You may mistakenly believe that your washing machine must be clean as water is constantly passing through it. This however is not the case as things such as detergent, food and bacteria can all build up in your machine.

Over time detergent and fabric softener can build up inside your washing machine causing what is commonly known as soap scum. This means that any food that may have been stuck on your clothing and then released into the wash can sometimes stick to the slimy soap scum and stay in your machine. Over time the soap scum can start to loosen, which means the left over food remnants are then released into the water and can find their way back on to your clothes.

Low temperature washing can play a big part in the cleanliness of your washing machine, washing at low temperatures does not kill bacteria and therefore live bacteria can also build up inside your machine. In one load of underwear there could be up to 100 million E.coli bacteria in your machine.

If you wash at temperatures below 60º bacteria is not killed and can be left in your machine to later infect other wash loads. Bacteria can then be carried around on clothing, bedding and towels and may cause illness, especially in the more vulnerable age groups such as the elderly and young children who’s immune systems are not as strong.

It is the bacteria in your washing machine that also causes the mold to build up and the nasty odours, mold is particularly dangerous for those who suffer from respiratory illnesses such as asthma.

Another problem is limescale, if you live in a hard water area limescale can build up in your washing machine and on the pipes and elements, which means that your machine is vulnerable to breakdowns. Signs to look out for are a white chalky residue on the drum of your machine or around other things such as taps and also black or white marks on your clothing when they come out of the machine. You can prevent limescale by using a water softening product or a descaling product to remove the build up.

Dr. Beckmann Service-it and Service-it Deep Clean are the only washing machine cleaning products that when used as a system tackle all of the things that make your washing machine dirty. The two products work to eliminate both the dirt you can see and the dirt you can’t leaving your machine free from limescale, smelling fresh and hygienically clean.