How to properly clean a washing machine from scale and dirt inside. How to descale a washing machine: useful tips, review of special products How to remove scale from a washing machine

Regular cleaning of your washing machine not only helps keep it looking its best, but also helps it run efficiently. The fact is that washing machines tend to accumulate:

• Fungus and mold in the sealing gum and, accordingly, the appearance of unpleasant odors;
• Scale on the heating element;
• Residues of powder, rinse aid and other additives inside the machine;
• Dirt and small things in the drain pump filter;
• Rust and sand in the inlet hose filter.

Therefore, over time, you may notice that your clothes (especially light ones) after washing are no longer sparkling clean as they were before. And external dirt that quickly covers the door, countertop and protruding parts of the machine spoils the appearance of the room.

How often do you need to clean your washing machine from scale and dirt? Optimally – once every 2-3 months. If you have a pet at home or you often wash woolen items in a machine, then major cleaning needs to be done more often.

From this material you will learn how to properly clean a washing machine as a whole, namely:

• How to clean the drum of a washing machine, and most importantly, the heating element;
• How to clean the pump in a washing machine (drain filter);
• How to clean the tray and powder receiving compartment;
• How to clean the inlet hose filter;
• How to remove external dirt on the car body and door.

And at the end of the article you will find some tips on prevention and care for your assistant.

Step by step instructions

Well, shall we begin? To make the instructions clear, we decided to try the theory in practice and cleaned a Bosch automatic washing machine. Looking ahead, we present you with a photo of the result.

Step 1. Cleaning the drum and heating element of the washing machine from scale

At the first stage, we need to clean the machine from the inside, namely, remove mineral deposits on the heating element and drum. How to descale a washing machine? The secret of all methods is simple and uniform:

Since scale consists of magnesium and calcium salts, it must be treated with organic or inorganic acids. What acids are in every home and cost mere pennies? That's right, ordinary vinegar or citric acid.

Method 1. How to clean a washing machine with vinegar and soda

You will need:

• 2 cups of spirit white vinegar (preferably) or regular table vinegar 9%;
• 1/4 cup baking soda;
• 1/4 cup water;
• A sponge with a hard side.

To get a 9% bite, we diluted 70% acetic acid essence with water in a ratio of 7:1

What to do:

Mix baking soda and water in a small bowl, add the soda mixture to your machine's detergent drawer, and pour the vinegar into the drum. Idle the car at the highest temperature for the longest time possible.

Method 2. How to clean a washing machine with citric acid

Cleaning a washing machine with citric acid is even easier.

You will need:

• 1-6 packs of citric acid. Exactly how much citric acid to sprinkle depends on the volume of the washing machine and the degree of contamination.

What to do:

Add citric acid powder to the laundry detergent compartment. Start the machine at maximum temperature and operating time.

How much citric acid to pour in - 1, 2 or 6 packs at once, depends on the volume of the washing machine and the degree of contamination

Step 2. Clean the cuff (sealing rubber)

Hooray! The machine has finished washing and self-cleaning and we can start washing the rubber seal. This dark and damp place likes to accumulate dirt and mold, so it needs to be cleaned especially carefully. This can be done using any cleaning product, for example Pemolux or soda. If you see too much mold, which also emits a strong unpleasant odor, then take a more powerful product, for example, Domestos, Utenok, Comet (pictured) or Whiteness. But keep in mind that it is not advisable to use chlorine-containing products too often, otherwise it risks deforming the rubber.

What to do:

Apply a little of the chosen product to a damp cloth or sponge, gently pull the rubber towards you and wipe the metal part of the case.

Also be sure to clean the rubber seal itself in the same way.

The bulk of the dirt accumulates in the lower part of the hatch, but it is worth cleaning its entire circumference.

Be careful not to pull the rubber too hard to avoid damaging it. Finally, wipe the entire cuff clean with a damp cloth.

Step 3. Clean the tray (container/bath/dispenser)

Find your machine's owner's manual at home or online for directions on how to remove the laundry detergent tray. Most often you can do this like this:

• Pull the tray out until it stops. If you see that there is a blue part built into its middle compartment (in modern machines from Bosch, Samsung, Veko, etc.), then you need to press it and pull it forcefully towards you, while simultaneously supporting the container itself.

• If there is no blue part in the tray of your machine (the trays in Indesit machines are often designed this way), then you just need to pull the tray towards you and down, then slowly moving it left and right and pull it out completely.

