Cleaning washing machine?

Hi everyone, does anyone know how to give your washing machine a good internal clean? I recall a couple of years ago someone said to put a pint of vinegar in the drum and put it on the hottest wash and to put something in the drawer and do the same, I really cant remember whether it was soda crystals or bicarb of soda though

Or do you think running some biological powder on an empty hot wash would do the same?
Thanks in advance!

 

Vinegar and bicarb works well. The white type of vinegar....

 

soda crystal might do a good job - they would de-grease everything

Loopy

 

I have discovered that putting a dishwashing tablet in the machine and running it on hot keeps it clean and fresh ... and putting one in with white / light clothes brightens them without using bleach.

I don't have a dishwasher and just buy the Aldi store branch tablets.

 

Thanks V
My OH uses 1 cup white vinegar on a 90 wash, once a week.

 

OMG! Mine's lucky if it gets a rinse through once a year. It gets washed at least once a week when I put the washing in, AFAIC.

I hadn't realised quite what a slob I am. Had my suspicions, mind you.

 

I've had to do mine from time to time due to a buildup of something black that comes off on my clothes. When I first realised something was wrong I searched on the internet and found the following site with two links you might find interesting, especially the second one with the pictures of what there is on the other side of the drum that we think is a nice clean shiny thing. It also points out which things will and won't work for a maintenance wash.

Washing Machine & Washer Dryer Maintenance Wash

Smelly Washing Machines

If I remember right, the culprit is the tendency to wash at lower temperatures which somehow feels strangely negated by having to do a regular high temperature wash with an empty machine to clean the scum off!