Q&A for How to Clean the Inside of a Washing Machine

Start by removing the drum spinner using a screwdriver. Once removed, clean the exposed drum with a mixture of bleach, vinegar, water, or baking soda. Rinse with warm water and repeat if there's still stains or buildup.

I would say that the rubber gasket is worn out. All the water, detergent, and other chemicals have softened it and it is leaving the black streaks. Replace the gasket and I bet the marks will go away.

If your machine is front load, there is likely a filter accessible from the front of your machine. Grab a pail to catch the water. When you twist open that filter to check it, all that backed up water will spill out. Then you can easily scoop out the soggy nastiness clogging the drain filter. I would check this filter weekly. If you can clean it before it clogs, you don't have to worry about flooding your laundry space.

Put on a latex glove, and wipe it over the places where the hair is caught; it will stick to the latex. If you can't wear latex gloves, or simply can't find any, you can use a dryer sheet instead.

Wash items inside out and never use a powder detergent. Try to use a clear liquid detergent but not too much. Dark clothes need extra water for rinsing too.

I would suggest the product "Iron Out". It is available in powder form a nd chemically converts iron compounds. It is also septic safe.

Run them through another wash cycle WITHOUT any soap. Or you could just run the clothes through an additional rinse cycle. Next time you wash, remember to add less soap.

Clean it as detailed above, and run a cycle of vinegar through it to clean it.

Lint and soap scum are in the little holes. To clean them, fill the washer with hot water, add four cups of white vinegar, leave it sit for three hours, then run a full wash cycle.

Try a product called "Iron Out." Follow the instructions, or just mix a little with enough water to make a paste, then apply it to rust stain for as long as it takes.

It sounds like the membrane on your water softener broke. A water softener has resin beads inside the brine tank that work to soften the water. The water softener will regenerate and clean these beads at night; however, if the membrane that holds the resin beads were to break, the beads are then free to travel throughout your plumbing system and end up in your washing machine (or anywhere else, for that matter), which feels like really fine sand. You might notice that the water pressure in your shower doesn't feel as strong as it used to be, or that your dishwasher doesn't seem to clean the dishes as well as before, or that your clothes don't get as clean in the washer.

Keep a towel handy and thoroughly wipe the entire seal every time you finish laundry. Leave the door ajar when you have finished with the weekly laundry, to ensure that the seal and tub are dried out completely.