As soon as you take out the tray, most likely, the following picture will appear before you - powder residues have accumulated in its compartment. Get rid of this buildup using any cleaning product and wipe the compartment clean. Keep in mind that this must be done carefully so as not to damage the rubber pipe.

Cleaning the powder receiver compartment was not easy, as there were a lot of hard-to-reach places, small protruding parts and grooves covered with rust. We deliberately did not bring the result to the ideal; it was too labor-intensive work. But you can do something more cunning: generously spray all the walls of the compartment with a cleaning agent from a spray bottle, leave the plaque to soak for a couple of hours, and only then start cleaning by hand.

• A mixture of vinegar and soda;
• Pemolux and other household chemicals;
• A mixture of hot water, vinegar and soda.

Cover the container with your chosen product and leave/soak it for 30 minutes, or preferably a couple of hours.

Next, start cleaning it with a sponge and a toothbrush (especially needed for cleaning hard-to-reach places). Finally, remove any remaining product, wipe the tray dry, and insert it back (most often you just need to insert it into the compartment and slam it shut).

• If you have a dishwasher, you can wash the tray in it. The rust may not completely disappear, but cleaning it in the dishwasher will make it much easier to remove.

Step 4. Cleaning the washing machine filter (drain pump)

It's time to clean the drain pump filter. If you run the filter too hard, the machine will sooner or later refuse to drain the water, which is why it will go up and may break out. Luckily, cleaning your washing machine filter is very easy.

You will need:

• A container of suitable height, for example, an oven tray, will do.
• Towel or rag.
• Flathead screwdriver or any hard flat tool (if necessary).

What to do:

1. Open access to the filter, which is usually located at the bottom of the case.

• In some washing machine models, the filter is simply covered with a small panel. If this is your case, then you can open it, if necessary, prying it with a flat-head screwdriver as shown in one of the following photos.

1. So you see a closed filter. Before unscrewing the lid, lay a towel on the floor and place a container under the drain to collect water (in our case it seemed unnecessary). Please note that up to half a liter can spill out!

In our case, the pan turned out to be superfluous, since the water flowed completely past it. Therefore, we released the liquid directly onto the towel, periodically turning it over, while opening and closing the lid

1. Unscrew the cap counterclockwise and remove all accumulated debris and dirt from the hole: these could be coins, hair, wool, toothpicks and other small items.

As you can see in the photo, in our case there was very little debris in the filter

1. Clean the hole, close it, and replace the trim panel.

Step 5: Clean the water inlet filter

In addition to the drain pump filter, every washing machine has another filter - the inlet hose filter. Over time, this filter becomes clogged with rust and sand, then a malfunction occurs - the machine refuses to wash and reports that water collection is not possible.

• If all previous procedures need to be carried out regularly, then the stage of cleaning the inlet hose filter can be carried out less frequently, for example, once every six months.

You will need:

• Old toothbrush;
• Pliers or pliers.

What to do:

1. Turn off the cold water tap to the washing machine (required!).
2. Turn the machine around to expose the rear of the machine. On the right side of the top of the housing you will see the inlet hose.
3. Unscrew the hose nut counterclockwise. Look inside the hole, do you see a small filter with a mesh? Remove it with pliers or pliers.
4. Clean the filter in water using a toothbrush;
5. Insert the filter into place and screw the inlet hose tightly in a clockwise direction.
6. Open access to cold water to the machine by turning the appropriate tap.

When you're done, you can also wipe down the back of the machine, and then unfold it and put it back in its usual place.

Step 6. Clean the body and door

Well, that's all, the inside of the car is clean and ready for work! All you have to do is restore its external beauty: wipe the control panel (especially the protruding buttons), wash the door inside and out, wipe the top and side panels.

And a little about prevention

• Use only as much powder, bleach and conditioner as you actually need (see product manufacturer's instructions). After all, excess detergents do not enhance the result, but simply settle and accumulate inside the washing machine.
• Always remove small items from pockets to prevent them from clogging the drain filter.
• Try not to delay starting the machine if you have already thrown dirty things into the drum. Well, take out clean clothes immediately after washing and send them to dry.
• Try to always keep the car open to prevent mold from growing in it due to high humidity.

A washing machine is the best assistant for modern housewives. Due to the fast pace of life, there is no time for hand washing. Otherwise, you just need to load the dirty laundry, fall asleep, press a few buttons and after an hour you can take out clean and almost dry clothes. If you take proper care of your equipment, it can last for many years.

