The Genius Kool-Aid Hack For Deep Cleaning Your Washing Machine

Kool-Aid is often linked to fond childhood memories. You might remember it as an afterschool drink or as a cheap dyeing agent to temporarily color your hair in a myriad of shades. However, as an adult, you can use this flavored drink mix to clean various appliances around your house. For instance, you can use Kool-Aid to clean your dishwasher. You can even use it to deep clean your washing machine without sinking any money in store-bought chemical cleaners or scrubbing hard till your back aches.

While a washing machine effortlessly pulls the dirt and grime from your laundry, that dirt accumulates and lines the insides over time. Moreover, residual laundry detergent and fabric softener, as well as mineral deposits from hard water, will leave your once sparkling clean appliance filthy. It might also develop mold and mildew in some cases. A dirty machine won't just fail at cleaning your laundry adequately — it'll also make clothes smell funny. Get your hands on a few Kool-Aid packets and get ready to clean the grimy washing machine.

To use this genius Kool-Aid hack to deep clean your filthy washing machine, get 1 packet of unsweetened Lemonade- or Orange-flavored Kool-Aid, and you're good to go. Cut open the pack and remove any clothes you might have inside the appliance. Follow this up by adding ¼ of the pack to the washer (sprinkle it out like you would the laundry detergent) before turning on the normal rinse cycle. This will loosen the accumulated deposits and dirt build-up and leave the machine sparkling clean. It'll also help remove foul odors from the washer and ensure it does its job of scrubbing your dirty laundry.

Remember, you might have to run the wash cycle more than once to ensure there's no residue left behind. This hack works because the citric acid present in Lemonade and Orange-flavored crystals break down the stuck-on grime, and the washer promptly dissolves and disposes of the grime and Kool-Aid. Repeat the process every few days to keep your washing machine clean and smelling fresh.