How to Clean Your Clothing Dryer: Stain Targeting Tips

Pennies. Credit cards. Pens.

At some point in your life, you’ve probably suffered one sort of dryer related disaster or anything, whether a rogue ballpoint pen burst all over your favorite blouse, or something plastic melted onto the tub, or a stringy wad of gum got stuck to the spin basket.

Stains inside your clothes dryer can be as dubious as the actual stains on your clothing—and perhaps even more destructive. Below, here are some surefire ways to get those icky, oft-accidental stains and spills cleaned up!

Note: Make sure your dryer has first been unplugged before cleaning inside the drum!

Ink: Ink spills from pens are the worst! First, run the dryer for about 10 minutes to make the ink easier to remove with a dampened rag soaked in rubbing alcohol. Keep changing the rag to avoid spreading the stain. Rinse with a clean damp cloth and water and once all ink seems to be eliminated, run a dry cycle with an old white towel.

Crayon wax: If you can find stuck-on pieces of crayon wax, gently scrape that off with an old credit card first. Then, using a soft rag sprayed with just a hint of WD-40 (spray onto the rag, not the drum itself), rub at the stain until remove. Finally, scrub with warm, soapy water.

Dye: Soak old towels in a solution of three gallons of hot water to one cup of household bleach. While wearing protective goggles/glasses and rubber gloves, wring the towels nearly dry and then toss into the drum. Run the dryer for 30 minutes on an air-fluff setting and repeat until no longer needed.

Lipstick: First, remove as much as you can using a dry cloth, preferably if the dryer is still warm. Then, once the dryer has been cooled down and unplugged, wipe with a soft damp cloth and rubbing alcohol. You can then try a load of old towels in the machine to remove any excess remaining.

Gum: First scrape off as much hardened gum as you can with n old credit card. Use a blow-dryer to soften any remaining gum and then remove the softened candy by scraping again with the old credit card. Finally,  wipe down the stained area with an all-purpose cleanser soaked cloth before wiping dry.