A young mother left thousands in shock after revealing a little-known part of a washing machine that needs to be cleaned regularly.
Alana, behind the Instagram account alanathesahm, showed that a lot of dirt had accumulated in her device, which disgusted housewives.
“You have to clean the front part of the ring, the gasket, and the filter. But did you know you have to clean these things too?” she asked in a video.
She pointed to the panel that controls the water flow and makes the water spin. She asked everyone if they knew it was called a ‘baffle’.
And while 18 percent of her followers knew what a baffle was, 99 percent of them didn’t know they needed to be cleaned.
Alana removed a bulkhead and noticed a “dirty” buildup of caked-on brown gunk.
She then scrubbed the baffles clean with an old toothbrush and soaked them in a sink of warm, soapy water to remove the grime, then ran the machine through a cycle.
‘I ran the tub cleaning program with one of my active washing machine cleaning tablets and found all the stickers and other things stuck in there, so gross.’
Alana, from the Instagram account alanathesahm, left viewers ‘disgusted’ by showing a filthy cover in her washing machine that needed cleaning – and many didn’t realise it was removable
Alana ran the machine one more time and then replaced the lid to reveal a sparkling clean washing machine.
Although the mother of twins felt “dumb” about having to clean yet another part of the appliance, she said it was worth it to get all the odors out of the appliance.
Almost everyone was shocked to discover that the bulkheads needed cleaning.
“Wait, those things in the washing machine come off too, don’t they?” said one.
“Not only did I not know, I still don’t know,” joked another.
People suggested that using natural products like vinegar instead of commercial fabric softeners would result in less product build-up and a cleaner machine
It is said that if you simply use natural cleaning products such as vinegar for your laundry, there will be less build-up in the baffles and you will need to clean the machine parts less often.
“I use vinegar as a fabric softener, which means I don’t have to clean as often. I also do a wash cycle where I clean the tub after every 10 washes,” one of them said.
“Using natural products instead of ready-made detergents and fabric softeners prevents this kind of build-up and is healthier for the skin,” agreed another.
A “shocked” Australian woman who watched the American mother’s video said she was simply going to pretend this was an “American washing machine problem” and didn’t apply to her Australian appliance.
Others denied the need for the “disgusting” and time-consuming task.
“I’m just going to pretend I didn’t see this,” one woman said.
“I don’t need this kind of negativity in my life,” agreed another.
A mother who checked the drum of her washing machine discovered that the baffles were part of stainless steel and could not be removed for cleaning: “I don’t think I’ve ever been so relieved.”
Some people say they would rather buy a new device than deal with the dirt in the shields.
A woman complained that ‘cleantok’ always gave her more work.
And another wondered if there was more in her locker than just dirt: “When I open it, I see that 100 white socks are missing.”
Vivien Fodor, laundry expert at Whirlpool, previously told FEMAIL that the washing machine seal isn’t the only nook or cranny that people should clean regularly.
Vivien says that many people don’t clean their machine because they don’t know how to do it.
‘It may seem counterintuitive, but cleaning your washing machine is essential to prevent the build-up and growth of bacteria.’
Most washing machines have three parts that require maintenance: the filter, the rubber seal, and the detergent drawer.
“They are specifically designed to be accessible to the user, so yes, they do need to be cleaned,” Vivian said.
