So today I decided to tackle something I've been putting off forever - deep cleaning my nasty washing machine. Seriously, that funky mildew smell when I opened it was nasty. Here's exactly what went down:

Getting My Supplies Together

First thing, I gathered stuff around the house: white vinegar, baking soda, an old toothbrush, and some clean rags. Didn't buy anything fancy cause I'm cheap like that.

Step 1: Wiping Down the Gunk

Pulled out the detergent drawer and nearly gagged. Black sludge everywhere! Scrunched up an old T-shirt and went to town scrubbing all the crevices. That nasty gunk came off like rubber cement. Then I wiped down the door seal - holy crap, so much hair and lint hiding in there.

Step 2: Vinegar Soak Party

Poured two cups of plain white vinegar right into the drum. Ran the longest hottest cycle with the machine empty. When it finished, I let it soak for an hour while bingeing Netflix. Smelled like a pickle factory in my laundry room!

Step 3: Baking Soda Bomb

Sprinkled one cup of baking soda all over the drum. Added a few drops of peppermint oil cause it was lying around. Ran another hot cycle. Saw foam bubbles in the window like a science experiment.

Step 4: Scrub-a-Dub-Dub

After draining, I spotted nasty residues near the agitator. Grabbed that old toothbrush and went full dentist mode on every nook. Some weird brown gunk flaked off - probably ten years of fabric softener gunk.

Step 5: The Final Rinse

Ran one last empty rinse cycle to flush everything out. Wiped everything down with dry rags until it looked factory-new.

Holy transformation! That death smell is gone, and my clothes actually smell clean now. Whole thing took maybe three hours with soaking time. Pro tip: do this on laundry day when you're already stuck at home watching TV anyway.