How to wash the powder tray in the washing machine?

A washing machine is the most used household appliance in the house. Along with a refrigerator and stove, it is an integral part of the life of any person. “Home helper” saves our time, effort, and for the equipment to serve for many years, it needs only a little attention, respect and regular care. Often, not many housewives pay attention to such an element of a washing machine as a tray for detergents, and after all, in this container you can find a variety of stains, dirt, mold, fungus. To prevent all these contaminants from falling onto the laundry, you need to know how to wash the powder tray in the washing machine. We will tell you about this in this article.

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Why clean the powder container?

The tray (cuvette or dispenser) is designed to fill powder and other detergents (conditioner, bleach) into the washing machine. During the washing cycle, the automatic machine sends water to the dispenser, wets the detergent and “takes” it through a special channel into the tank. Therefore, many housewives do not understand why to clean the tray, because it is already in constant contact with water and detergents. Unfortunately, modern powders, rinses are not ideal. They partially remain in the cuvette, which ultimately leads to the appearance of contaminants.

Important! If you can’t find the right washing powder, we recommend that you check out our review. “Best Laundry Products - Rating”.

In addition, sometimes not all powder is washed out of the container due to low water pressure, and as a result of clogging of the tray, the entire mechanism may break down.

Important! Do not forget that all the dirt, fungus, and mold that has formed in the container will inevitably fall into the drum of the machine and will come in contact with the laundry.

Before we figure out how to remove the powder from the tray of the washing machine, let's look at the reasons for the clogging of the container. There may be several:

• Low quality powder. Poor quality detergent in large quantities remains on the walls of the tray. We recommend using liquid detergents for washing, which are better washed out due to their structure.
• Poor water pressure. With poor water pressure in the water supply there is a possibility that not all the powder will be washed out of the tray.
• Fabric softener forms a film not only on linen, but also on the walls of the container. Therefore, with regular use of the air conditioner, the surface of the tray becomes sticky, slippery.
• Hard water. During washing with hard water, limescale may form on the walls of the tray, as a result of which the machine does not completely wash out the powder, and it remains in the container. To prevent this from happening, find out how to choose water filter.

Important! Not only dirt, mold, but also bleach deposited on the walls of the container gets into the drum of the washing machine, which, once on the products, can finally ruin them.

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What is the danger of a dirty tray?

Of course, the neat, clean look of the washing machine, including the cuvette, is not such a good reason to begin active cleaning operations. More significant are:

1. The likelihood of the development and spread of mold and fungus.
2. Decrease in washing and rinsing quality. Washing powder can clump into fairly strong deposits, clog the feed channel of detergents into the drum. As a result of this phenomenon, the washing will actually take place without powder, and rinsing without the conditioner. In this case, there is no need to talk about the quality of washing.

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A bit about preventative measures

The best tool for reliable and durable operation of the tray for washing powder is constant care and preventive measures. As the saying goes: "He who is warned is armed." To prevent the formation of plaque, adhere to the following rules and recommendations:

• Wash away any detergent after each wash. Dry the tray thoroughly. Every 2-3 washings, clean more thoroughly with dismantling the tray. If the powder container is mounted in the unit body, flush the tray in place. Clean inaccessible places with a brush.
• Leave the tray ajar to allow moisture to evaporate. As a result of the fact that there will be no conditions for the formation of microorganisms, fungus and mold will not appear in the container.
• Buy only quality powders from trusted manufacturers.
• After using the air conditioner and bleach, rinse the machine further.
• Do not use too much powder and rinse aid, so that no residue remains on the walls of the tray.
• Put special water softeners on the washing machine if the water in the water supply is hard.

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How to wash a washing machine from powder?

If, despite all the precautionary measures, a plaque forms in the tray, use the following cleaning methods:

• Physical.
• Chemical.

Let's consider each method in more detail.

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Physical cleaning

The detergent tray is a rather dirty place, along with drain pipes and a tank. But unlike these parts, the powder container is much easier to clean, as it is always in sight.

Basic cleaning rules

To wash the powder in the tray of the washing machine, the cuvette simply needs to be pulled out and washed under running water. Most models of household appliances have a simple straight tray with a locking tab. It partially covers the rinse compartment. To disassemble the cuvette, press your finger on this tongue and gently pull the tray toward you.

Important! If the powder container has an unusual design, then carefully read the operating instructions for the washing machine before disassembling, which describes the algorithm for removing the cell.

If the tray can be removed

Physical cleaning of the tray comes down to trivial actions:

1. Remove the container.
2. Remove all removable parts. In most washing machine models, the container has a removable rinse aid compartment.
3. Rinse all elements thoroughly with warm running water.
4. Rub the stains with a sponge or a brush that is not too stiff.
5. Rinse the container with running water again.
6. Wipe the inside of the washing machine with the damp cloth in a damp cloth. Pay particular attention to the water supply holes and the detergent outlet in the drum.
7. Wipe the container dry.
8. Reinsert the tray.

Important! During physical cleaning, do not use a particularly hard brush with a rough abrasive surface, as there is a dispenser and plastic tags in the air-conditioning compartment that can be easily erased with such a brush.

