Oil of Cloves for Smelly Front Loading Washers

If your front loading washing machine smells a bit musty or has black mould growing on the door seal, simply use oil of cloves to freshen it up. I make up a 500ml bottle of water in a spray bottle and add 1/4 teaspoon oil of cloves. Then I spray the inside drum of the machine before I add the clothes or, if I'm feeling lazy, I add 3-4 drops oil of cloves on top of my detergent. The oil of cloves will kill any mould spores. If you use the spray every time you do towels or smelly socks, it will also get rid of mould on your door seals. The black mould will disappear.

The smell dissipates from your clothes when you hang them in sunlight but, in any case, it's not too strong a smell. Plus you'll know that if your kids leave wet clothes for a couple of days before telling you about them you'll be able to make sure they're truly clean and mould free. Oil of cloves should be available at pharmacies or sometimes health food stores with the essential oils.