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You may have heard about the need to run an “empty cycle” in your washing machine once a month. And this seems like a rather strange piece of advice. Why waste water, electricity, and the life of the appliance? In fact, it doesn’t harm the life at all, but on the contrary, it increases it. How? An empty cycle allows you to remove detergent residues, deposits left by tap water, and small debris that may have remained inside.
Running a program without clothes at a temperature of 60°C or higher is a preventive measure for the equipment. The high temperature dissolves fat deposits that remain after washing sportswear or kitchen towels. Hot water also washes out small debris from places where regular rinsing does not reach: from under the cuff or the internal compartments of the dispenser. If you add a little citric acid or a special cleaner, the effect will be more noticeable: scale on the heating element will be significantly reduced, and the unpleasant “wet” smell will disappear completely.
The most common mistake is to wait until the machine starts to work improperly. For example, when extraneous sounds appear, the washing time increases or the clothes after the cycle are not clean enough or smell bad. But this will mean that the problem has already accumulated. Preventive cleaning once every 30 days helps to avoid such scenarios. It is enough to choose a day and run a long program with high temperature. Even if it seems that your machine is working perfectly, you can be sure that there is something to “wash” inside.
This trick also helps to get rid of clogged drain hoses. Dirt particles, threads, hair - all of this settles in the pipes over time, reducing the throughput. After a hot cycle, the debris softens and flows out with the water, rather than remaining to rot in the system, which will have a good effect on the cleanliness of clothes and the condition of the washing machine.
