How should I use my washing machine to ensure its lifespan longevity?

Daily maintenance

Once the clothes have been washed, keep the door of your washer open after each washing machine use. This allows residual moisture in your machine to dry out any so that there won’t be any musty smells left inside. Also, you might want to wipe the inside of the drum after a wash, especially if you had a really dirty load.

Cleaning the machine inside out

Your machine needs cleaning, just like your clothes. It’s a good idea to give your machine a deep clean once a month to get rid of odours. Use a washing machine cleaner and give your washing machine a clean on an empty cycle on a hot wash.

Also, wipe the machine down from the inside and outside after running a cleaning cycle. You may have sticky residues left over from detergent spills or dirty water and scum inside and outside the machine, so take a damp cloth and give the machine a wipe, both inside the drum and on the outside of the washing machine.

Dosing correctly

Sometimes less is more when it comes to how much washing powder to use in the washing machine. If you overdose on detergent, sometimes this can actually damage the clothes, the water pipes and even the washing machine motor. It’s important to check the dosing instructions on the back of the detergent package to get it right.

Also, it’s important to use the right detergent. Can you use hand washing powder in a washing machine? The answer is no. In fact, using hand wash powder in your machine could damage your machine on the long run and hinder your laundry results on the short run, particularly if you use a fully-automatic washing machine. Ariel is specially designed to meet your needs and is uniquely formulated to ensure the best performance inside your washing machine. Ariel offers a range of detergents from regular Ariel (for your semi-automatic washing machines) to Ariel Matic Front Load (for your fully-automatic front load washing machine) and Ariel Matic Top Load (for your fully-automatic top load washing machine), to ensure you get the best stain removal in 1-wash.

Daily Tips to give your machine long life

If you’re still looking for tips on how to use a washing machine and give it daily care, follow our daily tips to help give your machine a long life.

• Pay attention to what you’re washing. Avoid heavy items like carpets that can put pressure on the machine.

• Understand your washing machine settings. Make sure you use the appropriate cycle for the wash you need, to not only protect your clothes, but the machine, too.

• Do not overload the machine. Too many clothes in your machine at the same time puts pressure on the washing machine motor and can cause overheating. If it’s packed full, it’s hard for the machine to spin properly. If you have the option for a heavy load, use it, as this will use more water to clean your clothes more effectively, although avoid heavy loads unless there is no other choice.

• Remove rust. If you notice your clothes have reddish spots, you may have rust in your machine. Take a look if you have any in the drum or in the detergent dispenser. You can remove these by running a machine on a wash cycle and wiping it out, but you may need the drum changing in a more extreme case. Also, it could also be in your water pipes, so maybe get those looked at.

A machine that’s cared for will give you so much back with great laundry for a long time. So make sure you keep it clean and use the right detergent for your machine to see optimal laundry results.