Domestic Science With Justine Hand
Honestly, I didn't know that cleaning your washing machine was a thing. I mean, it gets cleaned every time you wash your clothes, right?
Wrong. If you think about it, your washing machine is constantly bombarded with bits of food, fibers, and other organic materials that can get caught in the nooks and crannies. Also the wet, warm environment inside your machine is a perfect breeding ground for mildew and mold, especially in the hard-to-reach areas, which may never completely dry. Third, detergents and hard water can build up, which can dull your clothes and clog the mechanisms. In short, all this grime equals a less than pristine machine.
To learn how best to naturally clean a machine, I turned to my friend Marnie, a laundry goddess who showed me the ropes in her own laundry room.
Photography by Justine Hand.
Above: Just a few simple ingredients that you probably already have on hand are all you need to make your machine spic and span.
Materials
- white vinegar
- baking soda
- hydrogen peroxide (optional; use if you have mold)
- rag
- toothbrush
Instructions for Cleaning a Front Loader
(For top loaders see below.)
Step 1: Begin by wiping down the nooks and crannies outside the drum. Marnie is shown here using a rag dipped in a solution of 1 teaspoon of baking soda with 1/3 cup vinegar. Make sure you don't use anything abrasive on the glass or enamel as it can scratch. You can also soak any removable parts in a 2 to 1 water to vinegar solution.
Above: Eeeeww! This is the grime we got from wiping the rubber seal around the glass.
Above: Most front loaders have a rubber gasket. Using a toothbrush, peel back these layers and really get into the hard-to-reach spots. (Note the little bits at the bottom of the photo. Yuck!) If this area has mold or mildew, use a rag or brush dipped in peroxide to kill it, and then wipe it away.
Step 2: Once the outside is clean, tackle the inside. As an odor and soap scum fighter, add 1/3 cup baking soda to the drum.
Step 3: Depending on the size of your model, fill the liquid detergent dispenser with 1 or 2 cups of vinegar. The acid in the vinegar will help break down any hard water and soap scum and will disinfect the machine.
Step 4: Set your machine on the sanitize or hottest cycle, full-load setting, and run—without any clothes in it.
Above: When you're done, check the interior of the machine and wipe away any particles that may have come loose during the cycle. For best results, repeat this thorough cleaning process every four to six weeks.
Above: That's it. Now Marnie's machine is truly clean.
Instruction for Cleaning a Top Loader
First fill your machine with with hot water (no clothes). Stop the cycle after it's full and add 3 cups vinegar and stir or agitate the machine. Then add 1/2 cup baking soda, stir, and let sit one hour before you continue the cycle. While you're waiting, use the mixture inside the machine as your exterior cleaning solution. With a rag and toothbrush, wipe down the exterior and scour hard-to-reach areas. You can also soak any removable parts in this bath, while you clean the outside. When you're finished, close the lid and continue the wash cycle.
Other Tips for Keeping Your Washing Machine Squeaky Clean
- When the machine is not in use, always leave the door open to ensure that the interior dries thoroughly.
- Never leave damp clothes in the washer—transfer them immediately to the dryer.
- Keep the top surfaces free of lint and detergent.
- Remove lint from the dryer screen after every use.
In the market for a washing machine? Here are 10 Front Loaders that we like. Go to Laundry & Utility Rooms for ideas, and take a look at Myles' $65 DIY Laundry Closet.
For more green cleaning solutions, see 10 Ways to Use Vinegar in the Home.
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DIY & Remodeling With Alexa Hotz
A testament to the power of white paint. Of the few pieces of furniture with me today, one of my favorites is the least expensive. A while back I found a coffee table on the street in SF (at first I dismissed it for its off-putting wood stain); after a coat of white paint, it was transformed. So when I received a hand-me-down set of high-quality kitchen knives from my family, complete with a yellowish wooden block, I applied the same painting principle and came out with something pretty decent.
This DIY is less of a step-by-step tutorial and more of an idea: a way to transform tired, unappealing household items with a coat of white paint.
Above: Photograph of my San Francisco apartment by Erin Boyle of Reading My Tea Leaves.
Above: The wooden knife block my family deaccessioned is the J.A. Henckels International Classic 11-Slot Hardwood Knife Block, available for $19.99 at Bed Bath & Beyond. I wasn't very fond of the embossed logo on the front, so I applied an extra coat of paint to fill it in; now you can hardly detect it. These knife blocks come finished, so you can either sand them down or decide not to be too precious about nicks in the paint and apply touch-ups every few months as needed. A similar block for a few dollars less is the 13-Slot Wood Knife Block; $11.99 at Webstaurant Store.
Above: I used leftover paint from the walls of my apartment: Benjamin Moore's Ben Interior Paint in Steam. Its eggshell finish has proven useful for wiping down the block after messy countertop food prep. A gallon of the paint is $37.99 from Benjamin Moore.
An example of the white-paint principle applied across the home comes from interior designer Michaela Scherrer. Her humble but stylish home in Pasadena, California, is gently whitewashed for spa-like effect—she even paints old cardboard boxes for collecting loose items. See a glimpse of her house in A Grecian-Inspired Guest Suite in LA and take a full tour in Remodelista: A Manual for the Considered Home.
Also don't miss fashion and design company Totokaelo's Seattle Office, whitewashed down to the printers and pencil sharpeners.
For more kitchen DIY projects, see our posts:
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Kitchens With Meredith Swinehart
Sarah Trotter, principal of Melbourne interior architecture firm Hearth Studio, has a special passion for kitchen design. An avid cook, she's one half of the popular Aussie food blog Trotski & Ash and a biweekly recipe contributor to The Guardian. She's also an architect, and carefully researches her clients' cooking habits before doing any designing. She's a stylist, too—so although function comes first for Trotter, beauty isn't far behind.
Here, she updated a 1970s kitchen, replacing its cork flooring and melamine cupboards with custom built-ins, intuitive organization, and an island with an incorporated marble pastry board.
Photography by Christo Crocker.
Above: Designed for two academics, one of whom is a dedicated baker and cook, the kitchen's central island offers generous counter space for making homemade bread, pastry, and pasta. It has storage on all sides, and the marble pastry board covers one end. The gray pendant lights are vintage Louis Poulsen from Danish modern showroom Grandfathers Axe of Melbourne.
Above: The solid wood countertops are American oak, custom made by Alex Rains Furniture of Melbourne. A backsplash of white geometric tile from Academy Tiles blends into the rough plaster wall, and the window overlooks the weathered brick building next door.
Above: Cooking knives, wooden spoons, and Dutch ovens are within easy reach of the modestly sized range. Cabinets and drawers are made of American oak veneer.
Above: Trotter put every inch of available space to work, as demonstrated by the cabinetry surrounding the refrigerator and oven. The oak veneer cabinets neatly fit cutting boards and oven pans. The dark cabinets are birch plywood stained with a natural black finish.
Above: On the opposite wall, a full-height cabinet made of white-stained birch plywood offers generous storage.
Above: Trotter's clients often work from home, so she designed a "tea-and-toast station" for daytime grazing. As a backsplash, she inset a star pattern using a blue version of the white wall tile.
Above: On the island, a meeting of Carrara marble, American oak, black-stained birch plywood, and brass.
See more by Hearth Studio in Steal This Look: A Brick Bathroom, Romantic Green Tub Included and Outbuilding of the Week: Garage Turned Studio Apartment.
Tour a few more of our favorite kitchens:
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