Causes of pollution

As a rule, a cloudy appearance appears on the surface of plastic parts and other spare parts, which is not easy to get rid of. There are several main reasons for the appearance of pollution:

• the water that flows in the water supply is quite hard;
• modern powders contain a large number of chemicals;
• The washing machine regularly runs on “intensive mode”.

Pollution can be solid and contain minerals. They penetrate into hard-to-reach places, which complicates the cleaning process. Dirt and scale accumulate and the automatic machine breaks down after a short time. Equipment repair always has a high price. The best option would be not to bring your assistant to this state, but to carefully monitor its cleanliness.

The appearance of scale

The central water supply supplies fairly hard water. Its composition is filled with calcium and magnesium salts. During washing, the water heats up and its harmful substances turn into solid sediment and carbon dioxide. The substances, together with dirty particles (pieces of rust), settle on the tank of the car. With each wash, a metal device becomes covered with a hard crust, which does not conduct heat well. Which leads to longer heating of water and higher energy costs. When too much scale forms, this will be indicated by a sudden stop of the machine during washing or it will not turn on initially. At such a moment, many immediately turn to a washing machine repair technician. However, you can save money and check the condition of the machine yourself. As a rule, the reason lies in scale on the heating element or a clogged drain pump filter.

Owners of washing machines can personally determine the presence of scale on the heating element of their equipment. To do this, you will need a regular flashlight, which will be an indispensable tool in this matter. As a rule, the heating element is located under the drum or slightly shifted to one side or another. The switched-on flashlight must be brought to the holes of the drum and try to examine the heating element. It is important to shake it slightly so that the light is evenly dispersed. If you fail to inspect the heating device the first time, it is important not to despair and try again.

Methods for descaling

The modern market provides many chemical products for caring for washing machines. As a rule, they are quite expensive and not always as effective as the manufacturers claim. There are many old, proven methods that will help your washing machine increase its operating time and protect it from the harmful effects of hard water.
1. Regular citric acid, which all housewives use in the kitchen, copes with scale, unpleasant odors and dirt without any problems. To do this, you need to pour 200 g of the substance into the drum or into the powder compartment. Set the long wash mode at high temperature (60–90 °C). When scale and citric acid come into contact, a reaction occurs and the limestone scale is destroyed. When the water is drained, you will notice how whole pieces of dirty gray scale come out. The main thing is that the plaque does not clog it, otherwise you will have to clean it manually. The machine should run idle (without laundry), you don’t have to install it, but an additional rinse won’t hurt. It is advisable to do such prevention once every 4–5 months. The method is quite high quality and inexpensive, and the effect is amazing. Experts say that this prevention does not harm the equipment, but rather extends its service life.

2. Acetic acid. This method is less popular, but its effectiveness is high. The product is more aggressive than citric acid. Using the solution can damage the rubber elements of the machine. However, vinegar removes scale and dirt much faster and better. You need to pour 2 glasses of vinegar into the washing machine and turn on the long mode at high temperature. After 5–10 minutes, the washing should be stopped for an hour. During this time, the vinegar solution will penetrate into all corners and thoroughly clean all parts. After an hour, you can continue the washing cycle until the end. In order to remove all remaining solution, it is recommended to additionally turn on the rinse mode. After the procedure, you need to use a cloth pre-moistened in a weak solution of vinegar to treat the inside of the machine door. Particular attention should be paid to the rubber seal.

3. Application of a magnetic filter. The device is installed at the entrance of the pipeline into the apartment or directly onto the inlet hose of the washing machine. It purifies water from magnesium and potassium, turning them into ions. Instead of calcium, you get aragonite, which does not form any deposits. This option has one significant drawback - the high cost of the device. However, with one investment you can protect your equipment from scale forever.

Washing machine drum

Dirt and scale often accumulate in the drum, which also needs to be disposed of in order to increase the life of the equipment. Expensive modern models of washing machines have a “drum cleaning” function. In this case, you just need to press a button and watch the process. However, most machines do not have such a miracle function, and you have to deal with unpleasant deposits manually. Methods for removing contamination are quite simple, effective and economical:

• You need to pour 100 g of bleach into the drum and turn on the machine for a long wash program at high temperature. After completing the wash, it is recommended to turn on the rinse mode, so all parts will be additionally cleaned of the solution. Using this method you can get rid of unpleasant odors, scale and mold;
• pour 200 g of citric acid into an empty drum. Start the washing mode at maximum temperature. After washing, be sure to include an additional rinse. This method will qualitatively remove plaque and restore the lost shine to the drum;
• Experts recommend wiping the machine door from water after each wash and leaving it open. It is important to pay special attention to the rubber seal; it must be wiped dry. This will protect the drum from the formation of mold and mildew.

