Appliance company Bosch also warns against the practice on its website, stating, “To keep maximum efficiency and quality, please do not use dishwasher tablets or detergent to clean your washing machine or to clean laundry.”
Clothes Won't Be Washed and Could Be Damaged
It's not ideal to wash your clothes with a dishwasher tablet, after all, these tablets are not designed to clean laundry.
Run an empty, regular cycle on hot, using two cups of white vinegar instead of detergent. Add the vinegar to the detergent dispenser. (Don't worry about harming your machine, as white vinegar will not damage clothes.) The hot water-vinegar combo removes and prevents bacteria growth.
When you run your washer's self-cleaning mode, don't leave it to its own devices. Add one cup of bleach to the detergent cup before you start the cycle. This is my number one tip for getting rid of nasty smells. It works every time.
To make cleaning a bathroom easier, you can use a dishwasher tablet to help clean a showerhead and soak off limescale without scrubbing. Dissolve a dishwasher tablet in bowl of hot water and soak your shower head in it for a half hour, then rinse and dry it off with a cleaning cloth.
As it turns out, those handy dandy dishwasher tablets can be used on a lot more than just your dishes. People swear by the powder tablets for easily removing baked-on grease from oven doors. Numerous sources have reported particularly good success with Finish Deep Clean tablets (BUY: Amazon; $6.20 for 38 ct).
Can you put a dishwasher tablet on the bottom of the dishwasher? Doing so won't harm your appliance. However, putting the tablet in the compartment ensures it's released at the most effective time in a programme. That's why we advise putting it in the designated compartment.
If your white towels, sheets and clothes are looking sorta dingy, simply turn to dishwasher tablets and breathe new life into them. All you have to do is add a tablet to the wash, in addition to regular detergent.
Use Laundry Borax or Baking Soda
If you have no detergent at all, use one cup of borax or baking soda for a normal load. The clothing will be cleaner than you imagine thanks to the action of the cleaning agents, water, and the agitation from the washer.
The Wpro Washing Machine cleaner & anti-odour 12 tablets C00470750 are the ideal solution to eliminate bad odours and residues from your washing machine.
And a lot of those detergent pods include bleach, which means if you use a detergent pod inside your washing machine and it leaves a buildup, you might get bleach spots on your clothes. Most dishwasher, detergent pods also includes some sort of a foaming agent.
Lay the tablet flat, and use your palm to move the tablet in circular motions and scrub away the stains. Dip the tablet again if it starts to dry out. It works well on the glass, and is also effective on the surrounding metal part of the oven door (but you might need to apply a little more pressure).
How do you get brown stains off oven glass? Mix baking soda with one part vinegar and one part water and apply the paste to the brown oven glass using a non-abrasive pad. Let it sit for a few minutes, then wipe away the paste with a damp cloth.
Today comes another inexpensive bathroom cleaning trick: dishwasher tablets can help remove soap scum.
Mix ¼ cup of baking soda with ¼ cup of water and add it to your machine's detergent container. Use four cups of plain white (not apple cider) vinegar to a top-load machine or two cups to a front-load model. Pour the vinegar into the drum. Run a high-temperature cycle.
Step 1− Remove all clothes from your washer and make sure it's dry. Step 2− Wipe up any grime on the rubber gasket using a damp cloth and a little white vinegar. Step 3− Add two cups of white vinegar to the detergent dispenser. Step 4− Run a complete washing cycle with hot water and on the largest load setting.