Household appliances make the life of a housewife much easier; for example, many cannot imagine maintaining cleanliness without a washing machine. But the device itself also needs to be cleaned. During operation, dirt accumulates inside the drum and on non-working surfaces, scale forms, and mold may develop. Without proper care, this leads to a decrease in the quality of the wash and can even cause damage to the appliance. Many people understand that cleaning is necessary; they try to use special powders or folk remedies for this. But not everyone knows how effective and simple it is to clean a washing machine with dishwasher tablets.
Advice from a hygienist
Dr. Lisa Ackerley, aka a medical hygienist, says: “If you want to try a fancy cleaning hack that someone suggests on social media, do your research first. Consider its pros and cons. Just because this tip is on Instagram doesn't make it genius. And it may not be safe."
To help us out, Lisa Ackerley revealed which of the latest cleaning trends she's totally on board with, and which dangerous hacks we should cross off our list of cleaning tips for good.
Soaking the sheets
The chemical cocktail can wreak havoc on your bathtub and harm your skin—soaking your sheets with a variety of special products to “deep clean” them is not effective.
If you wash your sheets at 90 degrees with a premium quality powder, the water coming out of the machine will be just as dirty as when they were soaked. Plus, it requires more effort and you can finish the wash at a much lower temperature, which means bacteria like E. coli won't be killed.
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So simply wash your cotton sheets or towels at 90 degrees once a month to kill bacteria. Do not overload the machine and wash whites together with whites.
By the way, the use of conditioner affects the absorbency of towels.
Advantages and application features
Dishwashing tablets are easy to use and give good results, so their popularity is understandable.
Pros:
Functionality. The product cleans, removes grease, washes away food residues from dishes, protects the machine from plaque formation, and adds shine.
Exact dosage. Unlike gels and powders, which must first be measured, the briquette contains the portion of components necessary for the standard procedure. All that remains is to put the capsule in the compartment and start washing.
Convenient for storage and transportation. Can be placed in containers, boxes, jars and plastic containers.
Compact sizes.
Availability of individual packaging. Particularly convenient are capsules with a soluble film shell that does not need to be removed (your hands remain clean).
Among the disadvantages, experts and consumers note the high cost of most brands and the possibility of using the products only for long-term programs.
Components compressed into a hard capsule do not have time to dissolve during the fast washing mode, so they are only suitable for full load cycles.
Some housewives cut the tablets in half, but this is inconvenient to do, and the result obtained after washing is not always good.
It is important to consider that manufacturers calculate the amount of salt in a briquette based on average water hardness.
But it can be different. If the concentration of calcium and magnesium salts in a particular area is high, the quality of washing may disappoint. You will have to add additional salt to the tablet.
The best option is to have several products with different compositions in your kitchen:
- if there are children in the family, capsules with natural ingredients are needed;
- slightly alkaline formulations with enzymes are suitable for daily washing;
- for strong and old contaminants, preparations containing chlorine are chosen, but they are not used often, given the aggressiveness and toxicity of the composition.
Roller for clean carpets
Using a lint roller on your carpet is a great way to remove dust, hair, and more. Dr. Ackerley says, “This is great advice. It must be a real pleasure to clean up all that dirt, and research has shown that many carpets remain dirty even after we've vacuumed. Many vacuum cleaners don't lift carpet fibers when vacuuming, so they only remove surface dirt."
Another trick is to wipe down carpets with a damp rubber glove. This will have the same effect, pulling the fibers upward.
How effective is such a measure?
It is impossible to find any universal answer to the question of the effectiveness of such a procedure. In most cases, everything depends on the preliminary condition of the washing unit. The more advanced the case, the more often the cleaning will have to be repeated. However, after 3-4 times there will definitely be no trace of dirt and mold left.
Experts also recommend mechanical cleaning of the machine in parallel with chemical cleaning. Armed with a damp cloth and detergent, you need to go over the rubber parts (hatch cuff, for example) and other hard-to-reach places. It would be a good idea to wash the drain filter separately, just like the drain hose. After such methods, the machine will definitely remain in perfect condition.
Dishwasher tablets for cleaning baking trays
One housewife on TikTok wraps her dirty oven trays in foil and places them in the bathtub. She then fills them with hot water, adds a dishwasher tablet and lets them sit for two hours. She believes the chemical reaction causes the food and dirt to break down, leaving her pans as shiny as new without the need to wash them.
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But metal foil and trays, as well as strong chemicals, can damage the surface of the bathtub. Follow the manufacturer's instructions for cleaning oven racks.
