Earlier in the week, I gave tips on how to save money on appliances, because they are very expensive. An appliance breaking down is something that everyone dreads, because it could cost you tons of money to replace it. Therefore, you want to make sure that you properly maintain your appliances, so that way you decrease the chances of one breaking down and then you have to shell out hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars on a new appliance. One of the main appliances that stay at home moms use is the washing machine and they’re very expensive to replace. Therefore, I’m going to give you some tips that will help you properly maintain the machine and increase its lifespan.

#1. Clean your Machine

Have you noticed that your clothes aren’t coming out of the machine as clean as they used to be? Maybe you even smell an odor emitting from the machine? If so, you need to clean the inside of the machine. What you want to do is take 3/4^th cups of bleach and mix it with a tablespoon of some of your laundry detergent. Run a soak cycle and then run a rinse cycle, which will clean out all of the bleach. Now, you’ll have a fresh and clean machine that won’t stink and will operate much more efficiently.

#2. Keep the Lid Up or the Door Open

Did you know that you’re actually supposed to do this after every single load? This way, the moisture in the machine will evaporate.

#3. Clean up Your Messes

It’s important that if you spill something on your washing machine that you clean it up immediately. First of all, it can be a pain to clean up a spill that’s been sitting on the machine for an extended period of time and the finish on the machine can actually be damaged by the chemicals being spilled on it.

#4. Wipe Down Your Washing Machine Weekly

This is something that I’m even guilty of from time to time. I’ll completely forget to wipe down my washing machine. Every week, you’ll want to wipe down your washing machine on the outside, so that it’s nice and clean. However, you shouldn’t neglect the inside of the machine, either. There could be dirt, lint or even some soap residue in there.

#5. Clean the Dispenser

You know that manual that you got with your washing machine that you likely put in the closet and never even flipped through a single page of it? Well, now is the time to get it out and learn how to clean the fabric softener dispenser. There should be instructions in the owner’s manual and you should never use detergent to clean it.

#6. Keep an Eye on Your Hoses

A lot of people hook up their washing machine and never check the hoses again. It’s important that you make sure that the hoses haven’t become bent. Also, if the hoses are over five years old, it’s time to replace them whether they’re bent or not. If one of the hoses ends up springing a leak, you could end up flooding your home.