Alright folks, today I’m diving deep into that funky smell coming from my washing machine. Seriously, it started smelling like wet dog and old socks mixed together. Not cool. So I grabbed a bottle of Ortube washing machine cleaner off the shelf. Heard it works, but how? Let’s get messy.

The Ugly Truth Inside My Machine

First things first, I popped open the detergent drawer. Oh boy, slime city. Black gunk all over the rubber seal too – felt gross touching it. No wonder my towels smelled like mildew. I read the Ortube instructions real quick, just to not screw this up.

Method 1: The Classic Clean Cycle

This seemed easiest. Just dump the whole bottle into the drum? I hesitated. Like, really? All of it? Bottle said "single dose." Fine. Set machine to "clean cycle" – highest heat and longest spin. Hit start. Stood there sniffing. Smelled chemical at first... then kinda clean? Mixed bag.

After it finished, I checked. Some gunk gone, but patches of mold still clung like bad renters.

Method 2: Soaking the Dispenser Drawer

Okay, needed a targeted strike. I ripped out that slimy detergent drawer. Filled my sink with hot water, dumped half a bottle of Ortube into it. Plopped the drawer in. Let it stew for maybe an hour?

Scrubbed it with an old toothbrush. Black sludge came off so satisfyingly, like peeling sunburn. Huge difference! Much less goo.

Method 3: Attacking the Rubber Seal Manually

That giant rubber ring around the door was the worst. Slimy. Musty. Used the other half of the Ortube bottle directly on it. Poured cleaner onto a microfiber cloth and started rubbing the folds. Forced myself to get deep in those creases.

• Unfolded the gasket like I was searching for buried treasure. Found mold colonies.
• Scrubbed like my sanity depended on it.
• Used cotton swabs for tight spots. Came out nasty black.

Instantly smelled better. Visible grime banished.

Method 4: Double Trouble Clean Cycle

After all that manual labor? Felt like overkill, but went for another clean cycle. Ran it empty this time – just let the heat blast anything I missed. Figured better safe than sorry.

Method 5: Prevention Mode

Bottle says monthly cleans. Yeah right, we'll see. But fine, I scheduled a reminder on my phone. Also vowed to leave the dang door open after loads. Don't trap the moisture, dummy.

The Verdict After Wrestling My Washer

That drawer soak and manual gasket scrubbing made the real difference. Just running cleaner through the drum? Felt lazy. Didn't cut it alone. Took elbow grease and making things gross before they got clean. Now it smells... like nothing? Which is a win. Would I recommend Ortube? It worked when I threw it at every problem area. Just don't expect miracles from one button press.