Last updated on April 3rd, 2024
As a professional washing machine technician, I’ve encountered abundant myths and misconceptions about how to effectively clean and maintain washing machines. My advice to customers is always grounded in practical experience and empirical evidence. One of the most persistent debates is the efficacy of vinegar versus bleach for cleaning the washing machine, particularly the door seal (aka the washing machine rubber door seal of a front loader, or door boot), which is prone to mould and mildew buildup. With my professional experience guiding me, I embarked on an experiment to not only explore the truth behind these cleaning methods but also to challenge the widespread belief that vinegar can damage your machine by rusting the drum.
The Experiment
The goal was straightforward: compare the cleaning power of vinegar and bleach on a dirty, crusty, mould stained washing machine door seal. I documented the condition of the seal before any cleaning took place, photographing the initial extent of mould infestation, then after being cleaned first with vinegar, then with bleach. I also documented the whole process in a moderately long, quite boring video for those who want to see the results at each step.
Will Vinegar Clean a Mouldy Washing Machine Rubber Door Seal?
I started with vinegar, a popular natural cleaning solution praised for its eco friendliness and safety. I had a bias formed from my own professional experience as an appliance technician. I fully expected vinegar to be useless. I wanted to give vinegar every chance of success to put this myth to bed once and for all. I used 4L of 8% double strength pickling vinegar, the equivalent of 8L of standard vinegar. In one wash. Since I was using such an insane amount of vinegar in the wash, I thought it was also a good opportunity to test the myth that vinegar will rust your washing machine drum.
I added the vinegar to the soap dispenser, and ran a long cotton wash at 90°C (194 °F) for 167 minutes. Then I waited. After the cycle finished, I cleaned the rubber door seal with Jif (creme cleanser) to remove any dirt that had been softened enough by the vinegar to be removed and then took photos of the outcome. Despite the cleaning process, the seal remained significantly stained with mould. I was surprised that vinegar had any effect at all. It was capable of softening the surface detritus enough that it could be removed with the creme cleanser, but unable to tackle the deeper ingrained mould.
Does Vinegar Damage Washing Machines?
After using the equivalent of 8 liters of regular-strength vinegar, there was no damage to the drum. The reason is simple: vinegar isn’t potent enough to harm stainless steel drums, even in its undiluted form. However, it might affect drums that are already compromised by chemical wear. This outcome was anticipated, based on a straightforward rationale. If washing machine drums and their internal parts couldn’t resist the corrosive effects of vinegar, then they’d fail against the harshness of laundry detergents, let alone bleach, and putting it bluntly, a washing machine that can’t handle bleach is essentially unfit for its intended use. It’s as absurd as suggesting that the use of laundry detergent could void a washer’s warranty. Ridiculous. For those readers who are Whybuy customers, rest assured, you’re welcome to use any amount of vinegar or bleach in our machines.
Will Bleach Clean a Mouldy Washing Machine Rubber Door Seal?
Next, I tested bleach, a powerful chemical often warned against for fear of damaging the washing machine, and being bad for the environment – a claim we tested here. I used approximately 250mL of double strength commercial bleach, ensuring it was a basic formula without added detergents that could lead to oversudsing and potential flooding of the machine. It’s crucial to select the right type of bleach – inexpensive, and free of added detergents — to avoid any issues with oversudsing. Following the same cleaning cycle as with vinegar, the results were significantly better. Though minor mould stains persisted, the overall appearance of the door seal improved significantly. To tackle the remaining mould, I applied the commercial double-strength bleach directly to the affected areas several times over a period of days, a timetable more dictated by my own schedule than necessity. The bleach could have been reapplied at around two hour intervals, eliminating the need for extended waits between applications. For those using standard household bleach, achieving comparable results on heavy staining is possible with more frequent applications spaced about two hours apart, thereby enhancing the bleach’s concentration as the water component evaporates from the door seal. Using bleach succeeded in removing nearly all the mould stains effectively.
Final Thoughts - Bleach vs Vinegar
The results of this experiment are clear and carry important implications for both appliance maintenance and the use of cleaning agents. Vinegar is an excellent eco friendly and gentle preventative, stopping mould from getting a foothold in your washing machine if used regularly – as suggested in our weekly washing machine maintenance guide here. Unfortunately though it simply lacks the potency to eradicate an established mould infestation. In contrast, bleach, when used carefully and appropriately, proves to be the superior choice for eliminating mould from washing machine seals and the washing machine more broadly.