I just discovered something you’ve probably been doing wrong your whole life. It turns out that the viral trick of pouring baking soda and vinegar into the washing machine to clean it doesn’t work as the videos promise. Not at all.

A chemical engineer named Diego Fernández took the time to explain why. The thing is simple but revealing: baking soda is a base and vinegar is an acid. When you mix them, they neutralize each other. Yes, you see that foam coming out in the videos and it looks like it’s cleaning everything, but in reality, it’s just fizzing. What’s left is water and carbon dioxide. They practically lose all their cleaning power.

But wait, there’s more. Baking soda alone isn’t the magic solution we all believe it to be. Fernández was clear: it doesn’t remove limescale or detergent residues stuck on the internal walls, the heating element, or the pipes. Yes, it can help a little with odors, but that’s all.

And vinegar, although it does clean, requires absurd amounts to be effective. We’re talking about two liters of industrial vinegar or four liters of the kind you use in the kitchen. Practical? Not at all. Plus, in the long run, it can damage some components.

So, what should you do? Fernández recommends changing the strategy entirely. His proposal is to use citric acid. This compound is more acidic than vinegar but much less corrosive to metals and internal rubber parts of the machine. It’s sold in solid form, so you can dose it correctly.

The method for cleaning washing machines with citric acid is ridiculously simple: four tablespoons directly into the drum, a cleaning cycle without clothes, or a long hot water program. This acts as a deep descaler, effectively removing mineral deposits, soap residues, and bad odors.

The engineer also mentions that this same trick works for descaling coffee makers or electric kettles.

But it’s not just about applying the product and done. Fernández emphasizes constant maintenance. He recommends doing this cleaning every three or four months and complementing it with other actions: leaving the door slightly open after each wash to ventilate, not overdoing it with detergent or fabric softener, regularly cleaning the rubber gasket where water and dirt accumulate, and checking the drain filter.

An important warning: citric acid should not be used on marble, natural stones, or aluminum that isn’t stainless steel because it can damage them.

The main lesson here is to abandon those myths about baking soda and vinegar circulating everywhere. What really works is relying on methods backed by chemistry—methods that truly clean the washing machine, extend its lifespan, and don’t risk damaging its internal components. Sometimes, simple isn’t better, and science confirms it.