You can even protect your washing machine from scale formation by using the powder correctly. Do not use hand wash powder in automatic machines. It is not recommended to put powder into the rinse aid compartment. All these actions clog the machine system and cause it to malfunction.
After washing, experts recommend turning the machine on idle. Thanks to additional rinsing, the remaining detergents are washed away, which does not allow the formation of bacteria, which reduces the service life of the equipment.

Caring for and cleaning equipment with your own hands is not so difficult. The main thing is to clean it regularly and the washing machine will thank its owners with a long service life.

Video on the topic

A washing machine makes life easier for both female housewives and male bachelors. She washes, rinses and spins her clothes on her own. And the owner of the machine just needs to throw dirty clothes into the tank, set the necessary program, add powder and get freshly washed, pleasantly smelling and wrung out laundry! In addition, there are also machines that have a dryer. And you don’t even have to hang out your laundry and wait a long time for it to dry.

But the machine itself can become dirty with scale over time. And this scale, in turn, can ruin our household appliances. In this article we will look at how to independently prevent the possibility of scale formation or clean our washing machine from it.

Nowadays, you can buy both an expensive and a budget model of a machine. Fortunately, household appliance stores have a wide range of different brands of similar products. And while the cost of your washing machine may not be too much of a burden to you, you probably don't want it to go bad quickly. And in order for it to perform its functions for a long time, we need to follow the operating rules and take care of it. Let's look at the main reason for the appearance of scale.

Poor water quality and increased hardness

The quality of water in the water supply systems of most large cities in Russia is very low. Under no circumstances should you try to drink such water without additional purification. Better yet, order water taken from clean sources and delivered to your home. After all, the water in our pipes can even harm household appliances! And not so much for us people.

Tap water may contain various impurities, salts, chemicals, particles of rust and other unpleasant things. In addition, it is quite tough. And washing with hard water at high temperatures contributes to the formation of scale on the heating element (heating element). How to protect your washing machine from such negative factors?

Filters and water softeners

To soften and filter running water, you can use special softener filters. They simultaneously soften hard water and filter it. These devices are installed directly on the pipe. And they purify all the water that is used by household appliances or flows from the taps in your apartment. The cost of quality filters is quite high. The service life depends on how much water you use and the functionality of the filter. There are mechanical and magnetic filters. Both of these options are fine for softening the water that enters the washing machine.

You can also add various water softeners when washing. There are quite a lot of them now. Some are more expensive, others are cheaper. Usually they cope with their task quite well and prevent scale from forming on the inside of the washing machine. Although, there is an opinion that among these funds there are also those that do not cope with their responsibilities.

Frankly, we did not conduct independent testing of this issue. And we judge their benefits solely by the information available on the Internet. So we cannot say that they solve their problem one hundred percent.

Also, to preserve the heating element of the washing machine (heating element), it can be cleaned manually. To do this, you need to remove it from the washing machine and carefully remove the deposits. This method is not suitable for everyone. After all, not everyone wants to tinker with the “insides” of household appliances. Many people simply don’t want to get into the machine and tinker with parts, bolts and other components.

The simplest, proven and cheapest way to remove scale is suitable for them - cleaning with citric acid!

How to descale a washing machine using citric acid

You already know that hard tap water can cause scale to form on those parts that come into contact with water over time. Limescale does not bring any benefit to our household appliances. On the contrary, it does harm. It can damage the heating element and ruin the normal operation of the machine.

Therefore, next we will figure out how to remove it using citric acid. Make sure in advance that you already have this acid in stock. We need about 100-200 grams. You can buy it at any grocery store. And it doesn't cost much. So we just go and buy the required quantity. We may also need a rag.

Let's take a step-by-step look at the entire cleaning process.

