Tips for a Sparkling Clean: How to Clean a Washing Machine Filter!

You toss dirty clothes in; you take clean clothes out. It seems simple, but if you've ever noticed a whiffy odour coming from your washing machine or spotted slick or slime, you know cleaning your washing machine is important.

One of the easiest ways to keep your washing machine clean is to use a washing machine cleaner. You can't leave it at that, though. You have to take it a step further and clean your washing machine filter. If you don't, it's generally the source of all those nasty smells you can no longer ignore.

How?

Let's find out!

The Cleaning Process

First things first, you need a handy cleaning kit to tackle the job. In this case, you'll need a cleaning brush, a cleaning spray, cleaning clothes, a tray, and a tea towel.

Slide that tray under the filter door to capture any overflow. Once the tray is in place, you can open the door and unscrew the filter(s). Beware: it's likely to be as dirty as it is smelly. If you have been consistently faced with clean laundry that doesn't smell or clean as fresh as it used to be, it's likely due to a dirty filter. Think about how long you've owned your washing machine; now think of how much time that filter has had to accumulate gunk.

Once you remove the filter, you need to remove all the gunk, and you might be surprised by the number of items you find hiding in there, from hair ties and lip balms to coins and jewellery. Carefully set the filter(s) on your tray and be ready to lay the tea towel below the door so you can take the tray to the sink for filter deep cleaning.

You don't need any products yet; the first step is to run the filter(s) beneath warm tap water to remove as much gunk as possible. Once you remove excess grime, you can grab your Dish Daddy, using the scrub brush head attachment. This is an efficient way to clean the rest of the gunk, dirt, and grime. If there are marks you can't budge, don't worry too much about them, it could be rust. However, you can be certain by using Fabulosa Washing Up Liquid to clean the filters fully. This will remove any remaining grease and grime, but you must rinse the filter(s) thoroughly.

There's no use cleaning the filter(s) if you don't also clean out the slot that holds them. While the filter(s) dry, you can keep cleaning. Use The Pink Stuff Multi-Purpose Cleaner and spray it into the slot. For general cleaning purposes, TPS Multi-Purpose Cleaner only has a contact time of a few seconds, but you can let it rest longer if the area is dirtier than what you normally clean.

Grab your Dish Daddy and get to scrubbing, using the tea towel to capture any of the mess. Once the area is clean, you can use a Minky cloth to wipe it down and dry the area. Once the filter(s) and the slot are dry, you can replace the filters and ensure you twist them tightly to avoid leaks. Now you're free to close the door, deal with the dirty tea towel, and wipe down any remaining mess.

Shop CleanHQ

That wasn't so hard. Was it?

Now that you know you're supposed to clean your washing machine filter, you can schedule it into your deep cleaning schedule. You should clean your filter(s) at least four times a year, but if you have pets or children, you may want to schedule it monthly.

For all your cleaning kit needs, visit CleanHQ to shop our wide range of spectacular cleaning products.