Here at Homethings HQ, we get asked a lot of strange cleaning questions. These usually sound something like ‘I found this great cleaning hack on Facebook / Mumset / Reddit. Does it really work?’. The time has come for us to get to the bottom of these potential sneaky solutions by doing some good old fashioned myth busting.

Today’s overhead hack: Can you use dishwashers tabs to clean your washing machine?

Does it work?

This hack was originally posted on (the infamous) Mrs Hinch’s facebook page, by a follower who claimed that running a hot wash with 4 dishwasher tabs removed all sorts of grit and grime from her machine. And, from the response of others on the page, it seemed to be doing a pretty amazing job, with reports of very dirty water being drained out at the end, and a sparkly drum being left behind.

Should you do it?

Even though this hack seems to be a good’un, there are some pretty sensible reasons why big names like Bosch don’t recommend it. 

First things first, it could actually damage your washer more. Dishwashers run at a much higher temperature than a laundry hot wash, so although the drum may look sparkly, other bits of the washer might be left a bit gunked up and could damage the machine long term. On top of this, dishwasher tabs aren’t designed to clean clothes and contain much harsher detergents than laundry pods, so it’s best to balance up whether it’s worth risking your favourite jeans getting mixed in with any leftover dish tab residue.

The bottom line?

We wouldn’t recommend it… but if you’re desperate to test it out, once or twice probably wouldn’t hurt. There are specific washing machine cleaners out there to use instead. And if you fancy DIYing it, you could definitely give white vinegar and baking soda a whirl. Or you could wait for Homethings to create something magical… it’s definitely on our to do list.