empty load.

6) "Remove the detergent dispensers and wash with water and vinegar. Wipe down the inside of the machine. Et voila! Squeaky clean once again."

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