A young mother has shocked thousands after revealing a little-known washing machine part that needs regular cleaning.
Alana, behind the Instagram account alanathesahm, showed off a huge build-up of grime inside her appliance that left housewives feeling disgusted.
“You have to clean the front of the washing machine, the gasket and the filter. But did you know you have to clean these things?” he asked in a video.
Pointing to the panel that directs the flow used to spin the water, he asked everyone if they knew if that was called a “deflector.”
And while 18 percent of his followers knew what a baffle was, 99 percent of them never knew they needed to be cleaned.
Alana removed a baffle to reveal a “gross” buildup of caked-on brown gunk.
She then scrubbed the baffles with an old toothbrush and soaked them in a sink of warm, soapy water to remove any grime, running the machine through a cycle afterward.
‘I put it through a tub cleaning cycle with one of my active washing machine cleaning tablets, then I found all these stickers and stuff that were stuck in there, gross.’
Alana, from the Instagram account alanathesahm, left viewers ‘disgusted’ by exposing a dirty baffle on her washing machine that needed cleaning – and many didn’t know it was removable.
Alana ran the machine through another cycle and then replaced the baffle cover, revealing a sparkling clean washer.
Although the twins’ mother said it was “stupid” to have to clean another part of the machine, she said it was worth it to remove any odor from the appliance.
Almost everyone was shocked to discover that the baffles needed to be cleaned.
“Wait, those things inside the washing machine come off?” one said.
“Not only did I not know, I still don’t know,” another joked.
People suggested that using natural products like vinegar instead of commercial fabric softeners would result in less product buildup and a cleaner machine.
People said that if you simply used natural cleaning products like vinegar to wash your clothes, it would cause less buildup on the baffle and reduce the need to clean the machine parts as often.
“I use vinegar as a fabric softener and this helps reduce the need for cleaning; I also run a tub cleaning cycle every 10 loads,” said one.
“Using natural products instead of store-bought detergents and fabric softeners prevents this type of buildup and is healthier for your skin,” another agreed.
One “horrified” Australian woman who saw the American mother’s video said she was just going to pretend it was an “American washing machine thing” and didn’t apply to her Australian appliance.
Others also denied the need to undertake such a “disgusting” and time-consuming task.
“I’m going to pretend I didn’t see this,” one woman said.
“I don’t need this kind of negativity in my life,” another agreed.
One mother who checked her washing machine drum discovered the baffles were part of the stainless steel and could not be removed for cleaning: “I don’t think I’ve ever felt so relieved.”
Some people said they would rather buy a new appliance than have to deal with dirt inside their baffles.
One woman complained that ‘cleantok’ always gave her more work to do.
And another wondered if her baffle was hiding something more than just dirt: “If I open it, I’ll find 100 missing white socks.”
Whirlpool laundry expert Vivien Fodor previously told FEMAIL that the washer seal isn’t the only nook and cranny people should clean regularly.
Vivien said that many people don’t wash their machines because they don’t know how to do it.
‘While it may seem counterintuitive, cleaning your washing machine is key to preventing bacteria buildup and growth.’
Most washing machines have three compartments that require maintenance: the filter, the rubber seal and the detergent drawer.
“They are specifically designed to be accessible by the user, so yes, they do need to be cleaned,” Vivian said.
(tags to translate)dailymail
