It is a fact of life that every appliance in your home needs a little TLC now and then, and your washing machine is no different. Wash cycles at 40°C and below can be a breeding ground for bacteria, residue and limescale and using a washing machine cleaning product can make a huge difference. What’s in it? – This washing machine cleaner is made up of surfactants which capture dirt, antimicrobials to inhibit the growth of bacteria and chloromethylisothiazolone which fights bacteria and fungi. The only other key ingredient is there for fragrance. HG service engineer for washing machines and dishwashers Cleaning the insides of a washing machine has become more necessary because we tend to wash our clothes at lower temperatures than was once the case.

How often you run a service wash depends on how often you use your machine. Generally, you should clean your washing machine every 30 washes or every two or three months – whichever comes soonest. If you have a hi-tech washing machine, it might even send you a reminder! What is the best washing machine cleaner? Can be used to remove any excess dirt or material that may be left behind from countless loads of dirty clothes. Without cleaning your washing machine, you could end up with a smelly washing machine that gradually becomes less effective, so a regular maintenance or service wash using a washing machine cleaner is recommended by washing machine manufacturers. Advice to owners – Pour a 250ml dose into the detergent drawer and wash without any laundry in the drum at 60°C.Advice to owners – Mix 50ml with four litres of water and soak the detergent drawer in it for 30 minutes. Then pour 200ml into the detergent drawer and run a wash programme at 60°C without laundry in the drum or other detergent. At the end, wipe the rubber door seal with a damp cloth. What’s in it? – This washing machine cleaner is made up of surfactants which capture dirt, antimicrobials whose job is to inhibit the growth of bacteria and chloromethylisothiazolone which is in the mix to fight bacteria and fungi. The only other key ingredient is just there for fragrance. How often should you use it? – The manufacturer advises to use its cleaner every three months, which might be fine, but every two months would leave you with a cleaner machine. Those we’ve investigated are designed to be used at between 40°C and 60°C, so a lower temperature than a conventional service or maintenance wash, which are usually advised to be run at the hottest available temperature using only detergent. Dettol washing machine cleaner Persil - Persil users are advised to run a maintenance wash every couple of months to, ‘clear the pipes of dirt and grease.’

I can also highly recommend Ecozone's dishwasher and washing machine cleaning tablets. They're basically just citric acid, and very effective. They do something similar in powder form that gets the crust and limescale out of kettles, too."(Tried and trusted by PlausibleSuit ) Our verdict Cillit Bang Mould Spray is brilliant - spray it on, wipe it off."(Tried and trusted by threepiecesuite) Our verdict

ELBOW GREASE DOUBLE-SIDED ANTI-BACTERIAL MICROFIBRE CLOTH CDU

For the eco-conscious looking to make environmentally-friendly product swaps, Ecozone’s washing machine cleaner tablets might just be for you. Non-toxic, vegan-certified and dermatologically safe, pop one of their six tablets into your machine at 60°C+ for lemony-scented freshness that’ll help your laundry to come out cleaner than ever! If it is gunky, using Calgon (or the cheaper own-brand equivalent) really does make a difference, especially if you're in a hard water area. I never really bought into the hype, but our machine is a lot cleaner using it regularly.” (Recommended by Mumsnetter RaptorInaPorkPieHat) Our verdict Advice to owners – Pour into the detergent drawer of your washing machine and set it to wash at 60°C without a pre-wash and while making sure that there’s no laundry in the drum. The best way to clean your washing machine is to run a maintenance wash, sometimes called a service wash. This is where you load the machine with detergent, specialist washing machine cleaner or a homemade alternative and then run the machine at its highest temperature - or on a special machine clean program. Whenever we want to find good products, we start by asking our Mumsnet users which ones they recommend. With over 10 million users each month, we know we’re getting products that can both withstand the needs of family life and also cater for a range of different needs and budgets. Expert guidance