If the cuvette is not removed

If the model of the washing machine does not provide for the dismantling of the detergent container, use a teapot with warm water or a hose to flush the tray. Gently fill the water in the tray and rub the dirt with an old toothbrush. After the cleaning procedure, rinse the cuvette again with water.

If physical cleaning did not help or mold has already formed in the tray, then it is worth resorting to more serious tricks.

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Dry cleaning

To dry cleaning was a success, it is necessary to choose the right special products. Of course, you can use household chemicals purchased in the store, but if you prefer folk remedies, then use the old, time-tested recipes.

Recipe number 1. Soda:

1. Prepare a soda solution by mixing baking soda with water in equal proportions.
2. Pour the tray with the resulting solution and leave for a while.
3. Use a dishwashing sponge to remove dirt using a hard surface.
4. Rinse the tray with running water.

Important! This treatment will allow you to get rid of not only dirt and plaque, but also from mold.

Recipe number 2. Soda + Vinegar:

1. Fill the container with plain baking soda.
2. Pour 9% table vinegar into the tray. Two chemical components “enter” into the reaction, as a result of which the dirt easily moves away from the walls of the cell.
3. Remove dirt with a sponge or cloth.
4. Rinse the container with running water.

Recipe number 3. Lemon acid

If you do not know how to clean the powder tray in the washing machine of limescale, then use citric acid, which will help to rinse the tube system that supplies the powder to the drum. We collected detailed information in our special publication "Citric acid for a washing machine".

Use citric acid as follows:

1. Pour 1 sachet of citric acid (200 grams) into a detergent container.
2. Start an empty wash cycle at a temperature of 60 degrees. Citric acid will help remove scale, mildew, and detergent residue from all internal parts of the washing machine.

Important! To prevent the smell of fungus in the powder container, use citric acid with bleach: add citric acid to the cuvette and a little bleach in the drum. Start an idle wash cycle by choosing a temperature of 60 degrees. Of course, the smell of bleach can remain after the cleaning procedure, but it can be removed by ventilating the unit.

Recipe number 4. Vinegar:

To get rid of difficult to remove impurities on the surface of the container, use table 9% vinegar in this way:

1. Remove the tray from the washing machine.
2. Place the cuvette in a container of sufficient volume.
3. Pour 1 cup of vinegar into the bowl and add 1 liter of hot water.
4. Leave the tray in solution for 6-8 hours.
5. Scale and exfoliate dirt with a sponge.
6. Rinse the tray under running water.
7. Put the cuvette back in place.

Important! When working with vinegar, do not forget about safety measures. Be sure to use rubber gloves to protect your skin from acid exposure. After cleaning, grease your hands with a nourishing cream.

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Household chemicals

If limescale and petrified powder could not be cleaned physically, then special chemicals can be used.

The most popular and effective means to help clean all the internal parts of the washing machine:

• Dr. TEN “Against bacteria”. This product is intended for dry cleaning all parts of the washing machine, including the powder container. Use this tool if the cuvette is not very dirty.
• Sandokkaebi. The product is intended for cleaning nozzles, hoses and cuvettes. It is made in South Korea and is inexpensive.
• Frisch Activ is a comprehensive detergent cleaner. It removes limescale, mold, soap deposits and residues of detergents. The tool can also be used to clean the tray.

Use special tools as follows:

1. Read the instructions for the drug carefully.
2. Measure the required amount of cleaning chemistry with a dispenser. This is necessary in order not to exceed the dose of chemistry and not to harm the internal parts of the machine.
3. Open the powder tray.
4. Pour the chemical into the main wash compartment with the dispenser.
5. Launch a single wash at a temperature of 90-95 degrees.
6. At the end of the washing process, run a double rinse.

Important! The disadvantage of this method is that it is impossible to clean a heavily soiled container in this way, since dirt and scale prevent the penetration of water into the compartment, which means that the detergent will not be washed out of it.

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In very advanced cases

If the tray is contaminated with limescale and excess detergent residues, then use an integrated approach - clean the tray physically and chemically:

1. Remove the tray and place it in a basin of hot water.
2. Using a dispenser, measure the required amount of the drug and pour it into the pelvis.
3. Mix the product thoroughly so that it dissolves in water and leave the tray in the solution for a couple of hours.
4. After that, clean the container with a brush and a rag from exfoliated scale and dirt. Rinse the tray with clean running water and replace it.

Important! Chemicals can also be used to soak the powder compartment. Since they do not need to be poured into the car, you can use the drugs more aggressively.

The most popular of them:

• Domestos - helps to remove all contaminants due to its strong chemical composition.
• Silit is an excellent tool that allows you to remove scale and plaque of rinse aid from the tray.
• Comet (liquid) perfectly copes with any dirt, is able to remove scale from plastic in the washing machine. For best results, soak the tray in the product overnight. The drug will remove even mold and fungus that has firmly entrenched in plastic.
• Toilet duckling is a reliable and proven tool that can cope with any dirt on the plastic.

Important! When working with chemicals, do not forget to protect your skin with rubber gloves from exposure to caustic components.

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Stock footage

We hope that our article helped you choose the appropriate method for cleaning the compartment, and now you know how to clean the powder tray in the washing machine. If you follow the rules of operation of the household appliance and regular care, your “assistant” will serve faithfully for many years, delighting you with clean linen and a fresh smell. Good luck