A Guide to Cleaning Commercial Washing Machines

Operating a commercial laundry facility whether it be a laundromat, multi-housing laundry room, or an apartment building laundry room, you want to ensure that the tenants and patrons of your laundry businesses that are using your laundry machines have the highest level of performance and quality cleanliness no matter what clothing has been placed in the laundry machines.  When you are running a commercial laundry business, your laundry machines will be used for a variety of clothes and linens that may be soiled or dirtied in different ways. Whether you work manual labor on construction sites, have a family that contributes to excessive need for cleaning soiled bedding or blankets, or have clothing and other linens that are full of hair from your furry loved ones at home, you want to know that your patrons will have access to clean laundry machines and avoid having any washing machine smell from previous users. Although the overall purpose of a washing machine is to clean and sanitize clothing and linens, after each wash and rinse cycle, there will be dirt, soil, and grime that can build up within the laundry equipment that can result in a smelly washing machine.

In order to provide the best services for your customers, you want to ensure that you maintain a regular routine to clean and sanitize your washing machines to avoid any build-up of mold and bacteria. There are steps you can take that will help to consistently sanitize your washing machine and ensure that it runs at high performance and increases the longevity of your laundry equipment.

Commercial Laundry Maintenance Tips

The first step in maintenance tips that you can take to ensure that you properly sanitize your washing machine is cleaning the exterior of your washing machine. Using a hot wash with a cleaning solution on the outside of your laundry equipment will help to disinfect the germs and bacteria that have been accumulating on the exterior including the knobs, handles, and buttons of your laundry equipment. One cleaning tip is to use a wetted cloth with white vinegar to properly disinfect your machine.

Next, you want to ensure that you have taken the time to properly clean the washing machine drum. As the level of use increases over time, the washing machine’s drum will collect mold and bacteria that can be harmful to others. Many name-brand laundry equipment manufacturers such as Speed Queen will suggest using white vinegar to clean the soap scum and break down the bacteria that can create a smelly washing machine. First, you will add one or two cups of white vinegar to the washing machine’s drum and run it on the longest wash cycle possible. Once that wash cycle has completed, you should add one cup of baking soda to the washing machine’s drum to help deodorize, clean, and sanitize the laundry equipment and remove any mold and bacteria. After using vinegar and baking soda to clean the commercial laundry machines, it is suggested to leave the washing machine doors open to help air out the machine and door seals to ensure that no bacteria or germs build up over time.

Lastly, there are some further cleaning tips that you can use after completing a thorough clean of the inside of your washing machine. Take the time to open your detergent drawers and lint filter by wiping and sanitizing their surfaces with white vinegar and water with a damp cloth. At this time, you should also inspect that the washer gasket is being cleaned to remove any mold and mildew.  Inspect the water inlet filters and clean where needed and ensure that the belts in the washing machine are intact and running smoothly. The last cleaning tip is to check the exhaust duct and clean out any lint or debris.

Quality Commercial Laundry Equipment in Orlando

At Commercial Laundries, we provide our customers with the top of the line washing machines and laundry equipment. We offer all our customers maintenance tips that will help ensure that your laundry machines will maintain their effectiveness and preciseness when providing clean clothes and linens while also ensuring that your laundry machines will last for a long period of time to put your mind at ease that you have the best of the best in laundry equipment. Our team is available anytime to hear from you and support you in the proper maintenance of your laundry machines.