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Can You Run a Washer Empty to Clean It? (Read This First!)

Do your clothes don’t come out smelling fresh after you clean them in your washer? Are you wondering whether or not it has something to do with your washer? 

Are you wondering whether or not you should run a washer empty to clean it? Are you also wondering whether or not cleaning a washing machine by running it empty can cause any disadvantages?

Running a washer empty to clean it

You can run a washer empty to clean it. Rather it is one of the most common ways to clean your washer without damaging it. It is rather necessary to run the washer empty to clean it because bacteria, grease, food particles, and so on will be eradicated with the empty cleaning cycle.

You can definitely run a washer empty to clean it. Rather, it is one of the best ways to make sure that your washer is cleaned thoroughly.

In addition, people falsely believe that you do not need to wash a washer because of the wash cycle that you do regularly to wash your clothes.

However, this isn’t the case because clothes’ dirt, lint, oils, and so on can get stuck in the washer and can also clog the pipes or ducts.

This will eventually lead to a dirty washing machine that will potentially stain your clothes rather than cleaning them thoroughly. This is why you need to run your washer empty to clean it.

This type of cleaning should be done every week and this will actually help to increase the lifespan of your washing machine.

In addition, running a washer empty to clean it is also useful to be aware of the possible defects before loading a load of clothes into your washing machine.

In addition, this type of cleaning of a washing machine requires you to run the washing machine empty with water minus the clothes so that the insides of the washing machine can be cleaned completely to eradicate any bacteria and filth.

Moreover, you can also make use of some kind of vinegar or cleaning solution rather than just water to make sure of the best cleaning results.

Additionally, you should also make sure to run your washer empty to clean it when you buy a new washing machine.

This is because a new washing machine shouldn’t be loaded with dirty clothes at once rather you should test run it by running it empty.

You should also make sure to run it empty to clean it because there may be a lot of dirt, dust, or chemical residue left from the company.

In addition, you have to make sure that you always follow the instruction manual to be aware of the process regarding how to run a washing machine empty.

Is it okay?

It is more than ok to run a washer empty to clean it. This is because people usually think a washing machine can self-clean itself with all the washing cycles that you do every week.

However, this is far from true because a lot of dirt, dust, grease, and so on can get attached to the tubes or pipes of your washing machine due to the clothes that you wash in your washer.

Moreover, the food stains that the washing machine gets off of your clothes stay in your washer if you do not wash it regularly and thus can even cause bacteria to live in your washing machine.

In addition, the detergent that you use for cleaning your clothes can also be harmful to your washer if you do not clean the detergent off of the washing machine regularly. 

Accordingly, all these bacteria, food particles, detergent, and so on have the potential to form soap scum which can leave a foul odor on your clothes and can also cause clogging issues in your washer.

In addition, washing your clothes is an essential part of your household chores and you want your clothes to come out of the washer smelling very clean and fresh.

But when your washer has dirt and dust attached to it, it will end up making your clothes smell funny.

To remove this problem from your washing machine, you either need to open the “self-clean” option or you need to run your washing machine empty to clean it thoroughly.

In addition, just by running your washing machine with clean water, you can get your washing machine’s tubes, pipes, and interior parts properly cleaned.

What happens if you run a washing machine empty? 

A lot of benefits can derive from having your washing machine run empty. Therefore being knowledgeable about such consequences can help you to mold your decisions accordingly.

Cleans your washer:

One of the most common things that you can get by running a washing machine empty is that you will get a properly cleaned washing machine afterward.

In addition, after several wash cycles, your washing machine will be prone to having several buildups of grease, grime, dirt, food particles, and so on.

Therefore, these buildups can be eradicated pretty nicely by having your washing machine run empty with a cleaning solution or with water.

Removes odor:

Sometimes, when your washing machine isn’t properly cleaned off of all the dirt, grease, food particles, and so on, it can leave your clothes smelling of a foul odor.

Accordingly, this is where running a washing machine empty comes in handy to clean off all the germs or bacteria. 

This happens because running a washing machine empty usually requires you to put it at a 40-degree Celsius temperature to remove all the germs.

Increases the lifespan of your washer:

Another consequence of having a washing machine run empty is that it increases the longevity or life span of your washing machine.

This is because when you run your washing machine empty, it helps you to detect whether or not any parts are damaged or need repairing so it assists in its long lifespan.

Should you run a new washing machine empty? 

You should definitely run a washing machine empty when it is new. It is not really wise to put your clothes in a washing machine that you have newly purchased without cleaning it.

Accordingly, nothing can be more beneficial than having your new washing machine run empty on a hot wash to make sure that all kinds of construction residue are cleaned.

This will make sure that your clothes do not have a funny chemical smell and this cleaning will also help to remove any kind of construction grease inside of the washing machine.

How do you run a washing machine empty to clean it? 

If you want to make sure your washing machine smells all clean and looks shiny, then you have to make sure you know the actual process of cleaning your washing machine by running it empty.

Gather all the elements:

One of the first things that you need to do is to gather all the elements that you need to clean your washing machine by running it empty. Accordingly, you will be needing vinegar, baking soda, and so on.

Check the user manual:

After you are done gathering all the equipment needed for running your washer empty to clean it, you need to also check your user manual.

This is because you need to make sure whether or not your washing machine has the option of “self-clean”.

 If your washing machine has an option of “self-clean” then you can run your washing machine empty to properly clean it just by pushing that “self-clean” button.

Whether it is a self-cleaning option or simply running your washing machine empty to clean it, you need to make sure what types of cleaning products are preferred by your washing machine by reading the user manual properly.

Start the clean cycle:

If you do not find the “self-clean” option, then you can just simply run your washer empty.

Accordingly, to run your washer empty to clean it, you need to first make sure that you run your washing machine at about 40 degrees Celsius so that any kind of odor, germs, and so on can be eradicated immediately.

You also need to make sure you do not add cold water wash rather you should use the hot cycle so that every buildup can be removed from within your washing machine.

Instead of just using water to run your washing machine empty to clean it, you can also use vinegar, cleaning liquids, baking soda, and so on to ensure a thorough cleaning.

Accordingly, you can just put vinegar or liquid soap mixture into the detergent drawer to enable this process.

Final Thoughts

To sum up, nothing can be more useful than having your washer run empty to clean it. Although you may think that your washing machine cleans itself with every washing cycle, it is far from true and you need to run it empty to make it odor-free and bacteria-free.