Various cleaning gurus swear by it: adding a dash of vinegar to your laundry. But is this actually such a good idea? NU.nl sorted it out for you.
It’s one of those tips from grandma. A splash of vinegar in your washing machine would remove bad odors from your clothes, immediately make your towels nice and soft and ensure that your washing machine descales. You no longer need fabric softener or washing machine cleaner.
“The active effect of vinegar is acids, which can cause decalcification or degreasing,” says Sanne Janssen, spokesperson for Milieu Centraal. “Lime on the heating element of your washing machine, for example, can cause your washing machine to consume more power. Although the water hardness in the Netherlands is generally not so high that this occurs quickly. From an environmental point of view, vinegar can also be broken down by the water treatment plants. therefore has no direct impact on the environment.
Is vinegar harmful to your washing machine?
“Our experts do not recommend using vinegar in washing machines,” says Jennita van Herrikhuijzen of washing machine manufacturer Miele. “We get the tip, because apparently vinegar ensures that your laundry or machine can be cleaned. But the corrosive substances in vinegar can, among other things, dry out the rubbers of your washing machine. They wear out faster.”
“In addition to water transport, these rubbers also ensure that your washing machine is sealed and that water leaks are prevented,” says Rob Walthaus, of APPLia Nederland, the trade association of manufacturers of electrical household appliances. “If they age too quickly, the risk of leaks increases. But vinegar can also affect the shiny steel. So you often read tips for your laundry, but you don’t read that it can damage your machine.”
Janssen of Milieu Centraal: “We do not recommend or advise against the use of vinegar, because there is no good answer to it. Of course, it also depends very much on what kind of washing machine you have and how much and how often you use vinegar. That is why the same advice does not apply to everyone. But theoretically, vinegar can indeed affect rubber or aluminum.”
Does natural vinegar or cleaning vinegar still matter?
“We also call natural vinegar table vinegar,” says Janssen. “This has a lower percentage of acid and therefore a lower effect. You can also consume this vinegar. That does not apply to cleaning vinegar. It also contains methanol, for example, and that is dangerous to ingest. And above all, try not to mix products This can cause chemical reactions. We always advise against this anyway.”
Set your machine on the 90 degree program about once a month.
If you still want to clean your washing machine, you don’t have to do anything too complicated. “Put your machine on the 90 degree program about once a month,” says Van Herrikhuijzen. “Use a professional detergent. But even if you don’t add anything, the water in the machine may still foam. This is because the detergent residues left behind by the hot water dissolve.”
“Or stick with the original machine cleaners,” says Walthaus. “They contain a certain balance between cleaning, a fresh scent and decalcification. So do not experiment yourself. Although most soaps now also contain various agents, so that a real subsequent cleaning is no longer necessary.” Janssen: “For example, many detergents contain water softener, which means that you already get less lime.”
Too much detergent
A common mistake people make is using too much detergent. To be sure. However, this can cause accumulations (called grease lice) in your washing machine. “That is also why it is important to wash at a high temperature now and then,” says Van Herrikhuijzen. “We notice that liquid detergent often remains behind if it is used too much. Washing powder can clump, but on the other hand it dissolves more easily.”
The Consumers’ Association says in a response that if you use vinegar, it is good to check whether the warranty of your washing machine does not expire.
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