Amazon shoppers save hundreds by using £10 'heavy duty' washing machine cleaner with 8,500 ratings instead of calling a plumber

It might be a bit of a head-twister, but there are probably millions of us out there who need to be reminded that we should be cleaning our washing machines every so often. After all, even if they're cleaning machines, they can get gummed up over time with gunk and dirt - making them less effective at cleaning our clothes.

Rather than waiting for something to go wrong as a result of this sort of build-up, a far better plan is to proactively do something about it with a cleaning formula. There are few better on the market than HG Deep Clean & Service Washing Machine Cleaner, which costs just £8.75 for a twin-pack on Amazon and could save you a heap of money in the long run.

This cleaner has been available for ages for a good reason - it works really well, and is also useable for dishwashers in the exact same way. You simply need to add the cleaner to your machine then run it through a full 60-degree wash and you should open it up to find it sparkling and fresh-smelling. There is enough for two to four treatments, and remember: a big appliance working efficiently can help you save on energy in the long run, so keeping them clean is a sensible investment.

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It's a popular product, too - from nearly 8,500 customer reviews it's holding down an impressive 4.4-star average, and some of its most positive reviews are hugely glowing. One happy customer wrote: "Great product, for a sparkling clean washing machine and dishwasher!" Another agreed, saying: "After having a few issues with our washing machine draining