• First you need to get everything that is inside the tank. If it is empty, then you can safely skip this step. And if there are still things, be sure to remove them. After all, citric acid can ruin them.
• After that, pour 100-200 grams of citric acid into the dispenser into the slot for washing powder. If you want, you can pour it not into the dispenser, but directly into the drum. This will not change the essence of the matter.
• Next, we launch the program. We set the temperature from 90 to 95 degrees. We do a long spin. And we start the wash.
• During the washing process, scale particles will come out of the drain hose. If you have the desire and opportunity, you can watch how they leave the insides of your household appliances along with the water.
• When the washing process is finished and the washing machine can be opened, you will need to carefully check whether scale particles have accumulated under the rubber cuff. If you find them, carefully remove them with a rag. And thoroughly wipe the inside of the drum. Scale particles may also remain on the drain hose. More precisely, inside it. The presence of such remnants of past contamination will show you that the washing machine actually had scale. And that citric acid did its job.

Safe washing methods

By the way, washing at a temperature less than 50 degrees will also protect you from the appearance of scale. At this temperature, scale does not settle on the “insides” of the machine. And if you regularly wash only in such modes, then your washing machine will not face this problem. In addition, this use of our household appliances is also very economical. After all, the heating element does not have to work hard to heat the water. This means you will save on electricity! True, there is a possibility that particularly dirty laundry will not be washed or you will have to use a special washing powder.

Frequent washing of old or fleecy items of clothing can also contribute to the appearance of scale. During washing, they can lose small particles, which turn into a kind of plaque and stick to the internal parts of the machine with scale. Avoid washing very old items. Better buy new ones. This will make it more pleasant for you and the machine will function normally longer.

We hope that our tips helped you solve the problem of scale on your washing machine and avoid its occurrence in the future. Thank you for your attention and continue to explore our site. Here you will find many more interesting and useful things about washing machines!

Limescale in a washing machine is one of the common causes of malfunction of this equipment. The main factor in the development of this problem is the use of low-quality water with various impurities and chemicals for washing. It is impossible to completely protect yourself from the problem and protect the washing machine, but there are available methods that allow you to independently solve the problem that arises when operating an electrical device.

Store products

Scale has the form of a hard limescale deposit that forms on a heating device. In this case, it is a heating element. When using electrical equipment, limescale also covers the inside of the drum.

The easiest way to remove scale is to use store-bought products. The following tools have proven themselves to be effective:

Anti-scale anti-scale

Products such as Merloni, SVOD-TVN, Bubble Ice, Filtero, Astonish are also considered effective; they can be used no more than once a year. When choosing such products to combat limescale, you should read the instructions before using them. Substances such as “Calgon” and “Alfagon” are known, but they only soften the water and do not remove limescale, so it is recommended to use them only to prevent the deposition of lime on the heating element.

Folk remedies for fighting scale

The household uses several safe methods to deal with scale in a washing machine without store-bought products. Simple, but proven and effective methods and available means come to the rescue.

To care for household appliances, housewives use substances such as:

• table vinegar;
• citric acid;
• citric acid with bleach;
• vinegar and soda;
• coca cola.

To descale electrical equipment using any of these products, you should familiarize yourself with the features and rules of their use.

Cleaning with vinegar

Using vinegar, you can remove limescale and fungus. It often forms when the washing machine is used for a long time without regular cleaning. You can recognize it by the unpleasant smell coming from the drum.

To clean your machine with vinegar, follow these instructions:

1. First you need to check the drum for the presence of things, then you need to pour 50 ml of vinegar into the detergent compartment.
2. Set the washing machine to the longest mode at 90° C.
3. When water is filled into the machine and vinegar is diluted in it, press pause and leave for a while so that the heating element stands in the water for a while.
4. Then start the device and wait for the wash to finish.
5. Open the door and clean the rubber seals with a cotton pad soaked in vinegar.
6. To be safe, you can start the washing machine again, setting it to fast mode at a temperature of 30 C. This time you do not need to add anything to the powder compartment; this wash is necessary in order to clean the machine from any remaining vinegar.
7. After completing the wash, leave the door open to allow the drum to dry thoroughly.

Don't forget about safety measures. Wear rubber gloves when working with vinegar.

Cleaning the washing machine with vinegar

Coca-Cola

Coca-Cola is a good washing machine cleaner. It’s easy to use – just completely fill the powder tray with the drink and pour one and a half liters into the drum.

After this, you can start the device by selecting the highest temperature. If you clean your equipment mechanically, place the heating element in Coca-Cola drink overnight.

Application of citric acid

Allows many housewives to quickly clean the washing machine of limescale.

