Alright folks, let me tell you about my battle with the stinkin' washing machine last week. Total mess. My towels were coming out smelling like a wet basement, and I spotted some nasty goo around the door seal. Time for a cleaning mission.

Went straight for my usual weapon: Affresh tabs. Opened the cabinet under the sink... nada. Empty box staring back at me. Checked my usual store online – sold out everywhere! Couldn't wait for shipping. Stupid machine needed cleaning now.

So, I started digging around online and in my own cleaning cupboard for alternatives. Gotta be something cheap and easy, right? Here’s what I pulled out and actually tried:

• Straight-Up Vinegar: Grabbed the big jug of white vinegar. Dumped about two cups right into the detergent drawer like it was nothing. Ran a normal hot cycle, no clothes inside. Seemed promising. Cheap? Heck yeah.
• Vinegar & Baking Soda Combo: Next washer load was towels. Threw them in. Poured maybe one cup of vinegar into the detergent slot. Then, halfway through the cycle when it was full of water, I paused it. Shoved half a box of baking soda straight into the drum where the water was. Restarted it. Smelled like volcano science fair projects. Hoped for magic fizz.
• Bleach (Carefully): Found an old bottle of chlorine bleach. Emptied the machine completely. Nervous, I poured half a cup right into the drum. Used a hot water sanitize cycle – seemed safest. Kept the room ventilated like crazy. Kills germs, but smells harsh as all get out.

After running each "cleaner," I did what everyone says to: wiped down the rubber door seal with a vinegar-dipped rag. Still looked kinda gross? Used an old toothbrush to scrub the little fold in the seal. So much gunk came out! Ugh.

Now for the real talk:

• Vinegar alone? Okay, but that basement smell was still kinda lingering, faint but there.
• Vinegar/Baking Soda? Did a nice job on a regular load of towels, smelled fresher afterwards.
• Bleach? The sanitize cycle plus bleach definitely smelled clean, like nothing was there. Super strong chemical clean.

Here’s the dumb part. Later that day, my kid dumped a whole bowl of something sticky and red down his shirt. After running THAT load? Yup. New sludge patches in the seal. Seriously? Ugh.

Bottom line from my mess this week:

• Pure Vinegar (Hot Wash): Does a basic job. Dirt cheap, always got some. Probably gotta do it more often than tabs.
• Vinegar + Baking Soda: Made the machine smell better after cleaning a real load, weirdly. Less harsh than bleach.
• Bleach (Sanitize Cycle): Kills germs dead. Great for deep funk, but smells awful while running.

Honestly, the vinegar and baking soda duo felt like the winner for my situation. Cheap, mostly worked, and cleared that moldy smell without making the laundry room feel like a swimming pool. But forget doing it just once a year. Kid messes? Now thinking monthly wipe-downs with vinegar and maybe baking soda soaks every other month is gonna be my routine. Still cheaper than chasing those fancy tabs down.