taking good care of your washing machine will help keep it working for years the first step is by making sure that you clean it regularly and effectively have you ever felt like your clothes are not being washed properly and they don t look as clean as they used to it s definitely time to clean your washing machine and this is how things you will need cleaning a washing machine starts with just two items 1 quart of bleach optional 1 quart of white vinegaryou re probably wondering but wait isn t it dangerous to mix bleach and vinegar well you are correct the answer is yes but we will not be mixing the two here keep reading cleaning your washing machine fill the empty washer with hot water as you would when doing a large load of laundry add the quart of bleach and let the full machine run for at least one minute to mix up the bleach with the water open the top of the machine and let it sit all bleach y and full for another hour at the end of the hour close the cover and let the machine run a complete cycle note the water will drain out all the bleach so it won t have a chance to mix with the vinegar when this is done repeat the process this time however when you fill the washer with hot water add the quart of white vinegar to the water and down the bleach channel let the machine run for a minute to agitate the water and vinegar after that minute open the top of the machine and again let the hot water sit in the basin for an hour before you let the cycle complete after cleaning the basin spray the gaskets dispensers and exterior of the machine with a solution of equal parts vinegar and water wipe everything down with a clean cloth your washing machine is now ready to give the smell to your clothes that you love and your clothes can look brand new again