How To Clean Your Washing Machine Without Ruining the Rubber Seal

Is vinegar bad for washing machines? In this video: how to check the rubber door seal on a front loader (the fold at the 6 o'clock spot), whether the vinegar and baking soda washer hack works, what Maytag, Bosch, Consumer Reports and LG say about vinegar in a washing machine, why the brand telling you to stop sells its own washer cleaner, when diluted vinegar on the door seal is fine, why vinegar and bleach must never mix, how to clean a washing machine the right way with the clean cycle, bleach versus washer cleaner tablets, how often to wipe the door seal, and where vinegar still earns its spot in the laundry room. If you've poured vinegar into your washer after a viral video, have a musty front loader, or keep a jug of vinegar next to the machine, start here. A new door seal, put in by a pro, runs $275 to $600 (HomeGuide). Maytag's blog: don't pour vinegar into the drum or run it through a cycle; at the bottom of the same page, the washer cleaner it recommends, affresh, and Maytag itself are both Whirlpool brands. Bosch: vinegar does too much damage to the rubber parts. Consumer Reports: using vinegar regularly can damage seals and hoses in some washers and lead to leaks, front loaders most. LG: vinegar mixed with a gallon of warm water, wiped on the door seal with a cloth, never together with bleach. Run the clean cycle your manual names about once a month or every 30 washes, drum empty, with a washer cleaner or one cup of liquid bleach in the dispenser if your manual allows bleach, never detergent. A jug of bleach is about $6; a six-pack of cleaner tablets is about $11 and lasts six months. Wipe the seal fold dry every wash day and leave the door open. Soap drawers can soak in half vinegar, half water, then get a good rinse (Maytag, Whirlpool). Bleach plus any acid, vinegar included, gives off chlorine gas. ⏱ CHAPTERS 0:00 Can you put vinegar in your washing machine? 0:29 How to check a front-loader door seal (the 6 o'clock fold) 1:05 Does the vinegar and baking soda washer hack work? 1:26 What does Maytag say about vinegar in a washer? 1:59 What Bosch and Consumer Reports say about vinegar 2:21 How strong is vinegar? (weaker than some sodas) 2:36 Can you use vinegar on a washer door seal? (LG) 2:52 Does vinegar cancel out laundry detergent? 3:08 Is vinegar bad for washing machines? The verdict 3:41 How to clean a washing machine the right way (clean cycle) 4:02 Bleach or washer cleaner tablets for the clean cycle? 4:23 How to clean the soap drawer, drain filter and door seal 4:51 Where vinegar still helps in the laundry 5:14 What happens if you mix bleach and vinegar? 5:37 Vinegar in the washer: the verdict in four lines Tonight: open your front loader, pull back the seal at the 6 o'clock spot, and look in the fold. 👉 What was hiding in your fold? #washingmachine #frontloader #laundry