Hey there viewers!
How often do you do laundry?
Most of us have a neglected pile of dirty clothes somewhere in our house just waiting
to be cleaned.
The washing machine is a great invention made to clean your clothes, but how clean is your
machine?
Is it a place for bacteria to hide?
How do you clean a washing machine, and how often should you do it?
We’re gonna answer all this and more, in today’s video!
We all want to be more energy efficient and reduce our carbon footprint, but is there
a cost to your health?
When talking about washing machines the newer models are built to be more energy efficient.
This often means using cold water to wash your clothes, or using water that isn’t
as hot as the older machines would produce.
This is where the problems all began, and where the discussion began about bacteria
hiding in your washing machine.
There was a news story back in 2012 - 2013 where 13 newborns in a German children’s
hospital were all found to be carrying a strain of antibiotic-resistant bacteria called Klebsiella
oxytoca, or KO for short.
The fact that this bacteria is antibio tic-resistant means it’s known as a superbug, and isn’t
something you want to catch, especially if you’re a newborn.
Fortunately in this case the infants we not actually infected with the KO, just exposed.
KO is normally found in your gut, and can cause wound, lung and urinary tract infections.
It can be even more serious for those who have low functioning immune systems, like
newborn babies.
The fact that this happened in a hospital is even more concerning.
When the cause of the exposure was investigated it was discovered that the hospitals laundry
was to blame.
Their, “clean” laundry.
This particular hospital had a machine that was meant for household laundry and not any
kind of industrial brand.
So it’s likely it was just like the one you have at home.
Once they got rid of that particular washing machine, the bacterial was eliminated.
So the cause was believed to be the machine itself.
We’re not trying to scare you, we are just painting a picture as to how harmful a bacteria
filled washing machine can be.
The most harmful spot on the washing machine was believed to be that rubber lining in the
door that isn’t exposed to the full heat of the machine.
Instead, this part of the washer can sit in a moist, humid environment that’s perfect
for developing bacteria, and passing it along to you on your clean clothes.
Other types of bacteria that you want to avoid is E-coli which grows quite well on towels,
KO which we mentioned earlier and salmonella.
These can all cause pneumonia, skin infections, cramps, nausea and vomiting and more for those
with weaker immune systems.
Experts have mixed opinions when it comes to the level of concern you should have about
the kind of bacteria living in your washing machine.
For one thing, that news story we told you earlier took place in a hospital, where there
are different and more lethal kinds of bacteria floating around.
It should also be noted that people can be exposed to bacteria without any infection
resulting from the exposure.
On the flip side, some experts believe that because the more modern, energy efficient
washing machines wash your clothes at a lower temperature, this could allow certain bacteria
to survive the washing cycle and spread around the machine during the rinse cycle.
Because household machines don’t sterilize your clothes, bacteria are bound to be lurking
in the rubber parts around the door and possible elsewhere.
Generally cold water in encouraged to clean your clothes and it saves you money, so most
people use the cold cycle.
Studies suggest that 60 degrees C or 140 degrees F is considered “hot water” and will kill
any pathogenic bacteria.
Anything below 80 degrees F is considered cold water.
Like we mentioned earlier, E-coli grows well on towels and to really get towels clean,
you’ve got to use hot water.
Even bleach loses its effectiven ess in cold water!
Kinda gross right?
So the big question is, should you be worried about this bacteria?
The short answer is, not really.
Yes, there's a lot of bacteria living in your machine, possibly gross ones like E-coli,
but it’s pretty rare that any of it will cause you harm or get you sick.
But, this doesn’t mean you can’t take steps to ensure that your clothes are truly
clean, especially if you’re a new parent, or are taking care of an elderly person or
parent.
This means washing your washer.
Germs will hang out in the lining of your washing machine, especially when you’ve
washed something like towels.
It might seem counterintuitive but washing your machine once a month or so, can help
your family reduce the chances of getting sick.
So, how do you wash a washing machine?
There’s no machine for that.
Looks like you’re going to have to wash it by hand!
One clear indicator that you might need to wash your machine is if you notice a funky
smell.
Laundry can soil your machine, detergent and hard water minerals can build up and yes even
mold or mildew can live in there.
So here’s how to clean it:
Front Loading Washer: Here’s what you’ll need: White Vinegar,
A Spray Bottle, Microfiber Cloth and baking soda.
Step one: Clean the Gasket.
Before you do anything you need to clean out the gasket.
That’s the rubber lining in the front part of your washing machine, before you get to
the drum inside.
Sometimes stuff collects there during a load, so make sure you empty it out.
You should probably check this before you do any load of laundry from now on.
Sometimes there are holes behind the gasket, and you want to clear any hair or dirt that
might be covering those as well.
Then, take your spray bottle and fill it with some white vinegar and spray the rubber gasket.
Wipe clean with a damp cloth.
Don’t worry if the rubber part has bent down a bit when you were cleaning it, it’ll
go back to normal in a minute.
Step Two: Clean the Drum.
The drum is the part that your clothes go into.
To clean this bit, set your machine to the hottest setting possible.
Then, pour two cups of white vinegar into the detergent dispenser.
Run a full cycle.
When this is done, add one half cup of baking soda directly into the drum of the washer
(not the dispenser).
Run another complete cycle on the hottest setting.
When this cycle is complete, take your cloth and wipe the inside of the drum clean.
If you want bonus points you can then take that same cloth and wipe the outside of the
washer (and all the buttons) too.
Top Loading Washer Here’s what you’ll need: White Vinegar,
A Spray Bottle, Microfiber Cloth and baking soda and a toothbrush.
This is a great way to repurpose an old toothbrush you don’t use anymore.
Cleaning The Washer: Set your washing machine to the hottest and
highest level.
Add four cups of white vinegar to the wash cycle and start the machine.
Once the machine is going, pause the cycle and let the mixture sit for an hour.
You can open the washer and dip your cloth into the hot mixture (be careful not to burn
yourself on the hot water) and clean the outside of the washer while you’re waiting.
During this time you can also drip the old toothbrush into the water and use it to clean
the dispensers.
After about an hour let the wash cycle finish.
Once that cycle is done, open the washer and add in one full cup of baking soda.
Run another hot wash cycle just like before.
Once that cycle is completed you can take your cloth and wipe the inside of the tub
clean, and remove any remaining scum.
Another tip you can use to avoid spreading germs, especially in the winter when we’re
confined to our houses more often, is to avoid hugging your dirty laundry.
We don’t mean hugging it in the normal tense, we mean the style you choose to carry it to
the washer.
Hugging your clothes might pass along certain bacteria you don’t want, and you could increase
your chance of getting sick, instead use that basket your mom gave you for Christmas, and
try washing your hands much more often.
For more ways to avoid getting sick, check out our video called “This Is What Happens
To Your Body When You Get A Cold”.
And for more natural ways to feel better, check out our clip called “Try These Medically
Approved Natural Remedies For Your Cold”
When it comes to drying your clothes, some experts say that the most effective way to
get your clothes completely germ free is to forgo the dryer all together and use the sun!
There have been studies done that show sunlight and ultraviolet light kills bacteria and viruses.
Not to mention the sun can penetrate glass and kill stale bacteria in any room, so open
those windows and let the sunshine in!
When it comes to cleaning your clothes, whenever possible, skip the dryer and use the old fashioned
clothesline to dry you freshly washed clothes, from your freshly washed washing machine.
Have you ever cleaned your washing machine?
Do you hate doing laundry?
Let us know in the comments below, we would love to hear from you.