Using this machine cleaning product, you must perform the following steps:

1. Make sure that the drum is empty, there are no clothes or linen in it, and close the door.
2. Pour 4 tablespoons of citric acid into the powder tray.
3. Turn on household appliances, set the highest temperature and longest wash cycle.
4. Do not spin; you can use an additional rinse to wash the citric acid out of the drum.
5. After a while, it is advisable to pause the machine so that the heating element can stand longer in the citric acid solution. However, this step is not mandatory.

Filling the powder compartment with citric acid

The method has an important drawback - using a large amount of citric acid can damage the rubber elements of the electrical device.

Citric acid with bleach

In order to obtain a more effective composition, you can mix citric acid with bleach. To clean the washing machine drum and heating element from lime, follow these step-by-step instructions:

1. Place 2 packages (25 g each) of citric acid in a powder container. Pour 200 ml of bleach into the empty drum of the washing machine.
2. Set the wash to intensive mode at 90° C.
3. At the end of the wash, set an additional rinse.

The method has its disadvantages. This is a sharp and strong smell of bleach, which is not only unpleasant, but also very harmful. To avoid breathing it in, you should open the windows in the house during the procedure.

Instead of bleach, you can use chlorine-containing products - “Duckling”, “Komet”, Whiteness. The smell of these products is not as concentrated as pure bleach. It is important not to exceed the recommended amount of chlorine, otherwise it may damage the rubber seals.

How to clean the powder compartment?

The powder tray quickly becomes dirty, and over time you can notice limescale deposits on it. To clean this component of an electrical device, you need to dilute one and a half glasses of table vinegar in 5 liters of water.

The powder compartment is carefully removed from the washing machine and placed in the prepared vinegar solution. Leave it for a day, and then use a soft sponge to carefully wash off any remaining dirt.

You can also clean this piece of household appliances. For such care, you need to take these two components in equal quantities and prepare a product with the consistency of gruel. Rub the powder compartment with the prepared paste, leave for a day, and then gently wipe with a sponge. At the end of the procedure, it is rinsed with running water.

Mechanical cleaning

The mechanical method of descaling a washing machine is not as popular as using special products. It requires disassembling equipment into individual elements, so it is most often used by professionals.

Mechanical descaling

Removing the formation mechanically has its advantages:

1. Each element of household appliances - the drum and the heating element - is cleaned separately; all limescale does not remain inside the machine.
2. By disassembling the device into individual parts, it is possible to assess its condition, notice the malfunction and carry out repairs.

When mechanically cleaning, do not use a knife, file, sandpaper, or metal brush to treat the surface of the heating element or drum.

Why is it important to fight scale?

When water is heated, salts, trace elements, and microparticles of rust that fall from water pipes settle on the components of the washing machine. Timely descaling will protect the washing machine from damage. When limescale deposits form on the parts of household appliances, the efficiency of the heater decreases and energy consumption increases.

A layer of limescale on the heating element

In addition, the limescale that has covered the heating element slows down the rotation of the drum. Such changes in the operation of the machine can lead to serious damage to it. Proper care of household appliances is not only about removing the already formed layer of salt deposits, but also preventing the problem.

How to prevent scale formation?

To prevent lime from settling, it is important to observe the following preventive measures:

1. Install a magnetic transducer on the hose through which water is supplied to the washing machine. It prevents the deposition of salts contained in the water on the heating element.
2. When washing clothes in the machine, in addition to the powder, it is necessary to add special products that soften the water and prevent the settling of limescale. In many powders, such substances are already included in the composition by manufacturers.
3. It is necessary to keep not only the inside of the device clean, but also the outside. Experts recommend wiping the rubber seal regularly - at least once a week - using dishwashing detergent. It should be diluted in water in a ratio of 1:10 and the part should be wiped with a sponge.

The use of preventive agents against scale

Now, knowing what means you can use to remove scale from your washing machine or prevent its formation, you can extend the service life of your household appliances.

It’s hard to imagine everyday life without washing clothes. There is a catastrophic lack of time and energy for manual work after a hard day at work. A clever and assistant comes to the rescue - an automatic machine. They threw in the dirty laundry - pressed the button - and after an hour or two the clothes were clean. The service life of this miracle of technology is about 10 years. But dust, dirt, and “hard” tap water significantly shorten this period. Such a disaster may happen that one day the automatic machine will stop working for no apparent reason, although in fact there is a reason - it’s scale. Deposits of heavy metal salts on a tubular electric heater (TEH) lead to a complete stop of the machine. If your automatic machine suddenly stops working, the first thing you need to do is determine the cause of the breakdown. According to statistics, the main reasons for this problem are the formation of scale on the heating element and dense filter clogging. We will tell you in our article whether there is a way to prevent the formation of these deposits and how to clean the washing machine from scale and dirt inside.