Clean using citric acid
At home, the use of citric acid is one of the frequently used methods for removing odors, dirt, and limescale. To carry out this process, you only need citric acid. The required amount is 100-200 grams. So, take citric acid, pour it into the powder compartment and set the desired temperature to 90-95 degrees. Next, select one of the longest programs for the washing process and add an additional rinse. It happens that this function is not available, which means that after washing you can start rinsing again.
Washing machine tablets
Using dishwasher tablets to clean your washing machine may damage the system and void any warranty you may have. Be careful not to put anything in the washing machine that does not belong there.
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Instead, run at least one 90-degree cycle with premium laundry detergent every month to kill any unwanted germs. If you live in an area with hard water, try adding a scale remover as well.
Fabric softener for toilet cleaning
If you add fabric softener to the toilet, it can leave a fresh smell, but Dr. Ackerley says such products are quite greasy, and plumbers warn it's not a good idea as it can cause grease deposits to build up in the pipes. They can contain microbial biofilm and block your drainage system.
Stick with products designed and tested for these purposes. Use only toilet cleaners.
Toilet cleaner for cleaning grout lines between tiles
Never use toilet cleaner on anything other than the toilet. It contains some chemicals and may damage other surfaces or destroy the solution. It can also be quite bright and color everything around.
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Coin for cleaning trays
TikTok user Lucy washed her dirty baking trays with a regular coin. Dr. Ackerley says, "It will work, but it took Lucy half an hour to do it."
It is recommended to first wet the tray with dishwashing liquid and hot water, and then gently clean it with a washcloth. If the tray has a non-stick coating, you will have to use a non-scratch scouring pad. A top tip is to wash your trays regularly to prevent dirt from accumulating.
Which washing mode to choose
When you have loaded the tablet, it is important to choose the right washing mode. For regular washing, choose the standard or long cycle for 1.5 hours. It is suitable for most types of dishes and includes all the necessary steps, including soaking, the main washing process and rinsing.
For products made of fragile and valuable materials, choose a delicate washing program for half an hour at 30-40 degrees. In this case, it is important to choose a drug that dissolves and works in cold or cool water. The manufacturer, as a rule, indicates on the packaging the minimum temperature at which the tablet dissolves.
The intensive mode is chosen for products made from resistant materials, since washing occurs at high temperatures up to 75 degrees. This program lasts about two hours and is used to wash very dirty pots and pans. How and what kind of dishes to properly wash in the dishwasher, see the link https://vsepodomu.ru/uborka/kakuyu-posudu-nelzya-myt-v-mashine/.
Fabric softener for window cleaning
One girl posted videos on Facebook showing how she used fabric softener and dishwashing liquid to clean her windows, leaving the glass spotless and streak-free.
But according to the expert, it is better not to mix chemicals as this can cause a reaction that could be harmful. Fabric softener is also quite greasy, so if you're not careful, your glass might end up looking smudged.
Why not just use a glass cleaner that is cheap and effective, or use crumpled up newspaper to wipe away any unwanted stains?
Do I need to open the package?
The description of any brand of tablets indicates the features of the product. Products are available in soluble and regular film, so at the beginning of the procedure, study the description.
Capsules such as Sodasan, Finish Quantum and others, packaged in soluble shells, are placed directly into the compartment.
For tablets of the brands Somat, Ecover, Frosch, you will first have to remove the protective sticks and only then insert them into the compartment.
One-component, “3 in 1” or “7 in 1”
The composition of the tablets differs not only in type, but also in the number of components. The powder compressed into a briquette, usually used for daily washing, is a one-component product.
The price is low, but additionally you need rinse aid and salt. This product will not work on heavily soiled plates, pots or pans.
According to reviews from housewives, the best results are obtained by capsules marked: “3 in 1”, “5 in 1” or “7 in 1” (“Ekonta”), while the numbers indicate not the number of components, but the number of functions.
Briquettes, which contain additives and allow you to deal with heavy dirt, prevent the appearance of scale in your car, add shine and eliminate streaks in glass products, are considered multifunctional.
They are suitable for washing large quantities of dishes and removing old stains. The composition is balanced, the result is usually wonderful. The downside is the high cost.
For daily washing, when there is no need to remove carbon deposits or complex stains, it is not advisable to use such tablets; budget one-component or “3 in 1” ones are enough.
Washing powder for cleaning inside heating radiators
A TikTok user cleaned the inside of radiators with laundry detergent. She started by placing a towel under the radiator to prevent puddles, then mixed washing powder with boiling water in a jug and slowly poured it inside. A plastic tray placed underneath collected the water.
Dr. Ackerley: “Washing powder is a strong detergent, so it will work for this purpose, but it is quite caustic, so it can damage the battery and cause a leak. But never use liquids to clean electric radiators.”
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