How to Clean Your Washing Machine

To clean a washing machine, run an empty hot water cycle with 2 cups of white vinegar, then run a second empty hot cycle with half a cup of baking soda. While the second cycle runs, wipe down the rubber door gasket, detergent dispenser, and exterior with a vinegar-soaked cloth. Do this once a month to prevent mildew and soap scum buildup.

The steps

Run a hot cycle with white vinegar

Pour 2 cups of white vinegar directly into the drum (not the dispenser). Select the hottest and longest cycle available. Run it empty. The vinegar dissolves soap scum, mineral deposits, and kills mildew and bacteria inside the drum and hoses.

Run a second hot cycle with baking soda

Sprinkle half a cup of baking soda directly into the drum. Run another hot cycle. The baking soda neutralizes odors and scrubs residue that the vinegar loosened. Do not combine vinegar and baking soda in the same cycle because they neutralize each other.

Clean the door gasket

For front-loaders, peel back the rubber gasket around the door opening. You will likely find a ring of mildew, hair, and trapped debris. Wipe it thoroughly with a cloth dampened in vinegar. Use an old toothbrush to get into the folds. This gasket is the number one source of washer smell.

Clean the detergent dispenser

Pull out the detergent and fabric softener dispenser drawer (most slide out completely). Scrub it with hot water and a brush. Soap scum and mold build up inside the dispenser and wash into your clothes if left uncleaned. Rinse the drawer and the cavity it sits in.

Wipe down the drum and exterior

With the door open, wipe the inside of the drum with a clean damp cloth to pick up any remaining residue. Wipe the top, sides, and control panel. Leave the door open for an hour after cleaning to let the drum air dry completely.

Why washing machines get dirty

It seems counterintuitive that a machine designed to clean things needs cleaning itself, but the reasons are straightforward:

Soap residue. Every load leaves a thin film of detergent inside the drum, hoses, and pump. This film accumulates over weeks and becomes a breeding ground for mold and bacteria.
Hard water minerals. Calcium and magnesium dissolved in your water supply deposit on the drum walls and heating element, reducing efficiency over time.
Trapped moisture. Front-loaders are sealed airtight, and the rubber door gasket traps water in its folds after every cycle. If the door stays closed, that moisture never evaporates. Mildew thrives in that environment within days.

The result is a washer that smells musty and, worse, transfers that smell to your clothes. A monthly cleaning cycle prevents all three problems.

Front-loaders vs. top-loaders

The cleaning process is the same for both types, but front-loaders need extra attention in one area: the door gasket.

Front-loaders have a thick rubber gasket that seals the door during the wash cycle. Water, hair, lint, and small items (coins, tissues) collect in the folds of this gasket. If you have never cleaned your front-loader gasket, prepare to be surprised by what you find. This gasket is almost always the source of a front-loader smell.

Top-loaders do not have a gasket. They have an agitator or impeller in the center of the drum. The agitator cap (the top piece) can usually be popped off to reveal a cavity where grime collects. Clean underneath it as part of your monthly routine.

The "leave the door open" rule

The single most effective habit for preventing washer smell is leaving the door ajar between loads. This lets the drum air dry, which starves mildew of the moisture it needs.

For front-loaders, prop the door open at least a few inches. For top-loaders, leave the lid up. If you have small children and worry about the open top-loader being a hazard, at minimum leave it open for an hour after the last load of the day.

This one habit reduces the need for deep cleaning significantly. Washers that are left open between loads can often go 2 months between cleanings without developing any smell.

How much detergent is too much

Using more detergent than the recommended amount does not make clothes cleaner. It does the opposite. Excess detergent creates more suds than the rinse cycle can remove, leaving soap residue on your clothes and inside the machine.

Follow the line on the detergent cap. For HE (high-efficiency) machines, use HE detergent and use even less than you think you need. The HE mark on the detergent is there because these machines use less water and cannot rinse away the extra suds that regular detergent produces.

If your clothes come out feeling slimy or your washer smells soapy, you are using too much detergent. Cut the amount in half for a few loads and see if the problem resolves.

How this fits into a maintenance routine

Washer cleaning is a monthly task. The actual hands-on time is about 5 minutes of wiping the gasket and dispenser. The rest is just waiting for cycles to finish, which you can walk away from. Pair it with dryer lint trap cleaning since both are laundry room tasks that take minimal effort and prevent expensive problems.

Frequently asked questions

Why does my washing machine smell like mildew?

Mildew grows in the warm, damp environment inside a closed washer. Front-loaders are especially prone because the rubber door gasket traps moisture and debris. Leaving the door closed between loads, using too much detergent, and washing only in cold water all promote mildew growth.

How often should I clean my washing machine?

Once a month. If you use the washer daily or live in a humid climate, every 2 to 3 weeks is better. A monthly cleaning prevents mildew from ever taking hold. If you are already fighting a smell, do two cleanings back-to-back the first time.

Can I use bleach instead of vinegar?

Yes, half a cup of chlorine bleach in a hot empty cycle works well. Do not mix bleach and vinegar, ever. They produce toxic chlorine gas. If you want to use both, run a bleach cycle first, then a vinegar cycle, with a plain rinse cycle in between.

My top-loader does not have a gasket. Do I still need to clean it?

Yes. Top-loaders still accumulate soap scum, mineral deposits, and bacteria inside the drum and agitator. Run the same vinegar and baking soda cycles. Instead of cleaning a gasket, pull the agitator cap off (if removable) and clean underneath it where grime collects.