Cleaning the machine drain pump filter

Few people know about the existence of this filter, and its clogging is not uncommon. An ignorant person can give fabulous money to a repairman who will undertake to “fix” the car, although there is no breakdown as such - it is simply necessary to remove dirt from the drain filter. It is located on the front side of the machine, at the very bottom, you can see the square outline of the lid. What to do next?

1. When you open the lid, you will see a plug covering the drain filter hose. Before removing the plug, place a container - water may spill out of the hose.
2. Behind the plug, you will instantly see the cause of the blockage - all buttons, hair, seed peels and other contaminants end up in the drain filter after each wash. If he has never been washed, there may be an unpleasant odor. Using a gloved hand, release the filter from accumulated dirt.
3. Wipe the filter dry with a dry cloth.

It is advisable to wash the filter drain hole after each wash, or at least twice a month.

Get rid of dirt in the removable compartment for powder and detergents

Most often, no one looks into this container - they poured the powder into the reservoir, poured in fabric softener, slammed it shut and off they went. But if you look there, you can see a lot of interesting things. There you will find dirt, black stains in the form of mold and even fungus. It’s an unpleasant sight, and most importantly, all these contaminants are in contact with the drum and your laundry during each wash. How to remove dirt from the powder container and get rid of mold:

How to clean the heating element in a washing machine from scale

This element is most susceptible to breakdowns. If your tap water has a high level of “hardness”, i.e. the amount of impurities in the form of metals, salts and rust exceeds the norm, the risk of premature failure of the heating element is very high. A layer of scale forms on it, which grows with each wash. When there is too much scale, the heating element (tubular electric heater) does not allow the machine to even turn on the washing program. You will know about a breakdown of the electric heater if the machine suddenly switched off in the midst of operation, and from that moment on completely stopped working.

How to remove limescale with citric acid

The lemon we are used to helps remove scale with a bang. The amount of citric acid powder depends on how “overgrown” the heating element is with scale. On average, an automatic machine with a load of 5 kg will require 5 bags of lemon juice. Of these, 4 pcs. pour into a container for powder, 1 pc. - into the machine drum itself. Set the washing mode to a maximum temperature of 90-95°C.

When the water is drained, you will see whole pieces of dirty gray scale come out. The main thing is that plaque fragments do not clog the drain hose - otherwise you will have to clean it manually.

You can use citric acid twice a month.

Cleaning the inside with vinegar

Removing scale from heating elements with vinegar is a less popular method than the previous one, but it also happens on forums on the Internet. Acetic acid is more aggressive than citric acid. When using it, the seals (rubber bands) of the automatic machine may be damaged. However, it allows you to remove scale deposits from the electric heater better and faster.

Vinegar is poured into the hole for powder and conditioner in an amount of 50 ml. Whether you can trust this folk remedy is up to you to decide. Evaluate all of the above means wisely.

Removing dirt from the drum of an automatic machine

Dirt and lime deposits can also accumulate in it. Some models have an automatic drum cleaning function. Just press a button and you can observe the process without any intervention. How to wash a drum if there is no such special function - some relevant tips:

• Pour 100 ml of bleach into the machine drum itself. Run a wash program without laundry at a temperature of at least 60°C. The drum will be cleaned and unpleasant odors will be eliminated.
• Pour 2 sachets of citric acid into an empty drum. Start the wash cycle at maximum temperature. It’s good if there is a double rinse mode - it will help remove all plaque.
• Prepare a solution of soda ash to wash the machine: mix the powder in water in a ratio of 1 to 1. Rub the mixture on the drum and the rubber gasket around it (be sure to wear gloves!), then let it stand with the door open for half an hour. Then use a sponge to remove the residue and remove particles invisible to the eye using the fast dry wash mode (without items).
• Leave the SMA door ajar until the drum is completely dry after each wash. Otherwise, an unpleasant odor will appear in it, which will have to be removed.

Option for removing limescale (video)

Another good way to remove scale (video)

It turns out that cleaning your home assistant from scale and dirt inside can be done easily and inexpensively. Don’t forget about preventive measures, then you will need to clean less often.