It's bad enough when you leave a load of laundry in the washing machine for too long and realize that you'll have to spend time rewashing your clothes. But it's even harder to try to get the funky smell of mildew out of clothes and the machine.
Fortunately, one TikTok cleaning expert has just the trick.
The scoop
TikTok's famous "Internet Grandma" Babs (@brunchwithbabs) posted a video explaining her two-step laundry deodorizing trick.
@brunchwithbabs 🍋Have you ever forgotten to change the laundry load and mistakenly left the wet load in the washer overnight…only to find a smelly washer the next day? Here is a hack to get rid of that yucky mildew smell. Just cut a lemon in half and cover the cut side with toothpaste - about a tablespoon. Toss lemon halves into your empty washer and run the washer on speed wash with very hot water. After the cycle is finished, you have a fresh smelling washer - and for very little cost. You can buy expensive washing machine cleaners or…you can make your own. 🍋XO Babs #cleaningmotivation #washingmachine ♬ original sound - Babs
"Did you forget to change the laundry load over last night, and your washing machine stinks?" she says. "Then you need to give your washing machine a spa treatment, the Babs way."
She explains that it's as simple as cutting a lemon in half and removing the seeds. "Next, take toothpaste and squeeze a swirl right on top of that lemon," she says, piping the toothpaste on the flat cut sides of each lemon half.
She runs the empty washer on speed wash with the hottest water setting. Pausing partway through the run, she opens the machine to find an aromatic, sudsy froth.
"It's doing its job," she says, inhaling. "Smells like a spa, just like I told you it would!"
She finishes the video with a compelling message: "So remember, you can buy those expensive washing machine cleaners, or you can make your own!"
How it's working
For natural cleaning enthusiasts like Babs, lemon is unrivaled in its cleaning potential. Due to its natural acidity and other chemical agents, lemons are excellent at deodorizing, cleaning surfaces such as wooden cutting boards, descaling sinks and washing machines, and removing stains from fabric, per Consumer Reports.
Similarly, several commenters suggested using vinegar, another acid, to achieve this job instead. And while vinegar works wonders on most surfaces, many people were uncertain whether or not the vinegar could harm the inner tubing of a laundry machine over time.
Fortunately, lemons appear to be perfectly safe. In addition to tending to the funky smell, this hack prevents the buildup of mold, which preserves the longer term function of the machine.
With laundry a major contributor to most homes' energy bills, the savings can add up quickly.
What people are saying
Many commenters were ready to try the hack themselves.
"The amount of times I accidentally leave my clothes in the wash…I'd be doing this at least once a week," one person said.
"You're a SAINT," another enthused.
Not everyone was convinced. "You had me till the toothpaste," one person wrote.
But others were undeterred in their confidence. "I just used one of those expensive washing machine cleaners-it Did NOT smell like a Spa! I am getting a Lemon!" one person commented.
"Gotta try this!" another said.
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