Home maintenance is important
Washers and dryers aren’t cheap and so it is important to take care of them to make them last as long as possible. They need a deep cleaning at least once a year.
A step-by-step tutorial for cleaning your washer and dryer can be found at this website: REVIEWS, CHEWS & HOW-TOs
Washing machines can get pretty cruddy over the years. All the research I’ve done points to two thoughts on cleaning: The first is to use natural ingredients and the second is that bleach is too harsh for septic systems. Baking soda and vinegar are the preferred cleaning solutions. Don’t use cleaning tools that will scratch the finish of the washer/dryer. Soft toothbrushes and cloths are good to use.
Cleaning your clothes dryer
Cleaning a clothes dryer involves cleaning the lint trap and the dryer vent/hose. There are many different types of tools to choose from for cleaning the vent/hose. This year, instead of cleaning the dryer hose we are replacing it. The dryer is old but still works fine. Here are some ideas about cleaning it.
Get a LintEater kit. It’s a 10-piece set that attaches to your drill. Pretty cool. “The LintEater rotary dryer vent cleaning system is the most valuable tool one can own for ensuring safe operation of your clothes dryer. It’s easy to use with a cordless drill and provides a means for regular cleaning of your dryer vent system, 4 flexible rods screw together to allow reach into vents up to 144″ from one end.”
Project Source Cleaning Kit Dryer Vent Cleaning Kit https://www.lowes.com/pd/
I use wool dryer balls like these in addition to dryer sheets. If I was going all natural then I wouldn’t use dryer sheets. Those dryer sheets create a lot of lint!
Here is how we cleaned the dryer vent at my house. Our “laundry room” is in the unfinished part of our cellar.
Old-fashion ranch-style house
I’ve wiped down the exterior of my appliances and have done some wiping of the inside of the washing machine, but it’s been my dad who has replaced the dryer hose. Apparently it’s been a really looooong time since the last time the dryer hose was replaced because the plastic was so brittle that it cracked and tore at the base when he touched it.
Two things: plastic isn’t up to code so we replaced with the correct foil type, and we think there must have been a leak in the hose for a long time which would explain why there was so much dryer lint in the room above the dryer. Not sure, but maybe. Anyway, it’s taken care of now.
The only tools we needed
We didn’t take off the back of the dryer, this time around. Next time we will remove the back and see how much lint has built up over the years! Because we were replacing and not cleaning the dryer hose we only needed a ratchet screw driver and a new foil dryer hose (8-feet long). Having two people do the job helps as one can hold a flashlight to brighten the area or hold the hose in place while the clamp screw is being tightened. We bagged the old dryer hose and discarded it.
Cleaning the washing machine
My washing machine is fairly new. I did remove the liquid fabric softener dispenser and wiped down the spinner and drum but did not remove the spinner. I wiped cracks and crevices and cleaned the outside. Again, I used liquid Comet spray as I did when wiping down the dryer.
Other laundry room items
My iron and ironing board are in a closet on the main floor (not the basement) which is more convenient than being near the washer and dryer. I bought a hand-held clothes steamer which I keep on the main floor.
We already have two or three folding clothes drying racks which are put to use almost daily. I used to have an outdoor clothesline. Now the drying racks take its place.
And this is the “after” photo:
Laundry Room Ideas
These items should be in every laundry room and you are lucky if are able to have them all!
