My Purchase of a High-Efficiency Washer and Dryer
About 10 years ago, I purchased my first front loader high efficiency (HE) washer machine and dryer. High-efficiency washer machines use less water and are more energy efficient making this a great purchase right?
Well yes and no… let me explain my struggles. I remember when I first brought my new washing machine home. I did my first load of laundry and thought something has to be wrong here.
First, it sounded like a plane was taking off in my laundry room! Second, there is no water or very little water at that when my clothes were washing! How can these clothes get clean?
So I called the manufacture and started to ask questions. This was normal and she assured me the clothes would get clean.
Why Aren’t My Clothes Getting Clean?
So over time I accepted the loud noises coming from my laundry room and learned to accept the really low water levels, but I do have to say that I was and am not impressed with how these HE washer machines clean my clothes.
I have to pretreat my stains and pretty much get the stain out before I put them in the wash or they just don’t get clean. Now I should put a disclaimer on this. I have always been the type of person who just throws my laundry in the wash, adds a bit of soap and expects them to come clean.
Laundry isn’t one of my favorite chores, to say the least. So maybe if I put a little more effort into pre-treating my clothes I might have better results in this department.
There is one challenge that I just couldn’t conquer however and that was the smell that was coming from my HE washer machine!
What is that horrible smell?
So over time, my washer machine began to smell. Not only did it smell moldy and musty but my clothes were starting to smell this way too.
I researched what to do about it and there was advise all over the place on what you should and should not do for bad smelling HE washer machines.
I hired someone to come out and clean and balance my machine. That worked for a little while but the smell came back in a few weeks. I kept my washing machine door open when not using it so it could dry out, but that didn’t fully work either. I purchased the expensive HE washer machine tablets to do on a monthly cycle but those failed very quickly.
Finally, in a last-ditch effort to have clean smelling clothes, I added this one ingredient and everything changed!
Add this one ingredient to every load for fresh smelling laundry & for a clean HE washer machine!
So just what is this ingredient I am talking about? Well, it will cost you about a $1.00 per gallon and can be found in any grocery store! Wait for it 🙂 ….alright, it is vinegar! Vinegar you ask…yep, that’s right vinegar! Now I use plain white vinegar and here is how I use it.
Just like you buy laundry detergent, I buy a gallon of vinegar and keep it right next to my washer machine. I load my HE washer machine up with clothes, add my soap and then in the bleach dispenser, I fill it all the way to the top with white vinegar.
The vinegar helps kill the bacteria that grows in your washer machine and kills the odor. Not only does it kill the odor, but it helps with cleaning my clothes too. If that wasn’t enough, it also softens your clothes naturally.
Is Vinegar The Answer To Everything?
So let’s take a look at this: vinegar cleans clothes, gets rid of nasty smells in laundry and in the machine and it softens your clothes too!
Wow, I would call vinegar my little miracle in the laundry room! Who knew one little ingredient could do so much!
So finally I have clean soft clothes and a washer machine that doesn’t smell. I still have a plane taking off in my laundry room, however, but I can live with that :)!
My New Book ~ Natural Solutions for Cleaning & Wellness
Did you like this natural solution? Then you’ll love my new book! I’ve written a book that can help you and your family to transition into a Toxic-Free life!
Natural Solutions for Cleaning & Wellness is dedicated to giving you the information you need to remove toxins from your home and supply you with natural remedies to protect your health. This practical guide gives you in-depth solutions on how to protect yourself and your loved ones for generations to come.
You can Click here to view more details about this amazing book and to learn about the incredible gift bundle included with a book purchase.
This book has over 140 great recipes that are super easy to make with everyday ingredients! Here is a sample of a few solutions featured in this book!
Toxic-Free No-Wick Candle
All Natural Deodorant
Grease-Free Lotion
No fancy ingredients…just everyday, easy to find ingredients. This book is a must-have for EVERY household! Learn more details here.
Halle, I think you’re absolutely right about leaving the door open no matter what. I’ve had a Samsung HE for about 7 years and never had any problems with odor until now. It’s not bad but I’m going to try the vinegar. I have found my machine are expensive to repair, but I have been happy with the way cleans.
If you put a pack of lemonade kool aid unsweetened in the powder dispenser. Run the machine the way you alwaz do. It takes the bad smell out. Put the setting on hot water. I do this once a month. My machine never had any odor.
Excellent Thank You I was having the same problem ‘smelly wash’ Now I started using the Vinegar – except on chip day
You may also want to consider having your machine leveled. Even if you don’t mind the noise, not having it properly leveled can shorten the life of your motor.For what these things cost, it’s well worth it.
Today I really smelled it. It was horrible. My next load will definitely include white vinegar. Will let you know. Thanks for the great advise.
Vinager will also get dog urine out of clothing too. We went through the puppy stage, and vinager in the HE machine saved one puppy from ???
Thank you for this post…I have a Steam HE washer and drier and love it. I use bleach for my whites once a week and haven’t had any trouble but I also leave the door open a little. I will try the vinegar for my machine in the Motor Home as it doesn’t get my cloth clean enough for me…
Well HE machines are a bit of trick here. The true European machines (front load) first use small amount of water, better detergents. Those machines are TRUE washing machines since they go up to 90C. Ours here use hot water from the tank but to have nicely bright laundry they needs to have cold water coming and then wormed up to 90C so the whole process is much longer. The truth is you do not need to much water with the right technology and detergent. It is not about the amount of water that is in. When you clean your stains you do not use gallons of water….just a good detergent (that is imported and again much more expensive).
Of course, the price for these machines are much much higher and they are smaller so not necessarily HE but what is important to me is end result – nicely washed clothing. Also, I barely use dryer since they are “killing” your clothing no matter how well you wash them. Over the short period of time they look old, so I have my laundry out on the Sun whenever I can.
Yes, tips about vinegar and baking soda are true and I use them just occasionally in my washing(European) machine even though I never have a smell but just to keep it in a good shape.
Ah, yes you do need a fair amount water to clean.
As well as being a fantastic place for authors and Internet marketers to advertise
their businesses through article marketing,
we also offer advertising opportunities through our partner program.
You’ll receive 14 days free, and 1,000 ad impressions to see just how effective this advertising strategy is.
Check the Better Business Bureau for listings,
and see if you can find other blogs or forum posts from people that have ordered from
that business in the past.
For those of you who combine vinegar and baking soda, please remember your high school chemistry class.Vinegar is acidic and baking soda is a base which neutralizes the effects of an acid. You may very well be minimizing the acidic properties of the vinegar which kills the bacteria with the baking soda. I would suggest using them separately, therefor benefiting from the bacteria-fighting properties of both.
Thank you for the great article on vinegar. I use it for just about everything but my HE washing machine. My next load will include vinegar! Wanted everyone to know, I use white vinegar in my dishwasher rinse agent cup. My dishes are
nice and shiney and no chemicals or polishes are being applied to my dishes.
Tried the vinegar and was pleasantly surprised! I wash my washer and dishwasher with those tablets and they sort of work. Can I use the vinegar in my dishwasher also? Trying the baking soda on my towels now. Wish me luck.
Yep you sure can use vinegar in dishwasher. Just put it in your rinse area (right next to where you put the detergent).
I often use vinegar in the wash if I’m afraid the colors will bleed. Seems to work to “set” the dye.