Is it okay to store dirty laundry in the washing machine?

Dirty clothes must be washed in the washing machine, so we might as well store them in the washing machine till it’s time to wash them, right? On the surface, this seems pretty smart. Why waste space and a laundry basket when you can just dump them into that magic receptacle that washes clothes? Unfortunately, we’re here to throw cold water on that idea. Read on.  

Can you store dirty clothes in your washing machine?

In a word, no. See, the thing that makes clothes smell, when they’re too dirty to wear, are bacteria and mould, both of which love sweat, body oils, skin fragments, and whatever other viscera our body empties into our clothes as we wear them. These bacteria and mould also love warm and damp spaces, making them the perfect environment to breed. 

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Following that train of thought, what’s the interior of a washing machine like? You guessed it! Dark and damp – the perfect breeding ground for bacteria and mould in any form. With the perfect environment, and your dead skin cells and sweat as food, storing your dirty clothes for too long is only going to result in mouldy, bacteria-infested clothing that will eventually end up as a health hazard. With bacteria and mould feasting on the fabric of your clothes, they’ll also wear out a lot faster. On top of this, that mould and bacteria will spread throughout your washing machine and infest areas inside that happen to be damp, such as in stray lint that got caught somewhere. 

This can be especially problematic if you’re allergic to mould. The key here of course is the duration for which you’re storing clothes in the machine. A short period such as a few hours should be fine, but if you make a habit of storing clothes in such a fashion, you’re in trouble. 

We’d recommend using an airy laundry basket to store your clothes in, and only using the washing machine for its intended purpose, i.e., washing clothes on demand. 

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The same goes for leaving washed clothes in the machine or dryer. Sure, the clothes have been washed and possibly dried, and more of the sweat and skin cells and other viscera would have been washed away, but the damp and humid environment inside the machine will still encourage bacteria and mould to grow eventually. Again, this isn’t a problem that will become apparent in the short term. Regularly leaving clothes in the machine will result in a bacteria and mould colony that will slowly grow over time. 

Store your clothes properly, and wash them regularly to keep them fresh and help them last longer. It’s better for your health, the environment, and even for your equipment.