11 Things You Didn’t Know You Can Clean in Your Washing Machine

With hard water stains, soap residue, and lingering moisture (a recipe for a mildewy disaster), a plastic shower curtain liner can get gross pretty quickly. To keep yours fresher longer, clean it regularly in the washing machine on a delicate cycle with a load of bath towels. 

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Those insulated lunch boxes you pack for your kids take a lot of rough treatment. Even worse, spilled drinks and loosely sealed thermoses leave sticky, smelly messes to clean up. Put lunch boxes in the washing machine on a cold-water cycle with a load of towels, and they will come out fresh and ready for the next trip to school.

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A stinky yoga mat certainly will not help you transcend to a peaceful place. Cleanse yours in the washing machine, along with a load of towels or sheets, in a gentle, cold-water cycle. Remove the mat before the spin cycle, and let it air-dry before your next downward dog.

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Parents know how kids' most treasured items can get seriously grimy. While care tags often specify not to run plush toys through the wash, you can get away with it and clean them up significantly—as long as the stuffed animals have neither music boxes nor excessive sewn-on ornamentation. Here's the trick: Put the toys in a pillowcase or mesh laundry bag, and throw them in along with a load of clothes of like colors. Hang to dry after the cycle is over.

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Fingerprint- and germ-covered Lego bricks can be washed successfully in the washing machine if you leave out the ones with stickers or paint. Fill up a pillowcase with the bricks, and tie it tightly so that none escape. Then, wash on a cool-water cycle with other clothing. Do not put them through the dryer, of course, or they could melt. Instead, let them air-dry on a towel, and then invite some buddies over to sort them.

Believe it or not, you can—and should—wash most pillows in the washing machine. Both down and synthetic pillows can benefit from a cleaning. Just throw in two at a time to keep your machine balanced, and set the wash for a warm, gentle cycle. Move the pair to a low-heat cycle in your dryer, along with a couple of dryer balls to keep them from clumping.

The sporting life is as sweaty as it is fun. Keep stink to a minimum by throwing shin guards, kneepads and elbow pads, and all the other fabric-lined gear kids wear under their uniforms into the washing machine on a regular warm wash cycle. Afterward, hang them up on a clothesline or lay them flat outside to dry. Everyone—especially those who come into close contact with your padded athlete—will thank you.

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